Steve Smith
July 2013
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
My professional career has focused entirely on understanding, managing, and protecting
our public lands and natural resources—and on helping others increase their appreciation
of those things that make Colorado so unique.
I have developed a good sense of effective and fair public policy, patience with and
insights to the diversity of viewpoints engaged in natural resource management.
I have clearly presented natural resource information through public speaking, technical
comments and testimony, policy analyses and memoranda, and effective engagement in
complex working-groups. Through these interactions, I have gained clear, personable,
and persuasive communication skills, including a knack for bringing disagreeing—and
sometimes disagreeable—parties together in work on solutions.
I have developed an extensive and diverse network of contacts, advisors, partners, policy
sparring partners, and friends who continue to help me be effective and influential on
natural resource matters. The organizations and individuals in that network span a wide
range, including (as just a few examples) Trout Unlimited, Club 20, Denver Water
Department, Colorado River Water Conservation District, county commissioners,
bicycling advocates, water attorneys, public-policy academics, ranchers and farmers.
All these efforts have provided me an understanding of the state’s landscapes, insights to
citizen and community attitudes about them, and communication skills for enhancing
both public awareness and public protection of those essential resources.
Those professional experiences, and many others gained as a volunteer, have resulted in
many decisive and gratifying successes, as noted in more detail in my professional
resume.
I have assisted with the crafting and passage of six Colorado wilderness bills, including
two with breakthrough provisions helping span the conundrum between water-use needs
and natural streamflows.
I have successfully helped craft, negotiate, and legally defend instream flow water rights
held by the state of Colorado—including the first-ever state water rights designed
specifically to support and enhance congressionally designated wilderness.
I have successfully lobbied legislators—both federal and state—on a variety of issues and
policy measures. I have successfully guided or participated in complex negotiations over
details of natural resources policy and legislation.
Indeed, through over 30 years of work on conservation work and on natural resource
policy, I am pleased to note some direct and tangible effects that span the state.
Northern Colorado
 Helped negotiate final agreements and legislative details for Colorado’s only
congressionally designated wild and scenic river—Cache la Poudre.
 Worked for twelve years to successfully secure wilderness designation for 94% of
Rocky Mountain National Park in 2009.
 Helped compose final regulations restricting low-altitude flights over Rocky
Mountain National Park.
 Managed citizen working group negotiations resulting in final agreements and
legislation permanently protecting North St. Vrain Creek and its corridor
through Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt National Forest.
 Completed field research and negotiated final boundaries for wildernessprotection area combination at Bowen Gulch.
 Negotiated details for removal of three City of Longmont reservoirs from Rocky
Mountain National Park, moving water storage rights to enlarged reservoir
downstream.
 Negotiated final agreement between City of Boulder and U.S. Forest Service to
protect streamflows and city water rights in North Boulder Creek.
 Negotiated final boundaries, access provisions, water-facility accommodations,
and trails inventory for congressionally designated James Peak Wilderness and
Protection Area.
 Completed field research, negotiations with local government, and boundary
details for congressionally designated Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge.
Northwest Colorado
 Authored detailed technical comments on draft BLM management plan for Roan
Plateau, including many recommendations that were adopted for protecting rare
plants, wildlife habitat and hunting access, stream vibrancy and water quality, and
gas development pace and design.
 Testified twice before U.S. Senate committee reviewing potential development of
oil shale.
 Negotiated, with Bureau of Land Management and (then) Colorado Division of
Wildlife temporary helicopter use in desert bighorn sheep counts, research, and
monitoring in designated Dominguez Canyon Wilderness.
 Negotiated final boundaries and crafted legislative language allowing for future
limited development of stock watering ponds in Dominguez Canyon
Wilderness.
 Negotiated and wrote legislative passages requiring streamflow protection, and
leading (in partnership with the State of Colorado’s Stream and Lake Protection
Program) to establishment of the first-ever instream flow water rights
specifically for wilderness purposes—Dominguez Canyon Wilderness.
 Negotiated details of Club 20 policy position concerning Roan Plateau.
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Serve as one of two environmental representatives in continuing 30-party
stakeholder process, which has recommended protective management for the
upper Colorado River’s wild and scenic values (including successful
establishment of state instream flow water rights for the river).
Serve as Secretary of the Interior-appointed member of the BLM Northwest
Colorado Resource Advisory Council, representing environmental
organizations.
Crafted final boundaries and policy language (water protection, military
helicopter use, special-area designations, wilderness designations,
accommodation of water rights and water facilities, and fire management)
included in Eagle and Summit Counties Wilderness Preservation Act,
introduced by Congressman Jared Polis.
Served as environmental representative to citizens working group advising the
BLM on management and protection for eligible wild and scenic streams near
Grand Junction and Gateway.
Southwest Colorado
 Plaintiff member of multiple-party negotiations leading to legal settlement of
streamflow protection water rights in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National
Park.
 Supported instream flow water rights for lower San Miguel River, and defending
those proposed rights in quasi-legal hearing before Colorado Water Conservation
Board.
 Assisted with working-group process leading to wild and scenic suitability
recommendations for BLM portions of the Dolores River, San Miguel River
and major tributaries to each.
 Composed water protection and management language for the San Juan
Mountains Wilderness Act, introduced by Senator Mark Udall.
 Composed water- and water rights-protection language for working group
legislative proposal for Hermosa Creek.
Southeast Colorado
 Crafted final water-protection language, and conflict-avoiding boundary details
for proposed wilderness legislation at Browns Canyon.
 Crafted final language addressing private-land inholdings in Spanish Peaks
Wilderness Study Area, and later helped refine boundaries, leading to ultimate
congressional designation of Spanish Peaks Wilderness.
 Conducted field research and helped refine final Forest Service management plan
for Comanche National Grassland.
Statewide
 Negotiated boundary and area details included in Colorado Wilderness Act of
1980 and in Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993.
 Established final boundaries, and provided name, for Ptarmigan Peak
Wilderness in the 1993 Act.
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Wrote and secured approval of Regional Forest Service standards setting
wilderness boundaries.
Served as General Assembly-appointed member of Colorado Roadless Areas
Review Task Force, advising the governor and legislature on national forest
roadless policy and regulations.
Served on Club 20 traveling education team on Colorado roadless policy.
Served on Club 20 task force negotiating protections for surface owners with
mineral split estates.
Served as congressman’s liaison to negotiations leading to nationwide publiclands grazing guidelines.