Colorado Parks and Wildlife is pleased to support the recent proposed expansion of hunting and fishing opportunities at Baca, Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges in Colorado by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

CPW’s Director Bob Broscheid said FWS and the National Wildlife Refuge system are important partners in conserving and managing Colorado's wildlife communities.

“We appreciate long-standing cooperative efforts to manage wildlife on refuges and other public lands,” said Broscheid. “CPW encourages the use of public hunting where appropriate to manage populations at levels in balance with the capacity of the habitat, and within social tolerance of neighboring landowners in working landscapes.” 

Managed public hunting on refuges, in addition to other federal and state lands, provides a means to control population numbers and the distribution of animals to reduce conflicts on neighboring private lands.

CPW officials say several thousand elk seasonally gather on NWRs across the state. Hunting on refuges will be an important tool to disperse animals, reduce their numbers and associated game damage.

Hunts also provide the public with enjoyable recreational opportunities on federal lands in Colorado, and CPW stands ready to work with our federal partners to manage this state's great wildlife resources.

Learn more about Colorado hunting and fishing opportunities at http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Pages/Hunting.aspx  and http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Pages/Fishing.aspx. Learn more about hunting and sport fishing opportunities on refuges at https://www.fws.gov/refuges/hunting/huntFishRegs.html.