The agenda for the February 8, 2007 Wildlife Commission Workshop and the Rule-Making Notice for the March 8, 2007 Wildlife Commission Meeting have been posted.
You may view these documents at the following web address:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeCommission/
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) will host meetings January 31 in Salida and February 13 in Westcliffe for landowners interested in learning how to join the growing business of ecotourism and wildlife watching.
The workshop is free and open to anyone interested in learning how they can become a part of this growing wildlife business. Participants will learn how nature tourism can increase income and the funding partnerships available for habitat enhancement.
Each year, bird and wildlife watching generates more than $1 Billion in revenue in Colorado.
The DOW is part of a consortium that launched a unique program called “The Colorado Birding Trail,” to help tourists locate the best places for wildlife watching in the state.
The Colorado Birding Trail (CBT) will consist of a series of driving trails, similar to the existing “Scenic Byways” network. The state will be broken into three primary regions – eastern plains, mountains, and western mesas.
There will be approximately 15 driving trails in each region, with 15 to 20 wildlife-watching sites on each loop. The wildlife viewing sites will include both public and private property.
Developing the economic potential of wildlife viewing provides financial incentives to protect or improve wildlife habitat. When individuals and towns make the clear connection between monetary benefits and the presence of wildlife, they become more inclined to protect those wildlife assets. Particularly in rural areas, the economic boost provided from wildlife viewers can be an important source of revenue for towns and individual landowners.
The Salida meeting is January 31 from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Raquel Westbaugh at (719) 530-5526 or raquel.wertsbaugh@state.co.us.
The Westcliffe meeting is Tuesday, February 13 from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Rancher’s Roost Café. Please RSVP to Ed Schmal at (719) 561-5309 or ed.schmal@state.co.us
The city of Lamar and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) will co-host the fifth annual “High Plains Snow Goose Festival,” the weekend of February 23-25. 2007. The festival offers an outstanding opportunity to celebrate snow geese and other wildlife in southeast Colorado. In addition to thousands of migrating snow geese, there are many other bird species to view including a large number of eagles that winter in southeast Colorado.
This year’s event will also mark the official kick-off of the Colorado Birding Trail. The Birding Trail project offers bird enthusiasts dozens of bird watching opportunities across the state.
Snow geese are considered the most abundant goose in the world. Thousands of the large, white birds move through eastern Colorado during their spring migration so wildlife enthusiasts have set aside a weekend to honor these stately birds.
Participants can pre-registration at the Lamar Chamber of Commerce web site at http://www.lamarchamber.com/goose/index.htm
The weekend features a wide variety of educational and wildlife viewing seminars. Highlights include guided tours at sunset on Saturday and sunrise on Sunday. In previous years, bird enthusiasts have been able to watch thousands of snow geese land and take-off as they come and go between feeding grounds and roosting sites.
Other activities include nature hikes, a craft fair, a history programs, a Wildlife Viewing Skills seminar and a banquet with a keynote address by noted author Pete Dunne. Dunne is the founder of the World Series of Birding and Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory in New Jersey. He has written numerous books about birding. Dunne will also host a workshop on how to attract birds and will lead a raptor identification tour.
Wildlife biologists estimate there are least six million lesser snow geese in North America that are divided into four distinct populations. The lesser snow geese that bird watchers will see at the High Plains Snow Goose Festival are part of the Western Central Flyway population. The flock winters in southeastern Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, the Texas panhandle and northern Mexico. In late spring, the birds form enormous flocks before they head back to their summer nesting grounds in the Canadian Arctic.
Lesser snow geese come in two different color phases within the same species. In the white phase, the geese are as white as snow except for the black wing tips. The other phase, called blue geese, is slate gray with a white head. Both have a dark “grinning patch” on the sides of their bill. Mixed in the flocks of snow geese you may find some Ross’ geese, which look very much like snow geese except that they are two-thirds the size of snow geese and do not have the grinning patch. Ross’ geese weigh between 3 - 4 pounds while snow geese weigh between 5 - 6 pounds.
In the arctic, snow geese graze on grass and-sedges that grow on the tundra. While migrating through the prairies of North America, they will also feed on leftover grain in the fields.
Festival participants are urged to dress appropriately to ensure their comfort on the on the outdoor tours. Organizers suggest bringing a camera, binoculars, bird identification book, sunglasses, layered clothing, a hat and raingear.
“The weather in southeastern Colorado is difficult to predict at this time of year, so it’s best to be prepared for all kinds of conditions,” said Linda Groat, an educational specialist with the DOW. “We have been known to have every kind of weather from sunny days in the mid-60’s to wet weather with some snow, it’s best to be prepared for everything. As the old saying goes, if you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait a few minutes and it will change.”
Groat notes that the event has a variety of indoor sessions for those who might not want to brave the weather on the outdoor wildlife viewing tours.
To inquire about festival activities, please call (719) 336-4379.
Legal recreational live trapping of mink and pine marten in Colorado has been halted by a recent District Court decision.
The Colorado Wildlife Commission passed regulations in July that added mink and pine marten to the list of furbearers which are allowed to be live trapped. Organizations challenged the legality of the regulation and the District Court entered a stay on Jan. 5, nullifying the regulations.
Mink or pine marten caught accidentally while trapping for other species must be released immediately. The court order does not prohibit all take of mink and pine marten, only recreational take with live traps. Mink and pine marten can still be taken with all lawful manners of take in damage situations where and when authorized by the Colorado Division of Wildlife pursuant to Amendment 14. Other lawful manners of take (specifically rifle, handgun, shotgun, handheld bows and crossbows) listed in the regulations for recreational purposes are still permitted.
The decision to determine whether the regulations are legal or not and whether the recreational live trapping of pine marten and mink will be allowed in Colorado will be made by the District Court in the future.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) Pavilion at the International Sportsmen’s Exposition will provide information and entertainment for those who stop by. The 30th annual International Sportsmen’s Exposition will take place January 25-28 at the Colorado Convention Center.
The DOW Pavilion will not only have experts on hand to answer wildlife or outdoor recreation questions, there will be fish spawning demonstrations taking place at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Jan. 27 and 28. The DOW Pavilion will also offer quality DOW products for sale such as, the DOW’s new Elk Hunting in Colorado and deboning big game instructional tool, Down to the Bone DVDs, Hunting Maps, Habitat Stamps and the new Conservation Decal. Children will be able to fish for free in the DOW’s catch-and-release pond and anyone looking to test their shooting skills can take a turn at the DOW’s laser shooting system.
“The DOW Pavilion has been extremely popular with show goers in the past,” said Debbie Lininger, marketing director for the DOW. “Our new products and activities this year are going to enhance the exposition experience even more. We will have experts and the necessary equipment in the booth to help teach sportsmen how to look up their preference points, sign up for the DOW Insider and buy licenses.”
Show hours are: Thursday and Friday (Jan. 25 and 26) noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday (Jan. 27) 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday (Jan. 28) 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults; children under 12 are admitted free. Stop by DOW offices to pick up a discount coupon.
Rural landowners from the areas around Dolores, Cortez, Mancos and Dove Creek are invited to attend a meeting about a new hunter-access program sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
This meeting is specifically for landowners who are interested in allowing public access to their land for spring turkey hunting. Landowners who offer or who are interested in offering fall waterfowl hunting access are also invited to attend.
The meeting will be from 6-8 p.m., Jan. 29 at Koko’s Pub, 2121 E. Main St. in Cortez.
At the meeting, officers from the DOW will explain the agency’s “Walk-in Access Program”, a statewide effort to open private land to public hunters. The walk-in program has been in place for many years on Colorado’s eastern plains and has been popular with landowners and hunters who are given access to hundreds of thousands of acres of land. Landowners support the program and 90 percent of them reapply to be included year after year. One benefit of the program is that landowners who are enrolled in the program report a decline in trespass problems.
While most of the land in southwest Colorado is publicly owned, thousands of acres of private property are located in prime wildlife habitat.
Property owners who participate in the program are eligible to earn from $5 to $20 per acre depending on the amount of property available for hunting. Enrolled properties are clearly marked with Division of Wildlife “Walk-in Access” signs. Property locations are published in a walk-in atlas produced by the DOW. Landowners are not identified in the atlas. Access for hunters to the enrolled properties is by foot only. No vehicles or horses are permitted.
Landowners who cannot attend the meeting but who are interested should contact the Durango area DOW office to speak to their local wildlife officer: (970) 247-0855.
This year’s unusually harsh snow conditions in southeastern Colorado are causing wildlife to bunch up on highways and railroad tracks. Recent reports indicate more deer, elk and pronghorns are being hit by cars and trains than normally occurs.
In light of that, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) is asking drivers and train engineers to slow down and give the wildlife a break.
The first reports of elk being hit by trains came in from the Trinidad area in early January. Trains hit 41 elk between Trinidad and Aguilar during a four-day period.
Wildlife managers used snowmobiles and snowcats to create safe havens and set out specialized wildlife food pellets to lure the animals away from the tracks. Engineers on the Burlington-Northern also helped out by slowing down and blowing the whistle when they traveled that section of tracks. The effort paid off because no elk have been hit since.
“When the snow gets that high animals look for anyplace they can stand where it’s blown clear and they aren’t buried up to their chest,” said Travis Black, an Area Wildlife Manager from Lamar. “Once they get on a roadway or the train tracks they are vulnerable. The banks are so steep that when a car or a train approaches, they have no place to flee.”
In the past few days, reports started coming in of pronghorn hit by trains south of Las Animas. There have also been reports of drivers having near misses with animals on roadways. There are some indications that as many as 200 pronghorn have been hit since two major blizzards swept across Colorado last month.
“The Division of Wildlife is assessing the situation and will try to lure the pronghorn away from the tracks in a manner similar to that used near Trinidad,” said Black. “The Division is also in the process of contacting all the railroads in the area and enlisting their assistance both in monitoring and notifying DOW of herds near tracks and voluntarily slowing down where possible.”
Black reports that deer and pronghorn are also seeking refuge near haystacks and tree rows for thermal cover (blocking the cold north wind while utilizing the southern exposures for added warmth). Wildlife comes under severe stress in such deep snow conditions. Any additional stress, such as dogs or people harassing wildlife, will add to that stress.
“Although these are trying times, we want to let residents know that it is not a good idea for people to try to help by feeding wildlife. Wild animals have very specific dietary needs. For example, if you give deer the same kind of hay you feed your horses, it could kill the deer,” said Black.
Deer digestion requires specific micro-organisms to break down different types of vegetation. If a deer has been feeding on willows or shrubs, it has built up micro-organisms to digest only this kind of vegetation. If this same deer suddenly fills its stomach with corn or hay, it may not have enough of the corn- and hay-digesting micro-organisms in its stomach to digest the food. A deer can starve to death with a full stomach.
Studies done by research scientists at the DOW have established which types of specialized feeds are required for game animals. Years of testing have determined the proper mixtures of grains for optimal results in deer, elk and pronghorn.
The deep snow and sub-freezing temperatures have also taken a toll on small mammals and upland game birds in the southern part of the state. “We’re just not used to getting this much snow all at once,” said Black. “These conditions are abnormally harsh for this area. We will have a better indication to the impacts on the small game populations in the Spring.”
Additional Information: The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and wildlife habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation and maintaining a balance between human activities and wildlife. The Division of Wildlife’s primary funding comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and the habitat fees collected in conjunction with those sales. The Division does not receive tax dollars from the state’s general fund.