BOARD01344

• Board Meeting Date: 1/23/2002
• Description: WSP Section - Native Species Trust Fund Recommendations for FY 2002-03
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

STATE OF COLORADO
Bill Owens, Governor
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

DIVISION OF WilDLIFE

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Russell George, Director
6060 Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80216
Telephone: [phone]

.

Members of the Colorado Wildlife Commission:

I am pleased to submit for your consideration and recommendation the attached Species Conservation
Eligibility List. This constitutes the fourth annual request for approval of expenditures from the Species
Conservation Trust Fund, which the General Assembly created in 1998 through H,B,98-1006,

By creating this conservation trust fund Colorado took a critical step in endangered species management,
especially in regards to retaining control of recovery efforts at the state and local levels, Of even greater
importance in the long term, the trust fund allows us to take prudent actions to preserve critical habitat and
species before they ever are considered for federal listing, that was the whole purpose behind H,B, 98-1006,

H,B, 98-1006 directs the Executive Director of the Departlllent of Natural Resources (DNR) to annually
prepare a Species Conservation Eligibility List describing programs eligible to receive funding from the trust
fund. This list is prepared after consulting with the Colorado Water Conservation Board and its director
(scheduled for January 21,2002), the Colorado Wildlife Commission, and the director of the Division of
Wildlife, The proposed expenditures presented here for the Wildlife Commission's consideration total .
$2.6 million, a level consistent with the departlllent's plan to treat the $lS million fund as an annuity with a
IS-year payout of principal and interest.

The proposal this year consists of two main elements. Th~ first is $1,613,000 for projects aimed at recovery
of endangered fish in the Colorado and San Juan Rivers. Recent federal legislation has provided substantial
federal funds for this effort, and the state has committed to; match these federal dollars by the above amount.
The second is $1,000,000 for ongoing management of six key listed or declining species in the state, The
increasing number of at-risk, threatened or endangered species in Colorado will present a great challenge to
the state in the coming years. The Species Conservation Trust Fund is a good response and a valuable tool to
address this challenge, Our goal should be to retain Colorado's ability to control its own destiny with regard
to native species,

It in that spirit that I submit to you the attached project list:for your support and approval that I may convey to
the Executive Director as the recommended Species Eligil:!ility List to be presented to the General Assembly
in the 2002 session,

Sincerely,

Russell George
Director

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DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCE~, Greg E. Walcher, Executive Director
WilDLIFE COMMISSION, Rick Enstrom, Chair. Robert Sho$maker, Vice-Chair. Marianna Raftopoulos, Secretary
Members, Bemard Black. Tom Burke. Philip James. Brad Phelps. Olive Valdez
Ex-Officio Members, Greg E. Walcher and Don Ament