From the Colorado Water Congress:
Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), along with Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Tom Udall (D-NM), introduced the Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2017. The legislation will continue to fund the Upper Colorado and San Juan fish recovery programs through FY2023, and aims to protect four primary endangered species in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
“Protecting endangered species living in Colorado’s natural habitat can be done in a responsible manner, and I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation,” said Gardner. “Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program is a great example of a partnership between federal, state, and local agencies to promote conservation. It’s important we provide adequate resources to this project to ensure our partners on the ground have the necessary tools to protect these endangered species.”
“I’m happy to join my Western colleagues—including Utah’s newly elected Representative John Curtis—in introducing this commonsense legislation. Our bipartisan bill builds on the successful conservation efforts on the Upper Colorado River, encouraging the federal government to work in cooperation with Western states,” said Hatch. “This proposal will help guide the sustainable usage of our water resources in a way that fosters both species recovery and responsible development.”
“The Endangered Fish Recovery Programs are exemplary of the successful, collaborative conservation championed in the West by states, tribes, federal agencies, and other stakeholders,” said Bennet. “This bipartisan bill provides the resources to continue recovery efforts in the Upper Colorado River and to ensure that these endangered fish species are protected for years to come.”
“The San Juan and Upper Colorado River Fish Recovery Programs are vital to rebuilding our native fish populations that are an important part of our state’s heritage,” said Heinrich. “We cannot allow these important conservation programs to lapse and threaten the progress we’ve made up to this point. This bipartisan legislation will ensure federal, state and local agencies have the resources they need to continue protecting endangered species in the Upper Colorado River Basin.”
“The San Juan River Basin is an important region in New Mexico’s ecology, and I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan legislation to continue the collaborative efforts to help protect the area’s endangered species,” said Udall. “The most successful way we can balance the needs of water security with species conservation is to work collaboratively with local, state, Tribal, federal and non-governmental partners to find solutions. This initiative has been an excellent example of how we can conserve natural habitats by working together.”
Representative John Curtis (UT-3) introduced the House companion legislation.
CWC supports the bipartisan efforts in both the House and Senate to provide funding for the Endangered Fish Recovery Program through 2023, and will submit letters of support for both pieces of legislation by tomorrow, December 1st, 2017.
A huge Thank You to Tom Pitts, who has worked tirelessly to further protection for endangered species in the Upper Colorado River.
From The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Gary Harmon):
Three Republicans and four Democrat senators introduced legislation Wednesday to extend a program aimed at recovering endangered fish in the upper Colorado River Basin.
The legislation would extend the program until 2023. It includes three states, including Colorado, in the program that was designed to recover the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker and the humpback and bonytail chubs.
The program was established in 1988 as a way of recovering the fish while also allowing development of the river on the Western Slope, in Utah and downstream…
Program officials had voiced optimism that they might be able to remove the pikeminnow from the endangered species list, but told The Daily Sentinel that the pikeminnow is falling prey to walleye in the Colorado River below the Grand Valley.
Predation by walleye is a setback to the hopes of removing the pikeminnow from the endangered species list or “downlisting” it as threatened.
The bill also was introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, both New Mexico Democrats.
A Utah Republican elected this month, John Curtis, introduced companion legislation in the House.