BOARD01648

• Board Meeting Date: 7/20/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

The NEP A exclusions cover the (1) amendment or (2) the replacement of special use permits when no
changes are proposed in the authorized facilities and there is no increase in the scope or the intensity of
the activities proposed. This means that forest managers may no longer have to prepare an
Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement when re-issning a special use
permit.

The Directive is based on a 1997 study the Forest Service completed that revealed a large backlog of
unprocessed special use permits because of the inconsitent and improper application of the many
regulatory guidance documents forest managers must consult before making decisions.

As a result, in 2001, the Forest Service issued a proposed Interim Directive to help mangers comply
with federal environmental regulations. The Forest Service received 26,000 responses to its Interim
Directive!

A copy of the Federal Register Notice is attached.

Because of the importance and widespread impact of this Directive, regional Forest Service officials
are now digesting this Directive and may be interested in holding a workshop with us in September to
help affected parties who have special use permit issues, including ditch bill easement applications, to
explain how this Directive will be implemented.

Upper Colorado Recovery Program Funding: Tom Pitts recently spoke to a staff member with the
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior regarding the status of the proposed cuts to the Upper
Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (the Administration proposed a $691,000 cut).
The following information was provided:

1. Mark-up of the bill is scheduled in about two weeks.
2. The allocations to the committee are "not very good."
3. The committee is very sympathetic to restoring the cuts to the programs made by the
Administration.

We had much support from our Congressional delegation because 13 of 14 members signed a letter
supporting the restoration of this funding.

Riverine Fish Investigations Report: In January 2004 the CWCB received a report by Rick
Anderson, from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW), in response to our 1995 request to develop
methodology for determining the needs of warm water fisheries. We have since asked the Upper
Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery (UCRIP) and San Juan Recovery Programs to review the report
and comment back as to the appropriateness of adopting the methodology.

The UCRIP Program Director has requested that both the Biology Committee and Water Acquisition
Committees members complete reviews and provide comments by the end of July so that this matter
may be discussed by the full committees during their August and September meetings.

The Anderson report is posted at the following location www.r6.fws.gov/crri1l/flow.htm.

Redlands Fish Screen - Final EA and FONSI: On May 21 the Final Environmental Assessment
(EA) and a Finding of No Siguificant Impact (FONSI) were issued for the construction of the Redlands
Fish Screen.

During formal Section 7 consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) it was
determined that water depletions associated with the existing Redlands Water and Power Company
operations would likely jeopardize the continued existence of endangered fish and that the UCRIP
could provide the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative to avoid jeopardy and adverse modification to
critical habitat. An incidental take statement was included in the USFWS biological opinion to address

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