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. . . ranchers for water in times of declared drought without having to permanently buy the water rights, drying up future agricultural uses. Owens also thanked Coloradans for their efforts to conserve water and asked for their continued help. "Conservation is critical. We have lessened the effects of the drought through conservation. I thank the people of Colorado for their dedication and diligence." Stream & Lake Protection Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary: On July 12, 1973, the CWCB appropriated the state's first instream flow water rights on 13 segments of stream in the Fryingpan watershed near Aspen. These appropriations were made pursuant to passage ofSB73- 97 and were a key element in gaining final approval of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project. Today, Colorado is the leader in instream flow protection in the west. The Board holds appropriations on nearly 1,400 stream segments covering over 8,200 miles of stream, as well as 476 natural lakes in the state. Colorado has protected more miles of stream than all other western states combined. Colorado also has an active Water Acquisition Program, which allows water right owners to convey senior rights to the Board to preserve or improve the natural environment, and the Board routinely monitors, administers and protects each appropriated or conveyed water right against injury. Several events are planned to commemorate this anniversary: . Bill Green, a former CWCB employee and now a professional landscape photographer, has donated artwork for use in a commemorative poster. . In August, the CWCB's State Fair exhibit will highlight the Program's accomplishments. . In September, Trout Unlimited will host a dinner in conjunction with their national convention in Denver to recognize Colorado's program. For more information about the Stream and Lake Protection Program or upcoming events, please visit our website at httv://www.cwcb.state.co.us/ Non-reimbursable Status Report: The annual report we compile regarding our non- reimbursable projects is attached. New Instream Flow Rules Effective: In March, the CWCB adopted new rules concerning the Instream Flow and Natural Lake Level Program. The purpose of the rule changes was to incorporate the provisions of SB 02- I 56. No protests were filed and the new rules became effective on June 2, 2003. Water Resource Information Center: With the exception of a few technical difficulties, our virtual Water Resources Information Center is now operational via the Internet. Eventually, every document, contract, report, decree, memo, study or information that is not subject to a legal privilege that makes it confidential, will be publicly available. This will be very handy because of the increasing number of Open Records Requests we receive. In the meantime, the most frequently accessed information has been Instream flow documents. The ISF documents available on the web site include final court decrees for instream flow and natural lake water rights. The documents are viewable as tiff images. Go to the CWCB web site at www.cwcb.state.co.us. on the link for the Water Resource Information Center and follow the on-screen directions. When our technical difficulties are resolved we will try and sponsor a "kick-off' of some kind.