BOARD00505

• Board Meeting Date: 1/12/1998
• Description: 1998 Legislative Issues - Declining Species Conservation Funding
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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hb l"006.htm at v.'ww.state.co.us

Page 2 of 6

end of each fiscal year shall remain within the fund. The bill limits, to the maximum extent practical,
the amount of fund expenditures to the amount of interest earned by the moneys in the fund. No
moneys in the fund shall be subject to any management fee,

The bill requires the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), in cooperation with the
Colorado Wildlife Commission and the Director of the DOW, to annually prepare a species
conservation list describing eligible programs and associated costs. The eligibility list shall be
subject to modification and adoption through passage of a joint resolution. The CWCB shall also
provide a detailed report to the General Assembly on the status of activities, their effectiveness on
the recovery of such species, and any proposed future activities.

The bill requires the Executive Director of the DNR to distribute funding for the following purposes,
in order of priority:

1) certain cooperative agreements for recovery programs for endangered species in the upper
Colorado River, the San Juan River, the central Platte River, Nebraska; and other programs designed
to meet state obligations pursuant to the federal "Endangered Species Act of 1973";

2) programs established by the DOW regarding species: a) placed on the state endangered or
threatened list, and b) candidate species or species likely to become candidate species, species at
risk, and species of special concern. The evaluation of candidate species, species at risk, and species
of special concern shall include an assessment of ecologically equivalent species in the same
ecosystem.

The bill specifies eligibility requirements for any agreement the state enters into to support the
provisions of the bill, The bill requires funding to support these agreements to be utilized, to the
maximum extent possible, for the purchase or construction of capital assets that may be sold or
utilized for other purposes in the event the agreement is terminated. The bill authorizes certain
exemptions to this requirement.

The biil requires the CWCB and the Wildlife Commission to apply for any available grants. Federal
grants and voluntary contributions may be accepted by the CWCB for deposit in the Species
Conservation Trust Fund. The bill appropriates an unspecified amount from the General Fund to the
Species Conservation Trust Fund for FY 1998-99.

The provisions of this bill will affect state General Fund and cash fund expenditures. Therefore, the
bill is assessed as having a fiscal impact. The bill will become effective upon the signature of the
Governor.

State Revenues

The bill requires the CWCB and the Wildlife Commission to maximize funds by applying for
available grants and accepting voluntary contributions, These moneys would be credited to the
Species Conservation Trust Fund. The amounts of these grants and donations have not been
estimated,

State Expenditures

Eligibility list and annual report. The bill will require the CWCB and the Wildlife Commission to
expend approximately 320 hours of personal services annually to prepare and finalize a list of
eligible programs and to prepare the final report. The bill will require the board and the commission
to also expend an additional $1,700 annually to conduct public hearings. The DNR believes the
CWCB and the Wildlife Commission will be able to absorb these costs within existing resources.

Existing cooperative agreements, The State of Colorado has entered into cooperative agreements
with the federal government and neighboring states of the region to implement specific species

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1/21/98