outdoors

Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meets in Glenwood Springs September 6-7

Outdoors - Colorado Parks Wildlife Mountains Baca National Wildlife Refuge - USFWS

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will discuss allowing leashed dogs on select trails at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, prohibiting fishing at the ponds within the dog off-leash area at Chatfield State Park, restricting watercraft to vessels propelled by hand on the Chatfield State Park ponds (excluding the main reservoir), removing the boating seasonal closure at Jackson Lake State Park, and defining and allowing incidental commercial use at state parks without a cooperative or special use agreement.  

Colorado Parks Seeking Input to Manage Pronghorn Antelope in Southeast Colorado

PROMO 660 x 440 Animal - Pronghorn Antelope Close Up Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge - USFWS - Tom Koerner - public domain

Public input is being sought by Colorado Parks and Wildlife about how it manages the Tobe pronghorn herd over the next 10 years.

CPW staff has spent months drafting a proposed management plan for pronghorn in the Tobe herd, which spans Game Management Units (GMUs) 130, 136, 137, 138, 143, 144 and 146 in Baca, Bent, Las Animas, Otero and Prowers Counties.

Arkansas River Temporarily Closed for Fishing Below Pueblo Reservoir

PICT Pueblo Reservoir Dam - CPW

Due to extremely low flows in the Arkansas River and rising temperatures stressing fish, Colorado Parks and Wildlife today announced a voluntary fishing closure below the dam and extending east to Interstate 25.

The closure takes effect immediately and will last until Tuesday at midnight when more water is scheduled to be released. The closure is being implemented in two sections. 

Rio Grande County Man Pleads Guilty to Poisoning Eagles and Other Wildlife

PICT Dead Eagle - CPW

An investigation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers into the poisoning of bald eagles in the San Luis Valley ended with the conviction of a Rio Grande County man.

John L. Divine, 77, pleaded guilty to 10 misdemeanors of illegal take of wildlife and using poisons to kill wildlife. He paid $8,283.50 in fines in April.

Divine told wildlife officers that he put out the poison because he claimed coyotes were killing his sheep.

Repairs, Upgrades to Two Buttes Reservoir Dam Planned

Outdoors - Colorado Parks Wildlife Mountains Baca National Wildlife Refuge - USFWS

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports steady progress is being made on expensive repairs and upgrades to the Two Buttes Reservoir. The changes are designed to increase the capacity of the century-old earthen dam.

CPW engineers have nearly completed design of the $3.4 million project, which includes replacing two gates on the dam at a cost of $678,00 and installing a bulkhead for the gate repairs, improving the channel below the spillway for $1.37 million, installing a spillway tower for $875,000 and constructing a new gate control building for $467,000.

Hunters can check for closures, fire information through U.S. Forest Service and BLM web sites

2017 PICT hunters walking

Fires have burned in several mountain areas in Colorado this summer. So if you're planning to hunt on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, check with those agencies for the latest backcountry travel, fire and closure information.

To check on national forest lands in Colorado, start by going to the web site of the U.S. Forest Service.