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Summary The iuformation contained in this report and the associated instream flow file folder forms the basis for staff s instream flow recommendation to be considered by the Board, It is staff s opinion that the information contained in this report is sufficient to support the findings required in Rule 5.40. Colorado's Instream Flow Program was created in 1973 when the Colorado State Legislature recognized "the need to correlate the activities of mankind with some reasonable preservation of the natural environment" (see 37-92-102 (3) C,R.S.), The statute vests the CWCB with the exclusive authority to appropriate and acquire instream flow and natural lake level water rights, In order to encourage other entities to participate in Colorado's Instream Flow Program, the statute directs the CWCB to request instream flow recommendations from other state and federal agencies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recommended this segment of Dorsey Creek to the CWCB for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program, Dorsey Creek is being considered for inclusion into the Instream Flow Program because it has a natural environment that can be preserved to a reasonable degree with an instream flow water right. The BLM is very interested in protecting stream flows because Dorsey Creek is one of the few streams managed by BLM on the eastern side of the San Luis Valley that is capable of supporting a salmonid fishery, Dorsey Creek is 4,5 miles long. It begins on the southern flank of Methodist Mountain at an elevation of approximately 10,800 feet and terminates at the confluence with San Luis Creek at an elevation of approximately 7,700 feet. Of the 1.2 mile segment addressed by this report, approximately 100% of the segment, or 1.2 miles, is located on federal lands, The creek is located within Saguache County, The total drainage area of the creek is approximately 2.8 square miles, Dorsey Creek generally flows in a southwesterly direction. The subject of this report is a segment of Dorsey Creek beginning at the Rio Grande Forest Boundary and extending downstream to the confluence with San Luis Creek. The proposed segment is located northwest of Villa Grove, The staff has received only one recommendation for this segment, from the Bureau of Land Management. The recommendation for this segment is discussed below, Instream Flow Recommendation{s) BLM recommended 0,80 cfs, summer, and 0,35 cfs, winter, based on its May 31, 2002, data collection efforts (see Appendix A), The modeling results from this survey effort are within the confidence interval produced by the R2Cross model. Land Status Review Upper Terminus Rio Grande National Forest Total Length Lower Terminus (miles) BLM Boundary 1.2 Land Ownership % Private % Public 0% 100% 100% of the reach is located on federal lands managed by the BLM. - 2-