PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department and representatives from the Bureau of Reclamation, the implementing agency for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP), will be conducting an open house meeting on Monday, Jan. 12, 2009 to provide an update and facilitate discussion about this 50-year conservation effort and to answer questions from the public.

The meeting will take place at the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Office (the old City Hall) at 180 W. 1st Street, Yuma, AZ, 85364, starting at 5:30 p.m. with approximately an hour of presentation. Afterwards, representatives will allow plenty of time to answer questions and have open discussions with the public. Items of public interest will include:

• Overview, purpose, and status of the LCR MSCP
• Overview of the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s role as a partner in the LCR MSCP 
• LCR MSCP backwater site selection process and status update
• Open public forum, question and answer period
• Breakout sessions and informal discussions related to LCR MSCP backwater site selection process

“We are hosting this joint open house because we’ve received a lot of questions regarding this project and concerns about how it will affect the many users of the Colorado River,” said Pat Barber, the Yuma regional supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “We understand that it is critical that the local citizens who depend on these resources have a voice in the process, and it is also critical that we do everything that we can to ensure they understand what we are planning to do and why.”

Implementation of the LCR MSCP is one of the nation's largest federal/state conservation partnerships. Program elements include fish augmentation, species research, system monitoring, existing habitat protection, and creation of new habitat. The LCR MSCP commits $626 million in federal, state and local funding over the next 50 years to provide Endangered Species Act compliance and protect at least 26 wildlife species and their habitats along  400 miles of the Colorado River below Lake Mead, while providing for current and future needs of over 20 million water and power users in Arizona, California and Nevada.

Preregistration is not required. Questions about the event may be directed to the Game and Fish Yuma regional office at (928) 342-0091.

To learn more about the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s role in the LCR MSCP, visit www.azgfd.gov/lcrmscp.

For complete details about the LCR MSCP, visit www.lcrmscp.gov. To learn more about Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Regional Office, visit www.lc.usbr.gov.