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First Regular Session

Sixty-first General Assembly

LLS NO. R97@0778.01 JLB

STATE OF COLORADO

BY REPRESENTATIVE Miller;

also SENATOR Chlouber.

AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND

NATURAL RESOURCES

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 97-1035

WHEREAS, Sports fishing in Colorado has over one million participants and is a very important component of Colorado's economy, with angler expenditures exceeding 972 million dollars in 1996; and

WHEREAS, Trout produced in the state and federal hatchery systems and stocked into waters throughout Colorado are important in maintaining sports fishing and its economic benefits; and

WHEREAS, The Leadville National Fish Hatchery, first established in 1889, has stocked waters in Colorado, and in 1996 such stocking created an estimated economic benefit of 4 million dollars; and

WHEREAS, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 is conducting an environmental assessment for the purpose of evaluating alternatives with respect to the future operation of the Leadville National Fish Hatchery and the stocking of Colorado waters with fish exposed to whirling disease; and

WHEREAS, The whirling disease pathogen in the Leadville National Fish Hatchery may be eliminated, or exposure to the disease significantly reduced, if certain known activities are completed at the hatchery; and

WHEREAS, It is extremely important to the Colorado economy and sports fishing that the Leadville National Fish Hatchery be maintained as a trout production facility with research capabilities; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-first General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:

That the General Assembly supports the continued operation of the Leadville National Fish Hatchery and urges the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to request necessary funds from the United States Congress to reduce the risk of exposure of trout to the whirling disease pathogen and where possible to eliminate the pathogen entirely.

Be It Further Resolved, That the General Assembly supports the operation of the hatchery and adjacent federal lands in a manner that promotes public recreation and scientific research activities.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to all members of the Colorado delegation to the United States Congress, the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Governor Roy Romer.