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<br />002,~25 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />., <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />) <br /> <br />The main themes of the testimony were the importance of the successful implementation of <br />California's Colorado River Water Use Plan and the need for the milestones contained in the Record of <br />Decision on the Interim Surplus Guidelines be met. The first such milestone is execution of the <br />Quantification Settlement Agreement by December 31, 2002. Also, during the hearing, the importance <br />of addressing the issues related to the Salton Sea were stressed. Larry Anderson indicated that all of the <br />states have indicated their support ofH.R. 2764, the Colorado River Quantification Settlement Facilitation . <br />Act. Congresswoman Mary Bono stated her desire to adequately restore the Salton Sea. <br /> <br />Colorado River Environmental Activities <br /> <br />California Fully Protected Species Issues <br /> <br />I attended an informational hearing regarding the fully protected species issues held by the <br />Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on December 5,2001, in Sacramento, California. At the <br />hearing, testimony regarding the need for statutory modification of the fully protected species provisions <br />was received by representatives of California Colorado River water users, the Resources Agency, the <br />Department ofFish and Game, and various other interests. Central themes of the hearing revolved around <br />the inability of the California Department ofFish and Game to manage for the fully protected species, as <br />well as the difficulty of finalizing several large conservation planning efforts including CALF ED, MSCP, <br />Salton Sea, and others without addressing the fully protected species statutes. <br /> <br />The environmental and conservation community would like to see the provisions contained in the <br />Califomia Endangered Species Act and the California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act <br />strengthened as the Fully Protected Species statutes of the Fish and Game Code provisions are addressed. <br />To move the process forward, the environmental community has developed a revised proposal which is <br />being considered by the parties. <br /> <br />At the end of the hearing, Chairman Dean Florez suggested that if the interested parties could not <br />reach agreement soon that the administration and the legislature would develop proposed legislation to be <br />moved forward. <br /> <br />Status of the Development of the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program <br /> <br />As I reported at the November 14,2001, Board meeting, the MSCP Technical Consultant Team <br />recently completed a second draft of the Impacts Assessment report. Comments from MSCP participants, <br />on the draft report, were due on November 15,2001. Thc Board, as well as a number of other agencies, <br />provided detailed comments and suggestions to the Technical Consulting Team. Included in the Board <br />folder is a copy of the Board's comments. <br /> <br />All of the comments were collated and distributed to members of the MSCP Program <br />Subcommittee, who then met in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 29, 200 I. The purpose of the Program <br />Subcommittee's meeting was to review and evaluate aU of the comments and provide technical guidance <br />to the Technical Consulting Team, as well as identify policy-level issues, which may require evaluation <br />and direction from MSCP Steering Committee principals. <br /> <br />5 <br />