Category: News (Older posts)

On December 3, 2013, Senator Mark Udall introduced a bill to protect Browns Canyon (S. 1794, Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Act of 2013). This legislation would safeguard one of Colorado’s most treasured landscapes. CWF has actively supported protection for Browns Canyon for many years. The bill is the result of almost two years of discussions and work for the purpose of preserving outdoor recreation along the 22,000-acre Arkansas River canyon and backcountry. The whitewater kayaking, fishing, hunting, birding and other outdoor recreation activities there produce a significant contribution to Colorado’s economy. The regional whitewater boating industry alone accounts for more than $23 million in direct expenditures, yielding an economic impact of $60 million to the Arkansas River valley.

As of the end of May, 2014, the bill has not been heard by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Here is the press release from December 3:

Nathrop, Colo. — After 18 months of collaboration with sportsmen, Chaffee County leaders, businesses and residents, Sen. Mark Udall introduced legislation today that would designate Browns Canyon as a national monument.

The bill would establish protections over 22,000 acres that would help maintain the quality of hunting and fishing habitat around the canyon as well as the always popular Arkansas River. Given the flexible nature of monuments, undeveloped portions of the monument would be designated as wilderness and less stringent protections would be placed on the rest of the area, encouraging public use and recreation.

œThe Arkansas is the most popular rafting river in the country. I’ve spent many years guiding raft and fishing trips on the Arkansas and spending time in Browns Canyon is a highlight of any trip, said Bill Dvorak, a longtime outfitter and organizer for Sportsmen for Brown’s Canyon. œProtecting Browns Canyon would maintain an important, sustainable part of the area economy. Just as important is protecting air and water quality and fish and wildlife habitat at a time when increasing population and development are creating more demands on public lands.

Browns Canyon, located just south of Buena Vista, has long been known for it’s stunning fishery, but it’s value to big game is equally important. Mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep and other large predators such as black bear make good use of this lower elevation territory.

On average, hunter and anglers spend about 36 million dollars in Chaffee County alone each year, contributing their fair share to Colorado’s 2 billion dollar hunting and fishing economy. œWhether hunting with a bow, muzzleloader or rifle, Browns is easily accessible from a number of points a few miles from the towns of Salida or Buena Vista and a short two hour drive from Colorado’s Front Range, said Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Co-Chair David Lien. œEither by foot or horseback, sportsmen have enjoyed a high quality hunt in this wilderness setting.

As one of the most treasured landscapes in Colorado, Browns Canyon is also one of the least protected said Suzanne O’Neill of the Colorado Wildlife Federation. “Colorado Wildlife Federation appreciates Senator Udall’s steadfast approach during the past year for ascertaining and embracing local community views on how to conserve this jewel for future generations,” she said.

Western Priorities issued a report on November 25, 2013, “Millions of Western Public Lands Are Off Limits.” To read the report, click on the link below this press release.

*For immediate release*
NOVEMBER 25, 2013

*Millions of Acres of Western Public Lands are Off-Limits*
*Shuttered public lands hurt the West’s outdoor recreation economy*

DENVER – More than four million acres of public lands in the West”roughly the size of New Jersey”are inaccessible to the public as a result of land ownership patterns, absent entry points, and a failure to remove barriers to entry, according to a new report by the Center for Western Priorities. These shuttered lands reduce opportunities for outdoor recreation in Western states, and stymie nearby communities from reaping the employment opportunities and economic benefits these lands provide.

œWe have extraordinary public lands that the public can’t even set foot on, let alone use for hunting, fishing, or camping, the activities that are synonymous with our beloved public lands, said Center for Western Priorities’ Trevor Kincaid. œKeeping people locked out of the land they own is like letting a ’57 Corvette rust in your backyard. Just a waste.

The first-of-its-kind analysis was completed by CWP using GIS mapping technology to quantify the amount of inaccessible public lands in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. CWP was able to provide state-by-state and total acreage for the Western region it reviewed. Colorado 540,539 Inaccessible Acres Idaho 163,314 Inaccessible Acres
Montana 1,955,145 Inaccessible Acres New Mexico 542,090 Inaccessible Acres Utah 197,014 Inaccessible Acres Wyoming 758,142 Inaccessible Acres

Public lands are inaccessible for a variety of reasons. The quilt of land owners”federal, state, local, tribal, and private”can make it difficult to access public lands without trespassing. Lands may be completely surrounded by private lands. There may be a public road running through private property, which has been closed off. Some landowners have even been known to illegally fence off public roads, shutting out the public from crossing onto public lands.

The report points to tools available for the federal government to enhance access onto public lands. These include the Land and Water Conservation Fund”a critical source of funding for conservation which Congress chronically underfunds”along with the HUNT Act legislation proposed by Senator Martin Heinrich, D-NM, to reduce the number of inaccessible acres.

œThis is not an insurmountable access obstacle, said CWP’s Policy Director Greg Zimmerman. œThere are viable, common sense solutions available at our fingertips that will open the gates to four million acres of treasured public space. People are clamoring for outdoor playgrounds to explore and enjoy, the government shutdown showed us that, so we would be smart to heed that call and expand the places the public can enjoy.

Open and accessible public lands are essential to hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation in the West, and the economic activity they derive. Examples of inaccessible public lands include the Sabinoso Wilderness and the Cowboy Springs Wilderness Study Area in New Mexico and the Fortification Creek Wilderness Study Area in Wyoming.
Here is the link to the report:westernpriorities.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Landlocked-Measuring-Public-Land-Access.pdf

Western Priorities issued a report on November 25, 2013, “Millions of Western Public Lands Are Off Limits.” To read the report, click on the link below this press release.

*For immediate release*
NOVEMBER 25, 2013

*Millions of Acres of Western Public Lands are Off-Limits*
*Shuttered public lands hurt the West’s outdoor recreation economy*

DENVER – More than four million acres of public lands in the West”roughly the size of New Jersey”are inaccessible to the public as a result of land ownership patterns, absent entry points, and a failure to remove barriers to entry, according to a new report by the Center for Western Priorities. These shuttered lands reduce opportunities for outdoor recreation in Western states, and stymie nearby communities from reaping the employment opportunities and economic benefits these lands provide.

œWe have extraordinary public lands that the public can’t even set foot on, let alone use for hunting, fishing, or camping, the activities that are synonymous with our beloved public lands, said Center for Western Priorities’ Trevor Kincaid. œKeeping people locked out of the land they own is like letting a ’57 Corvette rust in your backyard. Just a waste.

The first-of-its-kind analysis was completed by CWP using GIS mapping technology to quantify the amount of inaccessible public lands in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. CWP was able to provide state-by-state and total acreage for the Western region it reviewed. Colorado 540,539 Inaccessible Acres Idaho 163,314 Inaccessible Acres
Montana 1,955,145 Inaccessible Acres New Mexico 542,090 Inaccessible Acres Utah 197,014 Inaccessible Acres Wyoming 758,142 Inaccessible Acres

Public lands are inaccessible for a variety of reasons. The quilt of land owners”federal, state, local, tribal, and private”can make it difficult to access public lands without trespassing. Lands may be completely surrounded by private lands. There may be a public road running through private property, which has been closed off. Some landowners have even been known to illegally fence off public roads, shutting out the public from crossing onto public lands.

The report points to tools available for the federal government to enhance access onto public lands. These include the Land and Water Conservation Fund”a critical source of funding for conservation which Congress chronically underfunds”along with the HUNT Act legislation proposed by Senator Martin Heinrich, D-NM, to reduce the number of inaccessible acres.

œThis is not an insurmountable access obstacle, said CWP’s Policy Director Greg Zimmerman. œThere are viable, common sense solutions available at our fingertips that will open the gates to four million acres of treasured public space. People are clamoring for outdoor playgrounds to explore and enjoy, the government shutdown showed us that, so we would be smart to heed that call and expand the places the public can enjoy.

Open and accessible public lands are essential to hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation in the West, and the economic activity they derive. Examples of inaccessible public lands include the Sabinoso Wilderness and the Cowboy Springs Wilderness Study Area in New Mexico and the Fortification Creek Wilderness Study Area in Wyoming.
Here is the link to the report:westernpriorities.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Landlocked-Measuring-Public-Land-Access.pdf

Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell issued her first Secretarial Order on October 31, 2013. She focused on engaging youth in the “great outdoors” and on balancing development and conservation on public lands. The Secretary also noted the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the need to fully fund it. (it is funded with revenues from offshore oil and gas development.)

CWF applauds her intent to “ensure that whenever our public lands or resources are impacted by development activity, that we are also considering how to mitigate those impacts at a landscape level through strategic conservation and restoration.” She continued: ” Part of the answer is encouraging development in the right ways and in the right places. Part of the answer is recognizing that there are some places that are too special to develop.” This language is consistent with CWF’s philosophy and actions to protect important wildlife habitat on public lands.

www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-jewell-offers-vision-for-conservation-balanced-development-youth-engagement-in-national-press-club-speech.cfm

Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell issued her first Secretarial Order on October 31, 2013. She focused on engaging youth in the “great outdoors” and on balancing development and conservation on public lands. The Secretary also noted the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the need to fully fund it. (it is funded with revenues from offshore oil and gas development.)

CWF applauds her intent to “ensure that whenever our public lands or resources are impacted by development activity, that we are also considering how to mitigate those impacts at a landscape level through strategic conservation and restoration.” She continued: ” Part of the answer is encouraging development in the right ways and in the right places. Part of the answer is recognizing that there are some places that are too special to develop.” This language is consistent with CWF’s philosophy and actions to protect important wildlife habitat on public lands.

www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-jewell-offers-vision-for-conservation-balanced-development-youth-engagement-in-national-press-club-speech.cfm

 CWF and NWF submitted our comments on the TransWest Express Transmission Line draft environmental impact statement on September 30, 2013 to BLM and Western Area Power Administration WAPA).

TransWest is a proposed 725-mile direct current overhead transmission (600kV) line across public and private lands in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada that will connect southern Wyoming (the hokecherry and Sierra Madre wind energy project proposal) to the desert southwest area (southern terminal in Las Vegas area). The project would carry up to 3,000 megawatts, which is roughly enough to power approximately one million homes.

CWF’s interest is in the segment that crosses northwest Colorado.  CWF urged BLM and WAPA to select Option 3 at the “chokepoint” at Highway 40 to avoid cutting across the 15,076-acre Tuttle conservation easement purchased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife with supplemental funding by GOCO and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife values on this conservation easement are noted below in the CWF/NWF comments.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION® Rocky Mountains and Prairies Regional Center 2995 Baseline Road, Suite 300 Boulder, Colorado 80303 303-786-8001 www.nwf.org COLORADO WILDLIFE FEDERATION 1410 Grant Street, Suite C-313 Denver, Colorado 80203 303-987-0400 www.coloradowildlife.org

September 30, 2013

 Delivered via electronic mail (TransWest_WYMail@blm.gov) and U.S. mail (with attachments).

 Sharon Knowlton, BLM Project Manager

TransWest Express Project

Bureau of Land Management

P.O. Box 20678

Cheyenne, WY 82003

sknowlto@blm.gov

Steve Blazek, Western Area Power Administration National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Document Manager

Western Area Power Administration

P.O. Box 281213

Lakewood, Colorado 80228–8213

sblazek@wapa.gov

Re: Comments on TransWest Express Transmission Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Dear Ms. Knowlton and Mr. Blazek:

 The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Colorado Wildlife Federation (CWF) appreciate this opportunity to comment on the proposed TransWest Express Transmission Line Project (TransWest Project) and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

As an organization, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) represents the power and commitment of four million members and supporters joined by affiliated organizations in 48 states and territories. NWF and its affiliates have a long history of working to conserve the wildlife and wild places of the West. Many members of NWF and its affiliates use the lands and resources that could be impacted by the construction of the TransWest Project.

The Colorado Wildlife Federation (CWF) is Colorado’s oldest statewide wildlife conservation organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose members consist of hunters, anglers and other wildlife enthusiasts. CWF’s mission is to promote the conservation, sound management, and sustainable use and enjoyment of Colorado’s wildlife and habitat through education and advocacy. CWF understands that wildlife habitat is critical to conserving Colorado’s unique wildlife, hunting and fishing heritage, and wildlife viewing opportunities. These wildlife-related recreation pursuits enrich the well-being of residents and visitors and form a substantial segment of Colorado’s economy. CWF’s members hunt, fish, and recreate on federal public lands in Colorado and elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain region that could be crossed by the proposed transmission corridor.

 NWF and CWF incorporate herein by reference the comments submitted by Audubon Rockies and The Wilderness Society.  We join in their conclusions and supporting reasons regarding the preferred corridor for the TransWest Project as well as other proposed transmission lines, including the Energy Gateway South Transmission Line Project (Gateway South) and the Zephyr Power Transmission Project (Zephyr), which seek to transport power generated in Wyoming to load centers in California, with one notable exception.  NWF and CWF do not support the current alignment of Tuttle Easement Micro-siting Option 1.  Instead, we urge the agencies to avoid lands in Colorado comprising the Tuttle Conservation Easement recently acquired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).  As noted in CPW’s letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), by routing the proposed transmission line in the approved corridor that is immediately north of Highway 40, the agencies can avoid permitting a project that could void the easement and damage the future credibility of CPW’s conservation easement program.[1]  We understand that Tuttle Easement Micro-siting Option 3[2] would entail crossing the Deer Lodge Park access road into Dinosaur National Monument.  However, this overhead incursion would occur 12 miles from the body of the Monument and would not impact other National Park Service (NPS) resources.  This is not ideal.  We would not support a route that crossed other NPS lands and resources.  However, we believe that co-locating both roads and transmission to the greatest extent possible will result in lesser impacts to wildlife and their habitats.  Under Option 2, the agencies could avoid both the easement and the NPS access road.  Either Option 2 or 3 would preserve both the Tuttle Conservation Easement and the ability of CPW and others to enter into such agreements in the future.

The 15,076-acre Tuttle Conservation Easement, executed on September 26, 2012, provides an unfragmented expanse of habitat and will improve as the area continues to recover from wildfire, including on surrounding property. CPW views this property as a keystone parcel in its effort to protect wildlife habitat on a landscape scale and as a more important and higher value habitat than that north of Highway 40.  Two of Colorado’s largest elk herds (E-2 and E-6) converge on these lands during average winters, numbering 7,000 to 10,000. The land is mapped as an elk concentration area.  The area also is important as habitat year-round for pronghorn herds. Remaining sagebrush on the easement has become increasingly important to wintering mule deer.  In addition to the presence of a year-round Greater sage-grouse leks site, the conservation easement is situated between two large Greater sage-grouse complexes and serves as an important transitional linkage between the priority habitat from Axial Basin (east) to Blue Mountain (west). CPW notes that habitat south of Highway 40 is greater in value for Greater sage-grouse than north of Highway 40 because it is protected from development in perpetuity. A black ferret release had been planned on this site and is written into the conservation easement.

Although plague has swept through the area, CPW believes that after the white-tailed prairie dog colonies re-establish, the location will serve as a good place for a future black footed ferret release.

NWF and CWF also join the Wyoming Wildlife Federation (WWF) in supporting a determination to eliminate any route near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and crossing lands in the Little Mountain area of Wyoming.  We also urge the agencies to include WWF’s recommendations regarding mitigation of the TransWest Project in wildlife habitats.[3]

Sincerely,

Kathleen C. Zimmerman

Director, Public Lands Program

National Wildlife Federation

Suzanne B. O’Neill

Executive Director

Colorado Wildlife Federation

[1] Letter to Helen Hankins, Colorado State Director, from Rick D. Cables, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director, April 25, 2013 (attached).

 

[2] See TransWest Project DEIS at 2-40 and Figure 2-25.

[3] See Comments submitted by Wyoming Wildlife Federation, September 21, 2013 (attached).

 CWF and NWF submitted our comments on the TransWest Express Transmission Line draft environmental impact statement on September 30, 2013 to BLM and Western Area Power Administration WAPA).

TransWest is a proposed 725-mile direct current overhead transmission (600kV) line across public and private lands in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada that will connect southern Wyoming (the hokecherry and Sierra Madre wind energy project proposal) to the desert southwest area (southern terminal in Las Vegas area). The project would carry up to 3,000 megawatts, which is roughly enough to power approximately one million homes.

CWF’s interest is in the segment that crosses northwest Colorado.  CWF urged BLM and WAPA to select Option 3 at the “chokepoint” at Highway 40 to avoid cutting across the 15,076-acre Tuttle conservation easement purchased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife with supplemental funding by GOCO and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Wildlife values on this conservation easement are noted below in the CWF/NWF comments.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION® Rocky Mountains and Prairies Regional Center 2995 Baseline Road, Suite 300 Boulder, Colorado 80303 303-786-8001 www.nwf.org COLORADO WILDLIFE FEDERATION 1410 Grant Street, Suite C-313 Denver, Colorado 80203 303-987-0400 www.coloradowildlife.org

September 30, 2013

 Delivered via electronic mail (TransWest_WYMail@blm.gov) and U.S. mail (with attachments).

 Sharon Knowlton, BLM Project Manager

TransWest Express Project

Bureau of Land Management

P.O. Box 20678

Cheyenne, WY 82003

sknowlto@blm.gov

Steve Blazek, Western Area Power Administration National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Document Manager

Western Area Power Administration

P.O. Box 281213

Lakewood, Colorado 80228–8213

sblazek@wapa.gov

Re: Comments on TransWest Express Transmission Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Dear Ms. Knowlton and Mr. Blazek:

 The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Colorado Wildlife Federation (CWF) appreciate this opportunity to comment on the proposed TransWest Express Transmission Line Project (TransWest Project) and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

As an organization, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) represents the power and commitment of four million members and supporters joined by affiliated organizations in 48 states and territories. NWF and its affiliates have a long history of working to conserve the wildlife and wild places of the West. Many members of NWF and its affiliates use the lands and resources that could be impacted by the construction of the TransWest Project.

The Colorado Wildlife Federation (CWF) is Colorado’s oldest statewide wildlife conservation organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose members consist of hunters, anglers and other wildlife enthusiasts. CWF’s mission is to promote the conservation, sound management, and sustainable use and enjoyment of Colorado’s wildlife and habitat through education and advocacy. CWF understands that wildlife habitat is critical to conserving Colorado’s unique wildlife, hunting and fishing heritage, and wildlife viewing opportunities. These wildlife-related recreation pursuits enrich the well-being of residents and visitors and form a substantial segment of Colorado’s economy. CWF’s members hunt, fish, and recreate on federal public lands in Colorado and elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain region that could be crossed by the proposed transmission corridor.

 NWF and CWF incorporate herein by reference the comments submitted by Audubon Rockies and The Wilderness Society.  We join in their conclusions and supporting reasons regarding the preferred corridor for the TransWest Project as well as other proposed transmission lines, including the Energy Gateway South Transmission Line Project (Gateway South) and the Zephyr Power Transmission Project (Zephyr), which seek to transport power generated in Wyoming to load centers in California, with one notable exception.  NWF and CWF do not support the current alignment of Tuttle Easement Micro-siting Option 1.  Instead, we urge the agencies to avoid lands in Colorado comprising the Tuttle Conservation Easement recently acquired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).  As noted in CPW’s letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), by routing the proposed transmission line in the approved corridor that is immediately north of Highway 40, the agencies can avoid permitting a project that could void the easement and damage the future credibility of CPW’s conservation easement program.[1]  We understand that Tuttle Easement Micro-siting Option 3[2] would entail crossing the Deer Lodge Park access road into Dinosaur National Monument.  However, this overhead incursion would occur 12 miles from the body of the Monument and would not impact other National Park Service (NPS) resources.  This is not ideal.  We would not support a route that crossed other NPS lands and resources.  However, we believe that co-locating both roads and transmission to the greatest extent possible will result in lesser impacts to wildlife and their habitats.  Under Option 2, the agencies could avoid both the easement and the NPS access road.  Either Option 2 or 3 would preserve both the Tuttle Conservation Easement and the ability of CPW and others to enter into such agreements in the future.

The 15,076-acre Tuttle Conservation Easement, executed on September 26, 2012, provides an unfragmented expanse of habitat and will improve as the area continues to recover from wildfire, including on surrounding property. CPW views this property as a keystone parcel in its effort to protect wildlife habitat on a landscape scale and as a more important and higher value habitat than that north of Highway 40.  Two of Colorado’s largest elk herds (E-2 and E-6) converge on these lands during average winters, numbering 7,000 to 10,000. The land is mapped as an elk concentration area.  The area also is important as habitat year-round for pronghorn herds. Remaining sagebrush on the easement has become increasingly important to wintering mule deer.  In addition to the presence of a year-round Greater sage-grouse leks site, the conservation easement is situated between two large Greater sage-grouse complexes and serves as an important transitional linkage between the priority habitat from Axial Basin (east) to Blue Mountain (west). CPW notes that habitat south of Highway 40 is greater in value for Greater sage-grouse than north of Highway 40 because it is protected from development in perpetuity. A black ferret release had been planned on this site and is written into the conservation easement.

Although plague has swept through the area, CPW believes that after the white-tailed prairie dog colonies re-establish, the location will serve as a good place for a future black footed ferret release.

NWF and CWF also join the Wyoming Wildlife Federation (WWF) in supporting a determination to eliminate any route near the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and crossing lands in the Little Mountain area of Wyoming.  We also urge the agencies to include WWF’s recommendations regarding mitigation of the TransWest Project in wildlife habitats.[3]

Sincerely,

Kathleen C. Zimmerman

Director, Public Lands Program

National Wildlife Federation

Suzanne B. O’Neill

Executive Director

Colorado Wildlife Federation

[1] Letter to Helen Hankins, Colorado State Director, from Rick D. Cables, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director, April 25, 2013 (attached).

 

[2] See TransWest Project DEIS at 2-40 and Figure 2-25.

[3] See Comments submitted by Wyoming Wildlife Federation, September 21, 2013 (attached).

Colorado Parks and Wildlife released on September 3 proposed “revenue concepts” and proposed budget cuts under 3 scenarios requested by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission earlier this summer. At its meeting on September 12, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission determined that it favors the strategic scenario and likely will adopt it with tweaks at its November meeting.  CWF made public comment at the September meeting.

CWF said that we appreciate the difficult work by CPW staff to develop the complicated strategic budget cut scenario, and that we have a few preliminary impressions and numerous questions.  “We are looking for a unifying strategy in the strategic cuts scenario that is predicated upon vision and long term goals and outcomes. For example, we are looking at how and to what extent the habitat priority strategy steps down to the 5-year strategic cost cutting items — and how to gain a sense of which cuts need to be recovered in the future.  We presume future cost recoveries for the cuts to research, field operations, populations monitoring, etc. will need to come from new revenue streams developed through a strategic planning process. It is very important to undertake a strategic a strategic planning process in the next 1-2 years.”  We also expressed concern that the strategic annual cuts scenario includes reallocation of $ 1 million in habitat stamp revenue from acquisitions to operations and maintenance at state wildlife areas that have been/are acquired in part with habitat stamp funds.  We had expected to see a 10 percent reallocation, not this much larger number.  CWF then recommended that any reallocation be used for habitat improvements and not for replacing some of a property’s general operations and maintenance expenses.  A needs assessment for such state wildlife areas, priorities and guidance should be developed before spending any of the reallocated funds.  The Habitat Stamp Committee should review requests and perhaps proposed uses should compete in the normal request for proposals process.

Here are the links to CPW’s information:

Revenue Concepts —

wildlife.state.co.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/DOW/Commission/2013/Sept/ITEM17-CPWRevenueConcepts.pdf

 

Proposed Budget Cuts —

http://wildlife.state.co.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/DOW/Commission/2013/Sept/ITEM18-BudgetTransmittalMemotoCommission.pdf

Colorado Parks and Wildlife released on September 3 proposed “revenue concepts” and proposed budget cuts under 3 scenarios requested by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission earlier this summer. At its meeting on September 12, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission determined that it favors the strategic scenario and likely will adopt it with tweaks at its November meeting.  CWF made public comment at the September meeting.

CWF said that we appreciate the difficult work by CPW staff to develop the complicated strategic budget cut scenario, and that we have a few preliminary impressions and numerous questions.  “We are looking for a unifying strategy in the strategic cuts scenario that is predicated upon vision and long term goals and outcomes. For example, we are looking at how and to what extent the habitat priority strategy steps down to the 5-year strategic cost cutting items — and how to gain a sense of which cuts need to be recovered in the future.  We presume future cost recoveries for the cuts to research, field operations, populations monitoring, etc. will need to come from new revenue streams developed through a strategic planning process. It is very important to undertake a strategic a strategic planning process in the next 1-2 years.”  We also expressed concern that the strategic annual cuts scenario includes reallocation of $ 1 million in habitat stamp revenue from acquisitions to operations and maintenance at state wildlife areas that have been/are acquired in part with habitat stamp funds.  We had expected to see a 10 percent reallocation, not this much larger number.  CWF then recommended that any reallocation be used for habitat improvements and not for replacing some of a property’s general operations and maintenance expenses.  A needs assessment for such state wildlife areas, priorities and guidance should be developed before spending any of the reallocated funds.  The Habitat Stamp Committee should review requests and perhaps proposed uses should compete in the normal request for proposals process.

Here are the links to CPW’s information:

Revenue Concepts —

wildlife.state.co.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/DOW/Commission/2013/Sept/ITEM17-CPWRevenueConcepts.pdf

 

Proposed Budget Cuts —

http://wildlife.state.co.us/SiteCollectionDocuments/DOW/Commission/2013/Sept/ITEM18-BudgetTransmittalMemotoCommission.pdf

On December 31, 2012 Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and US Fish and Wildlife Service announced expanded acreage of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and its connection to the open space and trail system.

The news release appears below:

Office of the Secretary

U.S. Department of the Interior www.doi.gov

NEWS RELEASE Date: December 31, 2012

Contact: Blake Androff (DOI) 202-208-6416

Leith Edgar (FWS) 303-236-4588

AMERICA’s GREAT OUTDOORS:

Secretary Salazar, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Announce Expanded Conservation at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge

Represents Key Step in Establishing Rocky Mountain Greenway as America’s Next Great Urban Park

GOLDEN, Colo. –Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State of Colorado and local municipalities today closed on a land exchange that will allow approximately 1,200 acres of important wildlife habitat to be added to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, increasing the refuge’s size by nearly one-third and connecting it with the region’s open space and trail system. Rocky Flats is one of three National Wildlife Refuges in the Denver metropolitan area that provide open space, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Today’s closing is an important step in establishing the Rocky Mountain Greenway, an uninterrupted trail and open space network will connect hundreds of miles of trails in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rocky Mountain Greenway, part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors program, will link the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Rocky Flats and Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuges, Rocky Mountain National Park, and community trail systems.

œToday’s action will significantly expand one of the cornerstones of Colorado’s open space and trails network and will protect the Front Range’s mountain backdrop as one of the state’s crown jewels, said Secretary Salazar. œI applaud all the partners who have come together with the state and local communities to connect people to the great outdoors and to take this key step toward realizing the Rocky Mountain Greenway as America’s next great urban park.

The land exchange is a part of a larger set of transactions involving private landowners and other public entities that will result in the conservation of habitat and recreation lands. Together, these transactions seek to eliminate development threats to the western edge of the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, connect the Refuge’s protected plant and animal habitats to conserved land owned by local government open space programs, and buffer the Refuge near its southern boundary.

The Governor’s Office, Colorado Attorney General’s Office, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Public Health and Environment, State Board of Land Commissioners, Jefferson and Boulder counties, Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority, the City of Boulder, City and County of Broomfield and City of Arvada have worked for over four years to complete this set of transactions that benefits the region’s land and wildlife conservation and transportation needs.

“This addition to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge will help protect the future of both Colorado’s natural and human resources, said Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. œThe additional land will create more quality open space and wildlife habitat northwest of Denver and will bring nearly $9.5 million to support public schools and the state school trust. We want to thank all the partners involved in this incredibly beneficial investment in Colorado’s future.”

œColorado’s public lands and wildlife form the very foundation of what makes our state a great place to live, work and raise a family, U.S. Senator Mark Udall said. œExpanding the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, which I helped create during my time in the U.S. House of Representatives, ensures this important area will remain vibrant for both recreationists and wildlife for years to come.

œI commend the collaborative effort by all the parties to come to agreement on this important land exchange Rep. Ed Perlmutter said. “Enhancing the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge connects our communities across the region, maintains our open spaces, protects our wildlife and improves recreational opportunities for generations to come.”

œOn behalf of the Colorado Natural Resources Trustees, we are proud of our early efforts to secure original seed money and work out some early land transactions, said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. œBy establishing a framework for federal, state and local governments, this wildlife refuge creates an important link between existing open space in the Denver-metropolitan area.

œThis type of collaborative partnership between local communities and state and federal governments and private landowners is the best way for conservation to proceed in the 21st Century, said Noreen Walsh, FWS Mountain-Prairie Regional Director. œToday, we have completed an exchange and a broader set of actions that will expand the Refuge, conserve wildlife habitat and provide a greater network of open space for the people and wildlife on the Front Range.

Today’s land closing follows a favorable ruling by the federal district court in Colorado that the Service complied with the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge Act of 2001 and applicable laws. Last Friday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denied an emergency motion to block the land transaction. As part of the refuge expansion, the Service transferred a 300-foot wide strip of land on the eastern boundary of the Refuge to the Jefferson Public Parkway Highway Authority for transportation improvements. The transfer of the Indiana Street transportation corridor is required by the Refuge’s authorizing legislation.

The land exchange offers the protections of the National Wildlife Refuge System to a large, contiguous and intact tract of xeric tallgrass prairie. Xeric tallgrass prairie only exists on a narrow band of the Colorado Piedmont, east of the mountain front in Colorado. The xeric tallgrass prairie grassland on Rocky Flats and the City of Boulder Open Space nearby to the west are believed to be the largest remaining tracts of this plant community in North America. Additionally, portions of land that the Service will receive include additional riparian habit for the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, a species listed by the federal government as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1998.

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge sits at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The refuge site played an important role in Cold War history as a Department of Energy-operated facility for the production of plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads. The refuge entered U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stewardship in 2007 following the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination that corrective cleanup actions had been completed.

For additional information on the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, please visit: http://www.fws.gov/rockyflats/.