Committee advances Species Conservation Trust Fund bill, sends $5 million to conservation projects

The House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday advanced Senate Bill 165, the annual Species Conservation Trust Fund measure, sending it to the Appropriations Committee by a unanimous 13-0 vote.

Sponsors and agency witnesses said the bill provides statutory authorization and a $5,000,000 appropriation from the severance tax operational fund for projects approved by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). "That appropriation includes $2,500,000 for CPW priorities and $2,500,000 for CWCB priorities," Tim Brass, assistant director for Parks, Wildlife and Lands at the Department of Natural Resources, told the committee.

Why it matters: The trust fund supports research, restoration and monitoring intended to prevent listing and to recover species already listed as threatened or endangered. Sponsors highlighted a range of projects in the bill, from research into plague management and pollinator monitoring to aquatic projects, including recovery work for Upper Colorado River basin fishes and targeted water-quality monitoring.

What sponsors and witnesses said: Representative McCormick, a sponsor, described the bill as a long-standing mechanism (created in 1998) that directs severance-tax funds toward conservation, research and species-recovery efforts. Co-sponsor Representative Soper outlined Western Colorado priorities in the bill, including about $2.38 million for Upper Colorado River endangered fish recovery programs and San Juan River Basin recovery efforts, and smaller allocations for Rio Grande native-fish habitat improvements and selenium-management work.

During questioning, Representative Robert Johnson asked whether the fund could be used for wolves; witnesses replied that the state wolf program is funded from the general fund and not the Species Conservation Trust Fund. Johnson also pressed whether the list of projects tends to favor the West Slope; sponsors and DNR staff said CPW staff identify and internally rank priority projects and then the CPW Commission approves that prioritized list, and that fund requests can vary year to year.

Agency details: Brass told the committee that CPW uses an internal ranking process and that roughly half of CPW’s portion typically funds aquatic work while the remainder supports terrestrial projects, such as plague management for prairie dogs, golden-eagle surveys, and research on western bats. Michelle Gerson of the Colorado Water Conservation Board described selenium testing in the Gunnison Basin as required monitoring tied to a programmatic biological opinion that provides ESA compliance for the Aspinall Unit reservoirs and related water uses.

Vote and next step: After closing remarks from sponsors, Representative McCormick moved the bill to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation. The committee recorded a unanimous roll call vote (13-0) and the measure will proceed to appropriations.

The committee considered no other bills and adjourned.