Governor Jared Polis, in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the Western Governors Association, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Interior to establish a new Task Force on Collaborative Conservation focused on local, state, and federal collaboration for the West.
“In Colorado, collaboration is in the spirit of everything we do, especially when it comes to working together at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels to protect and improve the lands, water, wildlife and activities we love,” said Governor Polis. “This new task force will help support our communities and local economies that rely on our public lands and precious natural resources, and make Colorado and the West even more fun and amazing.”
The Memorandum of Understanding establishes a Task Force on Collaborative Conservation amongst designees of the bipartisan group of western governors under the Western Governors Association and senior-level staff at the Department of Interior and United States Department of Agriculture which includes the United States Forest Service. These federal land management-oriented agencies oversee federal lands, water and wildlife policies that hold great bearing on western states.
With both the unique opportunity available from the large resources that accompany the federal infrastructure act, of which Governor Polis was an early supporter, to the major challenges our water systems, public lands and wildlife see from a changing climate and changing west, concentrated federal-state collaboration is urgently needed. This task force will provide myriad opportunities for direct engagement between Colorado’s state and local leaders with senior level federal leadership to deliver results for Colorado and the West.
“Growing up in the high desert of New Mexico, I am no stranger to water scarcity, threats of wildfire and relying on the land. As climate change intensifies these environmental challenges, we have a unique opportunity to collaborate with our Western partners and advance our shared priorities, including implementing President Biden’s infrastructure investments to bolster communities’ resilience against more extreme weather,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “I look forward to further coordinating with states and territories through this Task Force as we endeavor to conserve and protect our natural resources.”
Featured image: Ryan Dull with the U.S. Forest Service works with volunteers to construct a log “worm” fence at the northeastern entrance to Browns Canyon National Monument (courtesy photo).
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