outdoors

Due to high water temperatures and low flows, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is implementing voluntary fishing closures between 2:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. on sections of the Eagle River, Colorado River, Crystal River, and Roaring Fork River in Northwest Colorado. The fishing closure is effective immediately, until further notice.

Although anglers are not legally prohibited from fishing in these stretches, CPW is asking anglers to fish early in the day and find alternative places to fish until conditions improve.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is lifting the mandatory fishing closure on the sixth-tenth mile section of the Yampa River below the dam at Stagecoach State Park, effective immediately.

Due to minimal snowpack this past winter resulting in low stream flow during the hottest time of the year, the agency implemented the closure on June 14 to protect the popular fishery.

Since then, CPW has been continuously monitoring conditions on this stretch of river.

John Merson spent nearly four decades patrolling Colorado lakes as a park ranger, saving lives, teaching boating safety to fellow rangers and park visitors alike and, most important, making the waters safe for boaters, anglers and all visitors.

Even after he retired from Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2010, Merson kept up the watch, returning each summer to Lake Pueblo State Park to work as a seasonal boat ranger. 

Customers who need to cancel their campground reservations at a Colorado state park can now do so online at cpwshop.com or at 1-800-244-5613 at any time prior to or during their stay. The new policy allows greater flexibility for customers and helps CPW staff more easily track campground cancellations in real-time.

With wildfires around the state burning forestland and destroying homes, many Coloradans want to know what they can do to help. One way to have a positive impact on affected forests and communities is through the replanting of trees, which is the goal of the donor-driven Restoring Colorado's Forests Fund.

Thanks to donations, Colorado Operation Game Thief is increasing the reward offer from $1,000 to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest or citation in the case of two mountain goats that were shot and found dead July 3, approximately 2.8 miles up the Quandary Peak Trail.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife family is mourning the sudden, tragic loss of one of its own.

Tuesday afternoon around 4:30 p.m., 24-year-old David Mutabazi, a seasonal employee at Steamboat Lake State Park since May, apparently drowned while swimming in the park's lake after his shift had ended. A witness says Mutabazi was approximately 100 yards from shore when he began struggling in the water. The witness says she tried to swim to him and help, but Mutabazi disappeared under the water before she was able to reach him.

Due to lower water levels in Rampart Reservoir and related safety concerns, the management partners of the reservoir site will close the boat ramp and watercraft inspection station for the remainder of the season, starting at 5 p.m., Sunday, July 15.
Management partners include Colorado Springs Utilities, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the U.S. Forest Service. The decreased water levels in Rampart Reservoir are affecting the operability and safety of the boat ramp for launching and loading trailered/motorized boats.

Thinking of hopping in an inflatable inner tube to float the Arkansas River along any of the 152 miles within the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA)? Don't forget your personal flotation device (PFD), or life jacket as they are commonly known.

"PFDs are not just a smart recommendation for safety in the AHRA", said AHRA River Ranger Jeff Hammond. "They are mandatory safety gear throughout the recreation area, including the whitewater parks in Buena Vista, Salida and Canon City."

There's a good reason for the PFD rule, he said.

Conditions Report - Statewide

Rivers and Creeks