Witnesses and Rep. Pfluger urged advancement of HR2323 to add approximately 6,100 acres to Big Bend National Park via donation or exchange, emphasizing voluntary participation, protection of riparian, paleontological and habitat resources, and a plan to rehabilitate existing housing to support park staff without added construction costs.

The committee approved a three‑year, $360,000 agreement with the Ottawa Conservation District and agreed to include contract language specifying county funds are for voluntary conservation services and not for advocacy or ordinance lobbying; OCD executive director Ben Jordan confirmed the district's non‑regulatory role.

The state engineer told legislators the Upper Colorado River Commission received roughly $100 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding to stand up an upper-basin conservation program; Wyoming aims to make its voluntary program eligible to avoid uncompensated mandatory curtailments.