Press Room

Bipartisan Legislation will Save Bonny Lake Recreation Center for Future Generations

Wednesday, May 2 2012

DENVER─ Today, The Senate Appropriations Committee passed Senate Bill 171 sponsored by President Brandon Shaffer (D-Longmont) and Senator Greg Brophy (R-Wray).  This legislation creates a conservation license plate to help fund the restoration of the recreation center at Bonny Lake in eastern Colorado.  Bonny Lake is a part of the South Republican State Wildlife Area, a 13,000 acre management unit that offers deer, turkey, waterfowl and small game hunting.

The process of draining Bonny Lake began in the Fall of 2011 as result of a 2003 Supreme Court decision that required Colorado to allocate water to Kansas based on the Republican River Compact of 1942.  The lack of water in Bonny Lake has been harmful both to wildlife and to the local economy. The conservation project created by Senate Bill 171 will help finance the repurposing of the park to open it up for horseback riding, target shooting, and to save the campgrounds. Senate Bill 171 will help preserve the Bonny Lake Recreation Center and repurpose the state park without the lake.

President Shaffer offered the following comment on Senate Bill 171 today:

“What has happened at Bonny Lake is devastating, and without action, Colorado will lose this beautiful recreation spot for future generations. This legislation will allow us to continue to work to restore and revitalize this wildlife area, without costing taxpayer dollars.”

This bipartisan legislation will now be heard by the full Senate for a vote.