The Colorado Ground Water Commission is a regulatory and an adjudicatory body authorized by the General Assembly to manage and control designated ground water resources within the State of Colorado. The General Assembly has granted the Ground Water Commission this authority under Title 37, Article 90 of the Colorado Revised Statutes (Ground Water Management Act).  More...

Colorado Natural Areas Council as an advisory council to the Board of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. The council advises the board on the administration of the Natural Areas Program, approves registry and recommends the designation of natural areas by the board.

The council consists of seven members: One member each from the membership of the parks board, the wildlife commission, and the state board of land commissioners appointed by their respective boards or commissions, who serve for three-year terms; and four members appointed by the governor that have a substantial interest in the preservation of natural areas and who serve four-year terms.  More...

The mission of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) is to promote the responsible development of Colorado's oil and gas natural resources. Responsible development effectively balances the efficient exploration and production of oil and gas resources; the prevention of waste; and the protection of public health, safety and welfare; the environment; and mineral owners' correlative rights. The COGCC seeks to serve, solicit participation from, and maintain working relationships with all those having an interest in Colorado's oil and gas natural resources.  More...

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is a 13-member board appointed by the governor. There are 11 voting members and two non-voting members of the Commission. The non-voting, or "ex-officio" members are the Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and the State Agriculture Commissioner.

The Parks and Wildlife Commission sets Colorado Parks and Wildlife regulations and policies for the state’s parks, wildlife and associated recreation programs. It is also responsible for making decisions about buying or leasing property for habitat and public access and for approving the agency’s annual budget proposals and long-range plans. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is an enterprise agency that receives no general fund revenue. The state legislature has final authority over agency spending.

Commission members are unpaid volunteers who represent the geographic and stakeholder diversity of Colorado. The Commission makeup is established in statute: three seats are allocated for sportsmen, one of which is for an outfitter; three seats are for agriculture; three seats are for parks & recreation users, one of which is for a representative from a non-profit, non-consumptive organization; two seats are for at-large members. A minimum of four commissioners must be from west of the Continental Divide.  More...

The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) dates to 1937, and was created to provide policy direction on water issues. The CWCB is Colorado’s most comprehensive water information resource. The CWCB’s responsibilities range from protecting Colorado’s streams and lakes to water conservation, flood mitigation, watershed protection, stream restoration, drought planning, water supply planning and water project financing. The CWCB also works to protect the state’s water apportionments in collaboration with other western states and federal agencies.  More...

The Authority is a quasi-governmental organization created by state statute to provide low cost financing of water related infrastructure projects to municipalities and special districts. Tax-exempt government bonds are issued and are coupled with federal government grants to provide the capital necessary to offer low interest rate loans. The Authority is comprised of a total of 11 staff, including 5 employees in the accounting department. Four distinct financing programs are operated to meet the needs of borrowers. The Authority's operations are funded by its programs, and are not dependent upon state appropriations. More...

The Interbasin Compact Committee was created under the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act to set up a state-wide committee to address issues between basins, provide a permanent forum for broad-based water discussions. Nine separate Basin Roundtables were established for each of the state's major river basin basins, and a "Metro Roundtable" for the Denver metropolitan area. More...

The Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (CMLRB) is a multi-interest citizen board that establishes the regulations, standards and policies that guide the Division of Minerals and Geology. The Board was created in 1976 by the Colorado General Assembly. Members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the legislature, serving terms of 4 years. The composition of the Board is established by the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Act.   More...

The duties of the Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors ("Board of Examiners") are defined in Section 37-91-104, C.R.S. The Board of Examiners has been given general supervision and authority over the construction, repair and abandonment of water wells, test holes, and monitoring wells to ensure that such structures are constructed, repaired and abandoned in a manner that will protect ground water resources and public health. The Board of Examiners is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of Article 91 of Title 37, Rules they have adopted, and for dissemination of information to the contractors they have licensed in order to preserve and protect the ground water resource.  More...

In 1992, Colorado voters approved creation of the Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund (GOCO), which receives a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to award grants for outdoor recreation, wildlife and open space. Both the Division of State Parks and the Division of Wildlife are designated recipients of GOCO dollars. A 15-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor oversees the trust fund.  More...

The Colorado State Land Board manages approximately 3 million acres of surface land and 4 million acres of mineral rights that were given to Colorado at statehood by the federal government. These lands are managed to benefit eight trusts. Income from the largest trust goes to support public education. In Fiscal Year 1999-2000, the agency contributed $42 million toward the support of Colorado's public schools.  More...

The State Trails Program, which is managed by Colorado State Parks, was established in 1971. The ongoing mission of the program is to develop a statewide network of trails to link communities, preserve open space and provide access to public land for a variety of uses. The eight member State Trails Committee is comprised of representatives from each of Colorado's six Congressional Districts plus two at-large representatives. The members are volunteers who advise Colorado State Parks on statewide trail issues. More...