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002~22 . . Basin Statellffrlbes Discussions Colorado River Basin States' Meeting A meeting of the Colorado River Basin States Technical Committee on the Colorado River Delta was held on March 13, 2003, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A number of people from the Governor's office including the Secretary for Resources and the Secretary of Agriculture were in attendance. Mr. Tom Hannigan briefed the Basin States representatives on the status of execution of the QSA and the revised 2003 QSA. A copy of the eKecuted signature page has been included in the Board folder. He eKplained that the revised 2003 package accomplishes the original objective of the 1999 Key Terms of Agreement; it provides a peace treaty among the four water districts; it provides state funding and guarantees totaling $350 million; local funding of$243 million; and no new federal legislation or appropriations are required. It also achieves all of the benchmarks contained in the Interim Surplus Guidelines. The effective date of the QSA is expected to be July 30, 2003, but no later than October 30, 2003. During the meeting a complete set of the QSA related documents were distributed to the Basin States representatives. Colorado River Environmental Activities Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program As has been discussed at previous Board meetings, the LCR MSCP Coordinating Team is continuing to meet and refme the draft Conservation Proposal. Currently, there is general consensus on the amount and type of habitat restoration that is being proposed through the LCR MSCP. Tbis includes the following: Cottonwood-willow restoration Honey mesquite restoration Backwater restoration Marsh habitat restoration 5,940 acres 1,320 acres 360 acres 512 acres Additionally, the LCR MSCP participants have tentatively agreed to provide measures contributing the maintenance of eKisting riparian, marsh, and aquatic habitat within the planning area. The current draft Conservation Proposal contains a description of proposed performance standards related to conservation measure implementation, adaptive management measures, and monitoring program elements. Additionally, the participants have defmed what constitutes changed circumstances and what types of rcmedial measures may be necessary to correct any deficiencies. 9