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Rio Grande Water Conservancy District General Manager Retiring: Ralph Curtis will retire , as General Manager of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District in the late summer of2005. San Juan/Dolores River Basin Navajo Operations: The Bureau of Reclamation aIlllounced on April 4, 2005 that based upon the latest spring runoff forecast (April 1 ) for Navajo Reservoir, which predicts 163% of the average inflow, the agency will bcgin increasing the releases from the reservoir in late April. Releases are expected to remain at 500 cubic feet per second (cfs) until then. The spring release pattern and magnitude will follow the recommendations provided for by the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (SJRIP) Flow Recommendations for Endangered Fish. Even with the scheduled high releases, the reservoir is expected to fill this year. A maximum release rate from the reservoir will be 5,000 cfs for 21 consecutive days, with a ramp up and ramp down period. Ramping up will begin ApriI2?, 2005. Releases will remain at 5,000 cfs until June 15, 2005, at which time releases will be ramped down over a two-week period. The proposed release plan will be updated as inflow forecasts are updated. San Juan Public Lands - "Plan for the Future": As previously reported in the January 2005 Director's Report, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (ELM) were embarking on a joint long-term planning effort in the San Juan Basin. The San Juan Public Lands Center, as the joint USFSIBLM management unit is lmown, is the fJrst governmental unit of this type to conduct such ajoint long-range planning effort. This plan will address the . management of over 2.5 million acres of National Forest and BLM lands. The j oint planning effort began with the formation of Community Study Groups. These groups were to meet on a monthly basis for about seven months to learn about and provide input on the 'llatural resources and-public uses on the San Juan PublicLands-andmake_suggestions for , -management of those lands. The Office ofCornmunity Services out of Fort Lewis College will facilitate these meetings. The initial round of meetings was held in January 2005 in Cortez, Durango and Pagosa Springs. There are a total of twenty-one meetings plaIllled, seven in each town. The Public Lands Center was also exploring the formation of a "Government to Government Water Roundtable" to lead discussions on water issues.in the plan revision process. Local governmental organizations and water users in the area suggested this approach. The fJrst meeting of the "Government to Government Water Roundtable" was held on May 10th, 2005 in Durango. There were approximately 35-40 government representatives and the public present to take part in the discussions. Representatives of the USFS, BLM, BOR, Southwestern Water Conservation District, CWCB, CDOW, DWR, Southern Ute Tribe, county and local governmental officials and members of the public were present. Also, local representatives from Senator Allard's office, Senator Salazar's office, Representative Salazar's office, and State Senator Isgar's office were present. An introduction was given by Mark Stiles, F orest Supervisor/Area Manager and his staff on the Plan Revision process and how the roundtable process would compliment that on-going effort. To provide the participants with a foundation of information to begin their deliberations, . 30