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Comment period for State Wildlife Action Plan open till 11/12

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) comment period for the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) remains open through November 12. Public comment is sought on the plan at this stage of its development: the draft lists of tier 1 and tier 2 “species of greatest conservation need,” which are the most vulnerable species in Colorado and their habitats. In addition, a new category has been added: “species of greatest information need.” The SWAP is an important plan that will guide CPW work on these species. The SWAP must be updated every 10 years.
Another new aspect of the Colorado SWAP is a draft listing of plant species of greatest conservation need. Invertebrates will be added after CPW, and partners discuss this fall. The final updated plan is due September 30, 2025, for submission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The updated plan is required for a state to be eligible to receive federal funding for the state and tribal wildlife grants program. CWF had participated in the kick-off discussion in April and supplied comment during the initial opportunity in early summer. We are preparing now to offer our comments on the draft lists. Note it is also essential that the Congress pass Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) as it will provide needed funding for Colorado and the other states to boost substantially the capacity to implement their plans. CWF has worked to gain passage of RAWA since it was first introduced.

 

To read the information on the SWAP and to make your comment, click here to access CPW’s engagement website: SWAP

 

Colorado Wildlife Federation Opposes Mountain Lion and Bobcat Hunting Ban Proposition 127

Key Takeaways

  • The hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado is about hunting for meat and smart wildlife management, NOT hunting for a trophy, which is already illegal in Colorado.
  • CPW already has strong regulations in place to ensure a healthy mountain lion population, including harvest limits (quotas), a mandatory mountain lion education course for hunters, and mandatory hunter reporting and inspection requirements.
  • Colorado law requires that all edible portions of a harvested mountain lion be prepared properly for human consumption to ensure that no part of the animal is going to unnecessary waste.
  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife employs hundreds of biologists and scientists. They provide research-driven, science-based solutions to benefit all wildlife populations and people in the state.
  • Wildlife management is a science. When we alter the management of one species, it affects other wildlife species in the ecosystem. To avoid unintended consequences for people and other species, decisions should be based on science and driven by wildlife professionals.


Colorado Wildlife Federation supports the science-based principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

Colorado Wildlife Federation (CWF) supports regulated and ethical wildlife harvest for legitimate purposes as a basic principle of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Regulated hunter harvest is the best tool available to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for managing Colorado’s wildlife populations.

Proposition 127 aims to ban the harvest of mountain lions and bobcats through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission and the Colorado State Legislature. If successful, this ballot initiative would prohibit the regulated hunting of mountain lions and bobcats, and end a successful, and highly-regulated method of wildlife management, removing decisions about wildlife management from trained wildlife experts. 

Mountain lion and bobcat populations are not biologically threatened and lynx is not hunted due to federal regulations. 

Colorado’s mountain lion population has flourished since 1965, when they were classified as a big game species. Similarly, bobcats are the most prevalent wild cat in the state, and populations are robust. Managing mountain lions and bobcats to secure their coexistence in Colorado is crucial to their survival. Lynx are already protected by both state and federal law, with hunting and trapping prohibited.

Wildlife in Colorado are managed sustainably, in delicate balance with their habitats and other wildlife species. Many Colorado wildlife species, including mountain lions and bobcats, were once rare or threatened with extinction. Today, their populations are abundant due to science-based wildlife management and regulated hunting with extensive requirements for using ethical harvest methods.

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