Local Wildlife Conservation Strategy News Items
DNR and CPW share outdoor resources for Memorial Day Weekend 🌄5/22/2020 4:58:26 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chris Arend
Communications Director
303.866.3311 Ext. 8665 / chris.arend@state.co.us
Rebecca Ferrell
Public Information and Website Manager
720-595-1449 / rebecca.ferrell@state.co.us
Colorado Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife share Memorial Day outdoor resources
The Colorado Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife share resources for outdoor activities this Memorial Day weekend.
DENVER -- As many of us head outdoors for the holiday, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) want to remind Coloradans to recreate responsibly and stay close to home. DNR and CPW continue to provide resources to point Coloradans towards information on open campgrounds, trails, and best practices for recreating over Memorial Day Weekend during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know Coloradans love spending time outdoors and that getting outside hiking, fishing, biking with close friends and family has been an important release and diversion during COVID-19,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. ”My Department has created some helpful resources for Coloradans as they think about weekend plans, which will most likely be different from previous Memorial Days. We hope Coloradans enjoy a needed three-day break, but remain considerate of our neighbors and communities as we navigate our outdoor activities together during this pandemic.”
“We’re proud to have kept our Colorado State Parks open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and to have reopened camping at nearly all of our state park campgrounds and many state wildlife areas,” said Dan Prenzlow, Director, Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “We encourage everyone to go live life outside this weekend, and if doing that brings you to one of your nearby state parks, please be safe while you’re visiting. We’re glad to get folks out on the trails, on their boats or camping with us. Please know that a few areas remain closed and you may not have access to all of the facilities you are used to. Check our website or call before you go to make your visit as enjoyable and safe as possible.”
Here are something things to think about this weekend:
Don’t plan for your typical Memorial Day weekend; being in a pandemic means recreating close to home, keeping your group size small, and maintaining social distancing.
If you do plan to travel use extra caution, minimize interactions and bring everything you need before you go.
To find out the latest on what’s open or not check out DNR”s one-stop-shop. It has connections to all Federal, Tribal, State and Local resources: Outdoor Recreation Resources | COVID-19
Planning on going for a hike or nearby mountain bike ride? Check out COTREX , Colorado’s official trails smartphone app and website. It has the latest COVID-19 related closures and can help you find nearby alternatives if your favorite trailhead is busy: trails.colorado.gov
Scored a campsite at your favorite state park? Check out Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s outdoor etiquette tips before you go.
Late planner but feel a need to camp under the stars this weekend? Go to https://www.cpwshop.com/ and see what is available.
See more good outdoor recreation and camping tips here or our Outdoor Recreation FAQ here .
Please note that many Colorado State Parks and National Forest campgrounds have limited facilities, so plan accordingly before you go. In addition, picnic areas, pavilions, playgrounds and designated swim beaches remain closed under the Governor’s Safer- at-Home order. Check out our resources to get the latest updates for an enjoyable holiday weekend. Above all else, be kind to others. Remember, we’re all in this together and we all need a bit of stress relief. Keep your distance, be courteous, and perhaps send a wave to your neighbors when you pass them on the sidewalk or trail. You never know how much they may need it!
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/22/2020 2:55 PM
Durango hatchery takes first spawn from rare cutthroat trout rescued in 416 Fire5/22/2020 4:33:25 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Joe Lewandowski
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / joe.lewandowski@state.co.us
Toby Mourning, manager of the Durango fish hatchery for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, takes eggs from a rare San Juan cutthroat trout.
Durango hatchery takes first spawn from rare cutthroat trout rescued in 416 Fire
DURANGO, Colo. – After nearly a two-year wait, Colorado Parks and Wildlife hatchery staff and biologists in Durango have spawned a new lineage of Colorado River cutthroat trout that were rescued from a remote stream during the 416 Fire in 2018.
This marks a major milestone for CPW’s on-going species conservation work in Colorado, and the result of decades of work by dedicated biologists, researchers and field staff.
Fertilized eggs of the San Juan cutthroats will hatch by mid-summer; some of the fingerlings will be placed in back-country streams in the southwest area of the state and others will be held at the Durango hatchery to start a sustainable brood stock. Now, the hatchery staff and biologists will continue the long-term effort to restore these native trout to their home waters.
“I’m thrilled that we’ve gotten a spawn from these fish, it’s been a long process and we’ve got a lot more work to do,” said Jim White, aquatic biologist for CPW in Durango.
The story of these fish that hold a unique genetic marker goes back nearly 150 years and includes some serious biological detective work. Since the 1970s, CPW aquatic biologists have searched back-country streams looking for isolated populations of cutthroats -- Colorado’s native trout. In southwest Colorado in the 1980s and 1990s, biologists found cutthroat trout that were suspected to have unique characteristics in eight small streams. Back then, however, technology to analyze genetics fully was still being developed. The biologists kept their eyes on the fish and made sure non-native trout were not stocked nearby.
In 2012, researchers from the University of Colorado went to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History looking for preserved specimens of cutthroat trout that had been collected in Colorado. Two of the specimens they found were taken from the San Juan River near Pagosa Springs in 1874.
An analysis showed that the fish had genetic “fingerprints” specific to the San Juan River Basin. CPW researchers then began a similar analysis of the cutthroats they’d found in southwest Colorado. By this time, genetic-analysis technology had advanced and in early 2018 scientists confirmed that the marker in the museum specimens matched the cutthroat trout recently found in the wild.
Biologists and hatchery staff then made a plan to start propagating the fish. The 416 Fire helped push the project along.
When the fire started north of Durango, biologists worried that ash and sediment run-off could kill the cutthroats in the remote streams. So CPW worked with the San Juan National Forest to go into the area to capture the wild trout and bring them to a special isolation hatchery in Durango. Only 54 cutthroat were recovered from the fire area.
White and Durango Hatchery Manager Toby Mourning have been concerned because the fish did not produce any spawn last year and some of the fish died. But the turnaround this year is a major milestone for the restoration effort.
“We’re not getting a lot of eggs, but enough to provide some for a limited amount of stocking and some to start a captive population that will be sustainable,” Mourning said.
In order to protect the fish, CPW is not providing details on stream locations. Biologists hope, however, that in a few years anglers will be able to find this unique cutthroat trout in the wild.
White explained that the work on this native is a significant conservation effort. In 2018, after the genetics of the fish were confirmed, he said: “We always ask ourselves, ‘What if we could go back to the days before mining, pioneer settlement and wide-spread non-native fish stocking to see what we had here? Careful work over the years by biologists, finding those old specimens in the museum and the genetic testing gave us the chance, essentially, to go back in time. Now we have the opportunity to bring this native trout back to southwest Colorado.”
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/22/2020 2:30 PM
Colorado state park swim areas and beaches remain closed to protect public health5/21/2020 8:08:31 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bridget Kochel
Statewide Public Information Officer
720-219-2919 / bridget.kochel@state.co.us
Colorado state park swim areas and beaches remain closed to protect public health
Colorado state park swim and beach areas remain closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
DENVER - With the warm weather and upcoming holiday weekend, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds all state park visitors that designated swim and beach areas remain closed at Colorado’s state parks to protect public health due to COVID-19.
It is important that everyone respect all posted seasonal, wildlife and COVID-19 related closures, and do their part to provide a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience. Additional areas that discourage social distancing including group picnic areas, group camping, showers and laundry facilities remain closed until further notice per Governor Polis’s Safer at Home order.
Agency officials encourage all park visitors to follow outdoor recreation best practices and recommendations provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to help prevent the community spread of COVID-19.
Until further notice designated swim and beach areas, including those that often open for the season on Memorial Day weekend, remain closed to public use at the following state parks:
Boyd Lake State Park
Chatfield State Park
Cherry Creek State Park
Elkhead Reservoir State Park
Highline Lake State Park
James M. Robb - Island Acres
John Martin Reservoir State Park
Lake Pueblo State Park
Lathrop State Park
North Sterling State Park
Ridgway State Park
Stagecoach State Park
Steamboat Lake State Park
Park managers have the discretion to close any areas that become unsafe, which may include overcrowding. Agency officials are monitoring park visitation capacities to reduce overcrowding so people can visit parks responsibly and safely.
“We want people to get out and enjoy the outdoors, but to also do so safely,” said Northeast Region Manager Mark Leslie. “We hope people enjoy and celebrate the holiday responsibly, following public health orders and leave no trace principles .”
CPW remains committed to providing outdoor recreation activities to Coloradans while also ensuring public safety guidelines are met. Visit the CPW website to discover outdoor activities that allow for safe social distancing from others. Learn more about outdoor recreation opportunities across Colorado during COVID-19.
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/21/2020 6:06 PM
Camping at Julesburg Reservoir (Jumbo) is closed but day fishing and boating is open5/21/2020 1:13:25 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bridget Kochel
Statewide Public Information Officer
720-219-2919 / bridget.kochel@state.co.us
Camping at Julesburg Reservoir (Jumbo) is closed but day fishing and boating is open
Camping at Jumbo Reservoir State Wildlife Area is closed but day-use recreation for fishing and boating is open to the public.
Brush, Colo. - As summer approaches, Colorado Parks and Wildlife remains committed to providing outdoor recreation activities to Coloradans while also ensuring everyone stays safe. CPW is gradually reopening campgrounds across the state in a phased approach to ensure that local communities and staff are ready, and visitors are well prepared to camp safely.
Camping at Julesburg Reservoir (Jumbo) State Wildlife Area will remain closed until further notice. People may still visit the Jumbo Reservoir SWA for day-use recreation and take advantage of fishing and boating opportunities in Colorado’s great outdoors.
“We understand people are anxious to get outside and embrace the warm weather and quality fishing opportunities Colorado provides”, said Area Wildlife Manager Todd Schmidt. “We encourage people to participate in outdoor activities, like fishing and boating, that can be enjoyed at a safe social distance from others.”
Jumbo Reservoir is a popular fishing spot for Colorado anglers. It is known for its calm water conditions and contains a robust population of warm water species, like w alleye and crappie.
Visitors to wildlife areas are asked to follow outdoor recreation best practices to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and visit wildlife areas responsibly. Fishing licenses are available online at cpwshop.com . During boating inspections, follow our ANS inspection safety guidelines and maintain a safe social distance from staff and others.
For more information on SWA camping, please read our Camping FAQ . Visit the CPW website to discover open Colorado campgrounds .
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/21/2020 11:09 AM
Rare birds get a break with temporary beach closures at John Martin Reservoir State Park5/20/2020 5:23:26 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bill Vogrin
Southeast Region Public Information Officer
719-466-3927 / bill.vogrin@state.co.us
Rare birds get a break with temporary shoreline closures
A Piping Plover amid the rocky shore of John Martin Reservoir State Park. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife / Samantha Colvin
May 20, 2020
Rare birds get a break with temporary shoreline closures
HASTY, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is asking visitors to John Martin Reservoir State Park to help protect two rare birds that nest on its shores.
In what’s become an annual ritual, CPW has closed access to some shoreline areas to protect the nests of Least Terns and Piping Plovers, which are federally protected as endangered and threatened species.
CPW is using signs, lines of buoys, temporary fencing and orange bailing twine to mark the nesting areas. The goal is to provide undisturbed places where the birds can lay eggs, incubate and fledge their young. Closures will be erected as active nests are found and barricades will remain up through mid-August, when the young leave their nests.
“These are small birds that require beach and shoreline areas to nest,” said Ed Schmal, a CPW conservation biologist. “We will mark the nesting areas the best we can.”
Schmal said visitors are asked to be vigilant even beyond the closed areas.
“These birds are really good at blending into rocky and sandy shorelines,” Schmal said. “So we are asking visitors to be on the lookout for their hard-to-see nest scrapes and eggs in other areas, as well.”
The closures can range from small plots to 15 acres in size. Nests will likely be established on both the north and south shores and islands. CPW staff already has preemptively closed much of the south shoreline to vehicles and has erected a complete closure on Point 5. A camping area has been designated on the south side, up next to the dam. Despite these closures, a majority of the reservoir shoreline will remain open to recreation.
“By making targeted closures, we are able to provide for the needs of the birds and still offer a high quality recreation experience for people who love to visit the reservoir,” Schmal said.
The Least Tern is a small, swallow-like bird with black outer wing feathers that is sometimes seen diving head-first into the water after fish. The smallest of the North American terns, it has a distinctive black crown, white forehead and black-tipped yellow bill. It is listed as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The Piping Plover is a tiny shorebird with pale brown and white plumage, a black neck band and a black bar across the forehead. They typically nest on sandy beaches or river sandbars that are free of vegetation, relying on their cryptic coloration as camouflage from predators. It is listed as a federally threatened species.
Protecting nesting areas is the most effective way to support the recovery of Least Tern and Piping Plover populations, biologists say.
In Colorado, the Least Tern and Piping Plover are found only in the southeast part of the state.
Schmal warned that disturbing a closed area, allowing dogs to run off leash or violating road closures can result in citations for offenders issued by CPW officers and U.S. Army Corps rangers.
A map explaining the closure areas is available at the park headquarters and in a kiosk on the south side. Information about John Martin Reservoir State Park can be found online at: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/JohnMartinReservoir/Pages/default.aspx
PHOTOS:
Piping Plover eggs amid the rocky shore of John Martin Reservoir State Park. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife / Samantha Colvin
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/20/2020 3:21 PM
New Fruita Boat Ramps Open5/19/2020 7:48:26 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Randy Hampton
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-255-6162 / randy.hampton@state.co.us
NEW FRUITA BOAT RAMPS OPEN
Anglers are already using the new boat ramp
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Colorado Parks and Wildlife is pleased to announce that the project to build two new boat ramps at the Fruita section of the James M Robb Colorado River State Park has been completed in just eight weeks, finishing up in time for the rafting season, peak Colorado River catfish season, and the final two weeks of the spring turkey season.
The new ramps replace the single, aging ramp that was at a difficult angle for power boaters to launch and load. The ramp was also crowded during peak fall periods when rafters, anglers, and waterfowl hunters were using the ramp to access the Colorado River downstream of Fruita.
James M. Robb Colorado River State Park Manager Pete Firmin says the project gives power boaters and rafters two separate access ramps. “This project really helps us meet the unique needs of each group because, as any serious boater can tell you, it’s a different thing to put a power boat or a raft into a flowing river.”
As the project was beginning in early March, officials worried that an extended closure would be inconvenient for boaters in the Grand Valley but COVID restrictions limited the number of people that were using the river for the past few months.
“The timing of the project turned out to be perfect,” said JT Romatzke, regional manager for CPW’s northwest region. “And the construction project has benefited the local economy at a time when many other projects were shutting down.”
It isn’t just boaters that are benefiting from the project. The project also included adding a cement surface to a loop trail along the river west of the boat ramp. This will create more accessibility for all park users to the trail along Red Rocks Lake in the southeast portion of the park.
Senior Ranger Eric Los is happy with the completed project. “This work is a big step forward for park users and we appreciate everyone’s patience during the construction.”
James M Robb Colorado River State Park has five sections spanning the Grand Valley from Fruita to Debeque Canyon. The park includes Island Acres, Corn Lake, Connected Lakes, a wildlife area at East and West Lakes, and the Fruita section. The park was formed by joining together the five sections in what original organizers called “a string of pearls” in the Grand Valley. The park is named for James (“Jim”) Robb, a former Grand Junction attorney who served in the state legislature and was chair of the state parks board as well as a founding member of the Grand Junction Riverfront Commission. Robb passed away in 2005 at the age of 69.
As a reminder, all visitors to the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park are required to have a Colorado State Parks pass. Pass funds are used to maintain trails, boat ramps, and facilities in state parks.
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/19/2020 5:47 PM
Newly established leks, hundreds of chickens indicate aggressive four-year relocation project is working5/19/2020 5:38:26 PM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bill Vogrin
Southeast Region Public Information Officer
719-466-3927 / bill.vogrin@state.co.us
Newly established leks, hundreds of chickens indicate relocation project working
A lesser prairie chicken flies over a lek in Southeast Colorado. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife / Jonathan Reitz
May 19, 2020
Newly established leks, hundreds of chickens indicate relocation project working
CAMPO, Colo. – Lesser prairie chickens, gone for decades from the Colorado landscape, are again living on the eastern plains, thanks to an ambitious four-year project led by biologists from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Kansas, the U.S. Forest Service, along with private landowners.
Recently completed surveys by CPW biologists revealed that hundreds of the birds are now thriving on breeding grounds, known as leks, on the plains extending across southeastern Colorado and western Kansas.
Lesser prairie chickens once numbered in the tens of thousands in those grasslands. But a variety of factors led to their gradual disappearance. Experts blame, in part, the conversion a century ago of grasslands to cropland that contributed to the Dust Bowl in 1932 and wiped out many of the birds. More recently, the lesser prairie chicken population in Southeast Colorado and Southwest Kansas was devastated by severe snowstorms, particularly in December 2006, followed by years of drought.
They even vanished on a 330,000-acre swath of sand sagebrush and grasslands known as the Comanche National Grassland in Baca County, Colo., and the Cimarron National Grassland in Morton County, Kan., as well as privately owned rangeland and Conservation Reserve Program grassland.
Because the Comanche and Cimarron grasslands are owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service, biologists knew they could be easily used as a place to re-establish populations.
By 2016, biologists counted just two males on the Comanche and five males on the Cimarron.
That same year, CPW decided to try relocating lesser prairie chickens from thriving breeding grounds in Kansas in hopes of resurrecting leks on the national grasslands. So a CPW team, led by conservation biologists Jonathan Reitz and Liza Rossi, began working in collaboration with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Kansas State University and the U.S. Forest Service.
“This partnership demonstrates what collaborative management efforts can do to restore a species to an area,” Rossi said. “However, agencies working together is just one component of the project. Landowner support and access to private lands were absolutely critical for capture of birds and continue to be essential for long-term monitoring at the release sites. Recovery of this amazing species will take all of us working together.”
Over the past four years, the team of Colorado and Kansas biologists, and K-State graduate students, relocated 103 males and 102 females to the Comanche. The team also released 101 males and 105 females during the same time period just east of the state line in Kansas, making this the largest known translocation effort for lesser prairie-chickens.
“It was a huge challenge because lesser prairie-chickens don’t just stay where we release them,” Reitz said. “We had some chickens that we released and tracked as they flew great distances. We’ve observed some traveling 70 miles or more from the release site.”
Now, Colorado and Kansas biologists and technicians have found 20 active leks with lesser prairie chickens that are the offspring of transplants. The biologists counted at least 115 males, based on the spring surveys, Reitz said.
“The situation for lesser prairie chickens in our state had gotten pretty dire,” Reitz said. “I am excited by what we’re learning from our surveys and hopeful this will be a long-term solution.”
The CPW team knows exactly how far some travel because they attached monitoring devices to the chickens before their release. Most were equipped with transmitters that allow them to be tracked by radios using a special antenna. Others were fitted with solar powered, GPS backpacks that transmit the chickens’ location 10 times a day. CPW expects to monitor them for an additional year.
"We've documented many of the birds making their way down into Oklahoma and even the Texas panhandle," Reitz said. "It's not uncommon for them to take off upon release and travel great circles, for as much as 250 miles, before eventually returning to the release spot and settling down."
And that leads into the current phase of this wildlife conservation effort. CPW and Kansas biologists will continue to count and search for newly established leks as well as track the birds with radio transmitters for as long as the batteries keep working.
“Our technicians are tracking them on the ground as the birds spread out,” Reitz said. “We use an airplane to find them and point our technicians in the right direction. We have now documented three years of successful nesting and brood rearing. This spring, most of the birds we are seeing on the new leks are offspring of our translocated birds. That's been really encouraging to see this level of success for the project.”
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Editors: This link will take to you B-roll video by CPW videographer Jerry Neal of the lesser prairie chicken translocation effort to supplement your stories: https://vimeo.com/331732687
The video shows: male prairie chickens booming and displaying in the lek; CPW wildlife biologists Jonathan Reitz and Kat Bernier sprinting to a drop net after it was tripped to catch chickens; Reitz and CPW wildlife biologist Brian Dreher taking measurement of a hen; a hen being fitted with a radio collar, tags and bands; birds being released.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Colorado Parks and Wildlife conservation biologist Jonathan Reitz releases a lesser prairie chicken in the Comanche National Grassland in southeast Colorado as part of a four-year project to restore the birds.
Lesser prairie chickens are seen on a breeding ground known as a lek near in the Comanche National Grassland near Campo in southeast Colorado.
A newly hatched lesser prairie chicken rests in its nest in southeast Colorado. Female lesser prairie chickens can lay from eight to 15 eggs at a time. The ground nests are targeted by predators such as hawks, eagles, foxes, coyotes and snakes.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists used a large drop-net to catch lesser prairie chickens on breeding grounds known as leks near Scott City, Kan. The birds were equipped with radio transmitters and brought to southeastern Colorado. They have relocated 411 birds since 2016.
All photos Courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/19/2020 3:34 PM
Highline Lake breaks ground on new beach house5/18/2020 2:23:25 PM
Body:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Randy Hampton
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-255-6162 / randy.hampton@state.co.us
HIGHLINE LAKE STATE PARK BREAKS GROUND ON NEW BEACH HOUSE
Representatives from Highline Lake State Park and Dare-Case Contracting Dig In
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - If you’re a frequent visitor to Highline Lake State Park then you can expect at least three things:
Great family fun
Amazing sunsets
And a line at the swim beach restroom
On Monday (May 18) officials from Highline Lake State Park began the effort to fix the shortage of visitor facilities in the swim beach area. At a scaled-down (COVID-sized) groundbreaking, Park Manager Alan Martinez said construction of a new “beach house” - complete with twice as many bathroom stalls and a larger family restroom - is another step to making Highline the perfect getaway for locals or visitors.
“This project isn’t just about a restroom, it’s about preserving the natural resources at the park and protecting public health,” Martinez explained. “When the restroom was crowded and a line formed, some people would find other inappropriate places to do their business. Having adequate facilities will keep the park cleaner and protect our staff from hazardous and disgusting clean up work.”
Highline Senior Ranger Ashlee Wallace says the project is the culmination of a lot of work at Highline. “We’re building and shaping a park that the Grand Valley can be proud of and pleased to visit for the next 50 years.”
In addition, following completion of the new beach house, the old restroom building will be taken down to make room for a handicap accessible picnic area. That new amenity will further enhance public use of the park.
“Many people have been visiting state parks during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CPW Northwest Regional Manager JT Romatzke. “So it seems appropriate that projects funded by Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Lottery through state parks will be part of getting the economy back in motion by getting construction work moving again.”
The restroom project is being completed by Dare-Case Contracting , a local company, at a bid cost of $738,000. The project is expected to be completed by Sept. 1.
Highline Lake State Park is known as an “oasis in the desert” with two lakes, lush grass, trails, and plenty of shade trees. Mountain bikers love the location for the many nearby trails and amazing sunsets. Local boaters love the convenience of being close to home for day trips to cool off on the lake. The Audubon Society designated the park as an important area for birds and local birders can find many species throughout the year, even in winter when thousands of birds migrate through the park.
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright © 2020 Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.
ReleaseDate: 5/18/2020 12:18 PM
Angler Incentives at Kenney Reservoir to Continue in 20205/15/2020 7:08:26 PM
Body:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Randy Hampton
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-255-6162 / randy.hampton@state.co.us
ANGLER INCENTIVES AT KENNEY RESERVOIR TO CONTINUE IN 2020
Here fishy, fishy
RANGELY, Colo. - With the warm weather and plenty of social distancing on the shorelines, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and local partners are back with a way for anglers to make a little money and help remove invasive, predatory fish when they’re fishing at Kenney Reservoir and on the lower White River.
To control an illegal introduction of northern pike in Kenney Reservoir, CPW and the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District are again teaming up to offer a $20 reward for each northern pike turned in between May 15 and November 30, 2020. There is no limit on how much an angler can earn and there is no limit on the number of northern pike that you can catch and keep.
As an illegally introduced species, northern pike negatively impact the fishery at Kenney, especially for many families of anglers that enjoy fishing for channel catfish, crappie, and rainbow trout. Illegal introductions don’t just threaten the balance of a fishery, they can impact water users and federal water flow regimens. While native fish recovery isn’t always a popular topic in western Colorado’s rural communities, it is an important topic. Predatory fish such as northern pike, walleye, and smallmouth bass challenge the recovery of native species, some of which only exist in the river basins of western Colorado. One example is the threat that non-native fish pose to the largest adult population of Colorado pikeminnow, which is located right here in the lower White River..
The presence of northern pike has prompted CPW and the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District to work with a group of partners to support the northern pike reduction efforts. Supporters of the program include the Town of Rangely, Rangely Area Chamber of Commerce , Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the Colorado Water Conservation Board . Beginning in 2019, the group initiated the angler harvest incentive program targeting all northern pike found within the Conservancy District’s boundaries. Licensed anglers can earn $20 for each northern pike caught and removed from Kenney Reservoir, the White River, and other waters, from approximately Stedman Mesa to the Utah border.
In addition, the partners are looking forward to hosting a weekend fishing derby and expo June 5-7. The derby is a great chance for local residents to learn more about fishing, water, and recovery efforts. CPW staff will be at the event to answer questions and to provide a $250 prize for the most smallmouth bass brought in during the fishing derby. Scheduled activities include interactive learning opportunities, a hands-on display of an electrofishing boat, and an aquarium display including Colorado pikeminnow and razorback sucker.
“Kenney Reservoir is very popular with anglers and currently recognized as an excellent channel catfish, black crappie and common carp fishery,” explained Tory Eyre, CPW Aquatic Biologist for the area. “In the past, we’ve stocked rainbow trout each year, but unfortunately those stocking efforts have temporarily stopped until the pike issue is addressed.”
Illegal introduction of fish is not only a serious crime, it leads to a waste of money that could go to better things.
“We could be spending our resources on fishery and access improvements,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Bill de Vergie. “Instead we end up spending limited time and money on removal efforts.”
Research conducted by partners in the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program has shown that the unapproved presence of nonnative predators like northern pike and smallmouth bass in critical, native fish habitat is among the most significant impediments to the recovery of Colorado's endangered fishes - Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, bonytail and razorback sucker. These rare species exist nowhere else in the world except in the Colorado River Basin.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the White River, upstream to the Rio Blanco Lake dam west of Meeker and downstream of Kenney Reservoir, is designated critical habitat for the Colorado pikeminnow, and the lower 18 miles of the White River in Utah is designated as critical habitat for razorback sucker. Smallmouth bass, northern pike and other nonnative species in these river stretches have proven detrimental to native fishes.
To participate in the angler harvest incentive within the Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District's boundaries, anglers should bring their freshly caught northern pike to the District office at 2252 East Main Street in Rangely during typical business hours, 7 am to 4 pm Monday through Thursday, and 7 am to 3 pm on Friday. The District will administer the cash harvest incentive with funds provided by CPW through a Colorado legislative bill that appropriates severance tax dollars to the Species Conservation Trust Fund.
For more information about the angler harvest incentive program contact CPW Northwest Region Senior Aquatic Biologist Lori Martin at 970-255-6186.
To report unlawful fish stocking anonymously, call Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648. Rewards are available for information that leads to an arrest or citation.
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CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
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ReleaseDate: 5/15/2020 5:07 PM
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