2016
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 16-020
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) Crowder, Aguilar, Baumgardner, Carroll, Cooke,
       Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Guzman, Heath, Hill, Hodge, Holbert, Jahn,
       Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Martinez
       Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Newell, Roberts, Scheffel, Scott,
       Sonnenberg, Steadman, Tate, Todd, Ulibarri, Woods, Cadman;
       also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Vigil, Arndt, Becker J., Brown, Buckner,
       Conti, Coram, Danielson, DelGrosso, Duran, Esgar, Ginal, Hamner,
       Kagan, Klingenschmitt, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee,
       Lundeen, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Navarro, Neville P., Pettersen,
       Primavera, Priola, Roupe, Ryden, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Tyler,
       Van Winkle, Willett, Williams, Wilson, Windholz, Winter, Wist, Young,
       Hullinghorst.
       
       
          CONCERNING THE SPREAD OF NOXIOUS WEEDS ON
       FEDERAL LAND. 
       
       
          WHEREAS, Invasive noxious weed species have overrun national
       wildlife refuges (NWR) in Colorado, including the Baca National
       Wildlife Refuge, the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, and the Monte
       Vista National Wildlife Refuge, because federal law is not being
       enforced; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Monte Vista NWR, established in 1952, contains
       14,804 acres and the Alamosa NWR, established in 1962, contains 12,026
       acres, and the two refuges were administratively combined in 1979; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Baca NWR, established in 2003, contains 92,500
       acres; and 
       
          WHEREAS, Since 1952, the Monte Vista NWR has continued to
       purchase land without the tools, personnel, and funding to adequately
       manage the noxious weeds on the acres obtained; and
       
          WHEREAS, According to Section 15 of the "Federal Noxious Weed
       Act", P.L. 93-629 (the Act), each federal agency has a duty to designate
       an office or person adequately trained in the management of undesirable
       plant species to establish, develop, coordinate, and adequately fund an
       undesirable plants management program for control of undesirable plants
       on federal lands under the agency's jurisdiction; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Act describes the management process to control
       undesirable plants, the "cooperative agreement" with state entities, and
       "authorized appropriations" for budgeting; and
       
          WHEREAS, Local farmers whose land is adjacent to the refuges are
       seeing their properties harmed by invasive noxious weeds that have
       spread from the refuge lands; and
       
          WHEREAS, Local farmers must either pay for their own noxious
       weed control or incur a charge when the local weed control districts treat
       the noxious weeds on their lands; now, therefore,  
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the
       State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
       
          That we, the General Assembly:
       
          (1)  Desire to bring to the attention of the United States Department
       of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and the United States
       Fish and Wildlife Service the problem of invasive noxious weeds
       spreading throughout and beyond the aforementioned refuges;
       
          (2)  Request that the federal agencies allow a request-for-proposal
       contract between the NWR and a licensed commercial applicator weed
       control subcontractor in order to resolve the matter; 
       
          (3)  Suggest that the federal government provide appropriate funding
       to adequately control the current amount of noxious weeds; and 
       
          (4)  Establish adequate funding for future noxious weed control. 
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this joint resolution be sent to:
       The members of Colorado's congressional delegation; Ruth Welch,
       director of the Colorado state office of the Bureau of Land Management;
       Noreen Walsh, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
       Mountain-Prairie Region; Sally Jewell, secretary of the U.S. Department
       of the Interior; and the managers of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge;
       the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge; and the Monte Vista National
       Wildlife Refuge. 
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Bill L. Cadman               Dickey Lee Hullinghorst
       PRESIDENT OF                    SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Effie Ameen                           Marilyn Eddins
       SECRETARY OF                CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES