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e e a '-' required. The state will commit significant resources and use the best science to actually recover and delist threatened and endangered species. The state will place emphasis on property rights, collaboration, voluntary action and constructive partnerships. However, Colorado will aggressively challenge unwarranted petitions to list species so that maximum resources are spent on species truly in need of protection. In this way, we will protect the state's valuable wildlife and plant resources while allowing for a minimum intrusion from federal regulations. COLORADO'S APPROACH TO NATIVE SPECIES CONSERVATION CHALLENGES Cooperative species recovery and habitat protection programs are in place to address the effects of water development in the Upper Colorado, San Juan and Platte River Basins while allowing water management and development activities to proceed under state law. Colorado is committed to the success of these recovery programs and has a real interest in seeing them to fruition: the recovery and deli sting of threatened and endangered species. A broad-based conservation plan has been implemented for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse (PMJM), a species only recently added to the federal ESA list. The goals ofthis effort - protect the mouse and its habitat while reducing or removing burdensome regulations under the ESA - are similar to those of the basin-wide cooperative recovery programs. Colorado will take early action to keep species from being listed. In recent years, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) has initiated efforts or entered into partnerships to conserve the boreal toad, several fish species native to the South Platte and Arkansas Rivers, the Colorado River cutthroat trout, the lesser prairie chicken, the plains sharp-tail grouse, the Gunnison sage grouse, the mountain plover, black tailed prairie dog, the Rio Grande sucker, the wood frog, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the Canadian lynx, and the wolverine. The activities of innumerable private land trusts, ranchers and farmers, water districts, and others also have aided in protecting species and their habitats. THE SPECIES CONSERVATION TRUST FUND MUST BE ADEQUATELY CAPITALIZED IF COLORADO'S COORDINATED EFFORT TO PROTECT NATIVE SPECIES IS TO BE SUCCESSFUL The General Assembly's initial appropriation of$IO million into the Species Conservation Trust Fund will contribute in a significant and meaningful way to addressing the needs of several species while minimizing the regulatory burdens Coloradans otherwise would face. This report, and the accompanying Species Eligibility List, is intended to provide a blueprint for making expenditures from the Fund in FY 2000-2001. However, a fund capitalization of$1O million is insufficient to address all the demands for an effective, coordinated approach in Colorado to native species conservation over the long-term, Even if the Fund were treated as an annuity, where the Fund balance is reduced progressively to zero over a 15 year time frame, the total value of all expenditures from the Fund would be approximately $14.69 million. This is well below of the State of Colorado's $28-30 million share over the next 15 years of the costs for the Upper Colorado, San Juan, and Platte River Basin programs alone, not to mention costs that may be associated with other species protection and recovery efforts. 4