Cimmarron-Comanche Grassland Plan
The committee chair is in touch with Henry Pollack, Executive Director of the Southern Plains Lands Trust, who is following the planning process.
Delisting Ute ladies-tresses, Spiranthes diluvialis
A proposal by USFWS to delist Ute ladies-tresses (ULT) from the Federal Endangered Species Act raises concerns about the lack of a good count of the number of occurrences and the vulnerability ranking of the plant in the eight states where it is found. The usefulness of the analysis of future climate scenarios for the plant is also in question. We have one committee member working on the issue, and one who will contact the Native Plant Societies of the other seven states to see if we can submit joint comments.
Water scarcity in Colorado is a particular concern in relation to ULT. Although the plant has stable populations in Utah and other places, it is in trouble in Colorado, particularly on the Front Range. The approval of the BERT trail (Boulder to Erie Regional Trail) in Boulder County will modify the habitat for ULT. Comments are due March 10.
CPW Wildlife and Habitat Roundtable
The CPW Wildlife and Habitat Roundtable is a group that meets with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to discuss non-game management issues. CoNPS had been a member when the Roundtable started. We have just requested to rejoin the Roundtable, and that has been accepted. The next meeting, which lasts 2-3 hours, is about migration corridors and is held at CPW offices at 6060 Broadway, as well as Zoom. A committe member will attend in the chairman’s place for this meeting.
Colorado Threatened and Endangered Species Act
There are proposals for legislative changes to the Colorado Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Rare Plant Act. The name of the Act was changed to include ‘rare plants’ by last year’s HB24-1117, which also gave CPW regulatory authority for the conservation of rare plants and invertebrates. However, the Act itself was not changed to allow the inclusion of rare plants and invertebrates as T&E. The committee chair has sent a fact sheet on this and has met with legislators, including Monica Duran, Lisa Cutter, and Brianna Titone, most whom were sponsors of the previous year’s bill. He will continue to approach more legislative sponsors and the DNR lobbyist, Daphne Gervais, to discuss the issue further, and is hoping to get more calls back from the dozen legislators he already contacted.
The Nebraska Model Conservation Bill, passed last year, was mentioned as a possible template although it does have some exclusions, including transportation corridors. If we can get interest from legislators, it would be preferable to pursue a more expansive version of the bill including takings and critical habitat provisions. It may be beneficial to let CPW get through their staffing and program setup before moving forward. Rare plants and invertebrates will be integrated into the core of the 2025 SWAP, which could help the legislation be considered next year . Conservation easements are another avenue to promote voluntary conservation efforts and are eligible now under the state conservation easement laws.
CPW is hiring a pollinator coordinator and a rare plant coordinator, a possible opening for reaching out to CPW commissioners for partnership opportunities. Committee chair will follow up.
ECMC – Improving Species Planning and Revegetation
The committee would like to encourage CPW to provide more information on species-specific utilization and create more effective tools across habitat ranges for the use practitioners on the ground. There is need for more scientific backing on the seed mix selection tool.
Quality of seed mixes used is another concern. The committee chair shared his experience with the reclamation standards for the Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC), which he found to be outdated. Incorporating transparency into process and methods for ECMC reclamation evaluation is critical. The evaluation process is ambiguous at best and subject to individual interpretation. No guidance exists from ECMC on how to evaluate or report on reclamation conditions. The group also discussed the potential use of mitigation funds for conservation projects, the need for better guidance for operators, and better transparency in how the money was being spent.
The team agreed to continue their meetings on the first Monday of each month, from 7pm to 8:30, all are welcome to attend, register from the Calendar to receive link.
Questions? Suggestions? Email Chairman: Brad Klafehn brad@bradk.org