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1 SOUTHWEST REGION

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8 RIDGWAY REVENUE ,000, , , , , , , , , , Revenue

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17 Nov. 17 Commission meeting script 1. Thank you commissioners, Mr. Chairman, Executive Director King and Director Broscheid. This is Poage Lake on the Rio Grande National Forest. It is privately owned and currently managed by CPW as a SWA. In addition to spectacular scenery, Poage Lake has the potential 2. to grow really nice RGCT from fingerlings, and provides a trophy trout fishery to the public at a budget price to CPW. 3. Beaver Park Dam - We are nearing completion on Beaver Park dam. Our contractors were planning on working 24 hours, 7 days per week to finish the project so that we could start storing water this winter. Unfortunately, the weather and the fact that the contractors found and are able to repair an old drainage tunnel mean that work has stopped for the season and we will delay completion until next spring. $3,000/day to pump the water out of the dam. 4. Kokanee work - Fall means lots of work spawning kokanee for aquatic staff in the southwest region. Spawn take occurs at Blue Mesa Reservoir, the main spot for egg harvest in the state (2.85 million eggs this year - down); on the Dolores River above McPhee Reservoir; near the inlet of Vallecito Reservoir; and this year, for the first time, at Nighthorse Reservoir near Durango. 5. Blue Mesa lake trout - For the 6 th consecutive year, aquatic crews are removing lake trout from Blue Mesa Reservoir. Lake trout are predacious and are impacting the kokanee population. The kokanee in BMR provide kokanee eggs for many waters in the state, so they are important to CPW. They also provide a popular public fishery. We estimate the kokanee population in Blue Mesa has dropped from about 1 million in 1990s to about 160,000 fish today. The lake trout we remove are donated to the public --- the lake trout giveaway is also popular. This year we have donated about 1,200 lake trout. 6. BMR Lake Trout Lake trout while predacious also provide great angling opportunity. CPW is balancing the trophy lake trout fishery with the kokanee fishery, by removing young, voracious lake trout and returning the trophy fish to the water. Not easy in a reservoir this size. Removing lake trout has benefited lake trout. These trophy fish are in better condition.

18 7. Boat infected with mussels found at Navajo State Park Congratulations to our boat inspectors at Navajo State Park, who in late September, prevented a boat contaminated with mussels from launching at the park. The owner reported that the boat had last been used in a lake in Delaware. The boat was impounded and decontaminated. 8. Ridgway is a MILLION DOLLAR State Park! For the first time, Ridgway collected $1 million in revenues during the 2014 calendar year. Good water levels brought a lot of boat traffic, campers and other people to enjoy the amenities of Ridgway. Park rangers also stepped up enforcement of boating regulations especially the regulations regarding PFDs. 9. Cool cats, big stars - A woman from Durango snapped some photos of two lynx in southern San Juan County in September. The cats were spotted along Cascade Creek on the south approach to Molas Pass. The photos, posted on Facebook, received 2,500 likes, 590 shares and reached 140,000 people. 10. Penitente Canyon - CPW's Teaching Environment Naturally, or TEN program has made a big impact on science teachers in the San Luis Valley. In the SLV, many schools are open only four days a week because of funding issues. Two teachers, Cathy Armstrong and Luanne Torres from Bill Metz Elementary School in Monte Vista, 11. take advantage of the Fridays off and are using TEN and their personal time to take kids outside. (Dapper little dude) 12. Fighting tamarisk - Escalante State Wildlife area used 13 workers people from the Western Colorado Conservation Corps to cut and sprayed invasive Tamarisk and Russian Olives along the Gunnison River and adjoining wetlands for two weeks in September and October. Thanks to the WCCC and WT Carl Nilson. 13. Thanks to assistance from the Eldred Ranch on the Uncompahgre Plateau, four youngsters were treated to a high-quality hunting experience during the first week of October. Two of the teenage boys harvested cow elk. Five DWMs and a biologist from Area 18 helped with the weekend hunt.

19 14. Speaking of high quality elk hunting experience... Lone Mesa State Park continues to provide unique, high quality, relatively low cost hunting opportunities to hunters through a limited access drawing. Lone Mesa is an undeveloped 12,000-acre state park. Through the second season, 70 Lone Mesa hunters harvested 12 bulls, seven cows and 1 bear. 15. National Park comments At your July Meeting the commission heard from the Fish and Wildlife Service and Great Sand Dunes National Park staff on their developing elk and property management plans. With zero harvest, elk on the east side of the San Luis Valley have caused a lot of problems for agricultural producers. While it is not flashy work it is important work and Area 17 took the lead in preparing CPW s comments. 16. I am going to end my presentation with comments from a happy hunter (Robert Karpiak, Canada) about Delta DWM Mark Richman. I noticed you placed your business card on my windshield congratulating me on my bull elk I harvested this season. Thank you! I was very impressed with the fact that a Parks and Wildlife officer was "happy" about the fact an animal was taken from their area let alone take the time to acknowledge it. Up in Canada it's a hard struggle between law enforcement and hunters (even ethical ones). Most importantly Mr. Karpiak writes... I've already booked my holidays to head up your way next year and do it all over again!!! And, he offers a reminder to all of our PW officers... Stay safe! Catch some bad guys and keep patting the backs of the good ones.