[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1021-E1022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO CHARLES BEDFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
great Coloradan and a dedicated public servant. This summer, Charles 
Bedford will be leaving as the director of the Colorado State Land 
Board. For the last four years Charles has successfully directed the 
Land Board through a period of major and significant reform. It was a 
period of transition that was ushered in by our state's rapid 
population growth and corresponding increase in the awareness of the 
importance of preserving our state open lands for their beauty and 
contribution to our public schools.
  The Colorado State Land Board oversees the over 3 million acres of 
state school trust lands that were given to the state at statehood for 
the generation of revenue for public schools, among other things. Over 
the years, the Land Board has managed the state trust lands in order to 
secure the highest return to our public schools. Although this history 
has been commendable, the other public and environmental values that 
these lands can provide to the people of Colorado were in some cases 
being overlooked.
  That awareness led to the passage of a Constitutional Amendment that 
made some significant changes in the way that state trust lands were to 
be managed and administered. One of the more significant reforms was 
the establishment of a ``stewardship trust'' which required that ten 
percent of the state trust lands be set aside and withheld from 
development to preserve their important open space, natural and 
community values.
  Charles became the director of the Land Board shortly after the 
passage of this Constitutional Amendment. Such dramatic change was not 
without difficulty and conflict. Yet Charles ably helped steer the Land 
Board through these changes and controversies and helped achieve a 
successful transition to a new era.
  As with many other Coloradans, Charles realized the important role 
these state lands could play in providing the scenic open space that we 
have all come to enjoy while at the same time contributing to the long-
term financing for our public schools. While many in the state were 
skeptical concerning the new direction the Land Board was embarking on, 
Charles was able to successfully bring the different sides together. 
Among many of his and the Land Board's accomplishments has been the 
designation of 300,000 acres in the Stewardship Trust. These great 
lands are now protected for all Coloradans to enjoy while continuing to 
make important contributions for the financial benefit of our schools.
  Charles has also initiated new partnerships with local communities to 
utilize state lands to benefit the communities as well as raise money. 
These partnerships have enabled communities to acquire additional 
tracts of open space for the continued use and enjoyment of their 
citizens.
  Charles Bedford is leaving the Land Board to take the position of 
Associate Director of Nature Conservancy Colorado. In this new role, 
which his dedicated years of public service have prepared him well for, 
he will continue to work toward protecting valuable land for the 
enjoyment of future generations. I wish Charles the very best of luck 
in his new endeavor and look forward to continuing to work in 
partnership with him for the benefit of all Coloradans. I very 
sincerely thank him for his service to the people of Colorado.

[[Page E1022]]

  Mr. Speaker, I am attaching a recent column from the Denver Post that 
further acknowledges Charles's accomplishments at the Land Board. I 
want to personally thank Charles Bedford for his years of dedicated 
service.

                        Uncovering Hidden Lands

                           (By Joanne Ditmer)

       Sunday, April 22, 2001.--When Colorado became a state in 
     1876, the federal government gave land to the new state to 
     raise funds for eight trusts, the largest being K-12 
     education.
       The state Land Board owns 3 million acres and manages an 
     additional 1.5 million acres of mineral rights. These are 
     ``hidden lands,'' for few of us know how they or the money 
     they generate are managed. Many have grazing leases, giving 
     us the ``country'' look we value while they bring in dollars.
       Charles Bedford, a fourth-generation Coloradan, is 
     resigning after four years as Land Board director. A highly 
     capable and competent administrator, he's given considerable 
     thought to what changes could improve the management and 
     benefits of those state lands.
       The past decade, Colorado's citizens have become aware that 
     state lands have additional value beyond their revenue; they 
     are even more precious when development covers other 
     landscapes. Decisions on state lands made solely for money, 
     for one-time gain, frequently are disasters.
       With this new perception, in November 1997 voters passed 
     Amendment 16, which provided that a portion of those state 
     lands must be put into permanent stewardship. Generally, the 
     sites were chosen for their value as natural resources and 
     open space, and were not to be sold for development. In 1998, 
     200,000 acres were designated for the Stewardship Trust; 
     another 100,000 acres were added in 2000.
       Bedford recalled that implementing the Stewardship Trust 
     meant overcoming much suspicion; ranchers and farmers thought 
     it was an attack on agricultural lands; school systems feared 
     a cut in income; and environmentalists charged it wasn't what 
     was promised.
       Other accomplishments since then, Bedford said, included 
     the partnerships forged with local communities to utilize 
     state lands in ways that benefit the communities as well as 
     raise money. These include the purchase by Routt County and 
     Steamboat Springs of Emerald Mountain; the 400 acres sold to 
     Larimer County Open Space; convening neighboring ranchers and 
     natural-resource experts to help design a plan for the 
     85,000-acre Chico Basin Ranch in Pueblo and El Paso counties; 
     and other innovative ideas that address the public's desire 
     for open space while raising money for education.
       Bedford recommends his successor continue to work to 
     achieve local government priorities, perhaps by pushing 
     legislation that would allow the Land Board to sell property 
     directly to local governments or other state agencies for its 
     appraised value, instead of pitting them in a bidding war 
     against developers.
       The Land Board produces between $30 million and $40 million 
     per year, or less than one-half of one percent of the total 
     state school appropriation for education (and that 
     appropriation is itself about half the total expenditures on 
     education, with local funding making up the balance).
       Amendment 16 mandated that money generated by the Land 
     Board be ``in addition to'' funds appropriated to education 
     through the School Finance Act, but the Legislature has not 
     changed the method through which board funds are distributed. 
     Bedford believes legislation should be supported that more 
     clearly channels funds directly to schools and implements the 
     ``in addition to'' language of Amendment 16. Finally, Bedford 
     said the Land Board is ``unconscionably'' understaffed, with 
     the lowest staff-to-acreage ratio of any comparable land 
     board in the West. That means there can't possibly be 
     adequate and thoughtful management of these valuable and 
     irreplaceable lands.
       ``We own about 4 percent of the surface area of the 
     state,'' Bedford concluded. ``It's a huge asset, worth a lot 
     of money, worth a lot of thinking. It's been on the back 
     burner for much too long.''
       Bedford served Gov. Roy Romer as Natural Resources Policy 
     analyst for two years and as legal counsel for one year. On 
     June 1, he becomes associate director of the Nature 
     Conservancy of Colorado, where his dedication and expertise 
     will continue to benefit the state.
       The international non-profit conservation organization 
     preserves ecologically significant landscapes for future 
     generations. In Colorado, it protects more than 425,000 acres 
     of the state's Last Great Places.

     

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