BOARD02384

• Board Meeting Date: 1/24/2006
• Description: WSP Section - Presentation by Tim Carlson of the Tamarisk Coalition
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
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MEMORANDUM

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To:

Colorado Waler Conservation Board Members
Steve Mille, S-jL \~

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ExecullH'DinocloT

From.

Date:

January 13. 2006

Rod Kuhdrich
C\\'CBDill'Ctor

Re:

Agenda Item 33. January 24-25. 2006, ewes Meeting. Water Supply Protection _
Presentation by Tim Carlson of the Tamarisk Coalition

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Introduction
Mr. Tim Carlson. Executive Director of the Tamarisk Coalition, is appearing to present the preliminary data and
findings from a Board funded project to inventory tamarisk and other invasive phreatophytes in the Arkansas and
CoJorado Basins. An overview and summary of the project prepared by Mr. Carlson is attached.

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Discussion
The Board has been working with the Tamarisk Coalition and Tim Carlson for a number of years now. In 2003 he
prepared a report for the Board entitled ~Impact of Tamarisk Infestation on the Water Resources of Colorado". He
then assisted in the development and preparation of DNR's ~10 Year Strategic Plan on the Comprehensive Removal of
Tamarisk and the Coordinated Restoration of Colorado's Native Riparian Ecosystems", submitted to Governor Owens
in January 2004. Tim and the Coalition have also played a key role in promoting federal legislation to address the
problem of invasive phreatophytes in the West. and provided periodic updates thereon to the Board.

In Nov. 2003. based on the earlier reports, and in anticipation of federal funding opportunities, the Board authorized a
$52.500 grant to the Tamarisk Coalition to fund 50% of the cost of inventories of the acres infested by tamarisk in
Colorado. No inventory work was done in 2004 in hopes that federal agencies might be assigned this task in pending
legislation. In 2005, with no certainty that federal legislation would be passed, the Coalition and CWCS staff decided to
proceed with the state funded inventory of the Arkansas and portions of the Colorado River Basins. The field work was
done this past summer and the analysis is just winding up now. After the Board meeting the inventory project will be
completed by issuing a concluding report documenting field procedures and data analysis techniques and compiJing a
set of GIS products to be used by those applying for funding and planning their own control projects.

In addition we have attached a recent article describing one loca! groups. "Tackling Tamarisk on the Purgatoire"
participation in the inventory process and use of the data to assist their own controJ project.

Mr. Carlson has reserved part of his lime to answer questions and discuss issues related to: need to inventory the
remainder of the state, prospects for federal legislatIOn, possible funding sources, and current progress on meeting the
10 year goal set out in the DNR Plan.

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Recommendation
There IS no staff recommendation, this item is informational only_ However staff notes that at this time there are no
additional funds available to continue the inventory process into other parts of the state.