DNR presents a menu for federal engagement; committee approves low-effort outreach steps

DNR staff presented a graduated set of options for how the Forest Health Council could engage with federal legislators and agencies, and the committee agreed to pursue lower-effort steps while considering more formal feedback only for higher-priority bills.

Courtney Morris (Department of Natural Resources) laid out the menu, starting with the simplest step: share the Forest Health Council annual report and its legislative recommendations with Colorado’s congressional delegation. “The first option is to share the Forest Health Council annual report that contains our legislative recommendations with with the Colorado delegation,” she said. Committee members endorsed that option.

Courtney then described pathways for relaying implementer challenges (such as stewardship agreement and NEPA permitting obstacles) to federal offices through DNR’s federal affairs staff, and proposed inviting congressional staff to present at council meetings as a way to strengthen relationships. She also described two ways to provide feedback on federal bills: formal feedback (requiring a full council meeting and a formal action) or informal feedback (individual council members providing input when timing prevents a full council vote).

Members agreed the council should be cautious about taking formal positions and should limit formal feedback to bills that clearly merit the council’s involvement. Mark Morgan urged aligning messages across partner groups so congressional offices receive consistent, multi-source input.

Why it matters: A coordinated federal-engagement strategy can help the council surface implementation barriers and advance policy or administrative fixes that speed mitigation work.

What’s next: Staff will share the council’s annual report with the delegation, continue to solicit implementer feedback for possible transmission to federal offices, and plan invitations for congressional staff to attend future council meetings.