The CWCB participates in water-related endangered species initiatives and programs for the benefit and protection of water users in Colorado. These programs include:

Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Program
The CWCB participates in the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Program which seeks to develop dam operations and other management activities to protect and enhance the natural resources of the Colorado River ecosystem in the Grand Canyon. Glen Canyon Dam operations allow Colorado and the three other Upper Colorado River Basin states to comply with the provisions of the Colorado River Compact. In this way, Colorado is able to operate its water facilities independently in a manner that best meets the needs of Colorado’s citizens.

More information about the program is available at the Adaptive Management Program Website.

Platte River Recovery Implementation Program
An agreement between the states of Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado and the U.S. Department of Interior, the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program has two main purposes:

1. To implement a Platte River Recovery Implementation Program to maintain, improve and conserve habitat for four threatened and endangered species that use the Platte River in Nebraska: whooping crane, piping plover, interior least tern and pallid sturgeon. 
   
2. To enable existing and new water uses in the Platte River Basin to proceed without additional Endangered Species Act requirements for the four target species.

For additional information about the program, including governance documents, visit the Platte River Endangered Species Partnership Website, or contact Ted Kowalski.

San Juan River Recovery Program
The San Juan River Recovery Program focuses on the San Juan River Basin and two endangered fish:  Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen Texanus) and Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus Lucius)
The CWCB’s contributions to this program include use of the Colorado’s Decision Support Systems' (CDSS) surface water model in conjunction with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s RiverWare model to develop an operating plan for the Navajo Reservoir. More information is available at the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program Website.

Upper Colorado River Recovery Program
The Upper Colorado River Recovery Program focuses on four endangered fish in the Yampa/White, Colorado and Gunnison River Basins: Bonytail Chub (Gila Elegans), Humpback Chub (Gila Cypha), Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen Texanus), and Colorado Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus Lucius) 
Recovery strategies include conducting research, improving river habitat, providing adequate stream flows, managing non-native fish and raising endangered fish in hatcheries for stocking. The CWCB's contributions include the use of the CDSS for depletion accounting for the Colorado mainstem and Yampa Rivers, and involvement in several programs that enhance spring peak and late summer flows in designated critical habitat through voluntary reservoir operation coordination. More information is available at the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program Website.