Winter range is what provides those limited resources that wild animals such as deer, elk, pronghorn and sage grouse rely on to survive the harsh winter months. Ultimately it is the most limited habitat, so these animals are moving to winter range as part of their migration process because they are not able to survive in those higher elevations where the snow loads are deep and there is nothing for them to eat. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is placing a big focus on conserving Colorado’s Big Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors. We discuss just that with Area Wildlife Manager Jeromy Huntington in this Colorado Outdoors podcast episode.

Eleven Mile State Park is an expansive high-altitude grassland region of central Colorado. It is a prime location for ice fishing and anglers and writers consistently tout Eleven Mile’s large reservoir for its outstanding fishing. In this podcast episode we learn about its history, unique species and fishery management outlook for one of the great angling opportunities in the state of Colorado. We'll talk with Bryan Johnson, the hatchery manager for CPW's Mt. Shavano Hatchery along with Tyler Swarr, the aquatic biologist who oversee's management of the fishery. Then we'll close with CPW Senior Aquatic Biologist Jeff Spohn, who provides us with some of the history on Eleven Mile and how it developed over the previous decades.

Over the last three years, CPW has received over 14,000 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears. In 2022, CPW will be offering financial resources to communities in an effort to reduce conflicts with bears across Colorado. We discuss that, the sources of conflict and the behavior of bears in this episode with Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta.

Aquatic biologists Jim White and Dan Brauch join us for a podcast episode discussing kokanee salmon in Colorado. They provide a history of the tasty sportfish in Colorado, its role in the fishing pecking order, how Colorado Parks and Wildlife spawns the fish and the outlook for the fish moving into the future.

Daniel Brauch

Cutthroat trout with unique genetics, rescued by Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists from the Hayden Pass Fire in 2016 - is the story of this Colorado Outdoors podcast episode. CPW is taking extraordinary steps to preserve the Hayden Creek Cuthtroat Trout because they contain genetic markers that match a museum specimen collected from the Arkansas River basin in the late 1800's.  

In a first of its kind partnership in Colorado to create a state park on U.S. Forest Service land, it was recently announced that Sweetwater Lake will become Colorado's 43rd state park. Sweetwater Lake is located in Garfield County. It is a hidden gem, both as a destination and gateway to the Flat Tops Wilderness and has great potential for even more recreational opportunities in Northwest Colorado. CPW, The White River National Forest and Eagle Valley Land Trust will now come together to modernize facilities, and provide updated and sustainable recreational services through this partnership. Joining us for this episode is Jacob Brey, the Deputy Regional Manager for CPW's Northwest Region, to talk about Sweetwater Lake and how the agencies plan to develop Colorado's newest state park.

The wildlife mitigation system is a major safety improvement element of the I-25 South Gap project, which spans 18 miles and connects Colorado’s two largest cities, Denver and Colorado Springs. On average, over 87,000 motorists drive this route daily. The I-25 South Gap project’s wildlife mitigation system includes four new and one refurbished wildlife underpasses, 28 miles of deer fencing and deer guards and jump-outs. Work on the underpasses is substantially complete, as is the installation of the majority of deer fencing, just in time to shepherd migrating wildlife safely under the interstate this fall.

In this episode, as this November 2021 marks the five-year anniversary since the agencies first came together to start planning for improvements along I-25 south.

Besides managing wildlife, overseeing hunting and fishing and providing recreational opportunities in 42 state parks and 350 state wildlife areas, Colorado Parks and Wildlife also provides habitat for animals.

If a forest is too dense, animals can’t move freely through it. Sunlight won’t reach the forest floor and grasses, forbs and shrubs won’t grow to provide food for wildlife. And a dense forest is at risk to a wildfire that burns intensely and moves rapidly through treetops that overlap.

The job of creating healthy forests and improving habitat falls to wildlife technicians and specialists like Casey Cooley, forest habitat coordinator for CPW, and Mike Smith, wildlife technician at the Spanish Peaks State Wildlife Area near Trinidad.

They are joining us today for this podcast because they just finished an exciting habitat improvement project at the Spanish Peaks State Wildlife Area 25 miles northwest of Trinidad.

In this episode of Colorado Outdoors we explain how we test for and respond to algae blooms and the presence of E. coli - both of which naturally occur - in our water system. Mindi May is CPW's Water Quality Coordinator and Scott Roush is the Deputy Regional Manager for the Northeast Region - they both share their knowledge on water quality and keeping people (and your dogs) safe while recreating on the water.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife along with numerous project partners have embarked on a four-year study to help better understand current population trends, habitat use and impacts of human disturbance on bald eagles along the state’s most densely populated corridor. The study is expected to last four years and will be the most comprehensive bald eagle monitoring project ever done by CPW. We discuss the study and how bald eagles are doing in Colorado in this episode.