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Tag: Outdoor Recreation

Colorado Voters May Decide Constitutional Right To Hunt And Fish
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Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Voters May Decide Constitutional Right To Hunt And Fish

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Colorado voters may well get the chance to weigh in this November on creating a constitutional right to hunt and fish, which proponents say is necessary to protect outdoor sporting activities from an ongoing onslaught of anti-hunting efforts. The T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance, a newly formed issue committee, launched  Initiative 302, ‘Constitutional Right to Hunt and Fish’ in early April. The ballot measure would amend the state Constitution, establishing hunting, fishing, and harvesting of fish and wildlife as a constitutional right to every Coloradan. It would apply to all species managed by the state except for endangered, federally prohibited, and non-game species. “Coloradans value the state’s long-st...
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Hunters And Anglers Across Colorado Confront Growing Drought Crisis
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The Collegian, Approved, State

Hunters And Anglers Across Colorado Confront Growing Drought Crisis

By Katie Fisher | The Collegian As Colorado faces the lowest snowpack the state has seen in over four decades, 5 million residents across the state have been left to confront how they must adjust their behavior in response to increasing drought conditions. While watering restrictions become more common, some have been forced to reconsider their activities close to land and livelihoods. Big-game hunting is categorized by the practice of hunting large animals on a tag-based licensure system applicable to the state’s public lands. Similarly, angling requires a fishing license in the state of Colorado.  Both sports take several types of strength, according to Kara Van Hoose, a public information officer for C...
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Wildlife Policy And Hunting Access To Take Center Stage At Grand Junction CPW Meeting
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The Daily Record, Approved, State

Wildlife Policy And Hunting Access To Take Center Stage At Grand Junction CPW Meeting

By Brian Porter | The Daily Record Director Clellan recommends 3% increase to issued licenses; 257,000 participated in Big Game Draw. A briefing on prairie dog conservation, a keystone species to Fremont County, and an update to the gray wolf reintroduction will be shared when the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission meets May 6-7 at the Grand Junction Convention Center, 159 Main St., in Grand Junction. Frances Silva Blayney will officially become the newest Commission member – although she has already been serving – after her gubernatorial appointment to the Commission was upheld by the Colorado Senate last week. With the withdrawals of John Emerick and Chris Sichko from consideration, the Commission could be two members short when it convenes. ...
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CPW nominee under scrutiny as broader concerns surface about board power
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

CPW nominee under scrutiny as broader concerns surface about board power

Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Some questions for CPW hopeful Christopher Sichko Last Wednesday I posted about the upcoming Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing for three of Gov. Polis’ CPW appointees. If you want or need the context from the earlier newsletter, you’ll find it linked first below. A reader noted something interesting about one of the commissioner candidates. When I read what they wrote, I got curious and thought I would follow up with Mr. Sichko. The second link below is to a 10/25/2024 article in Elevation Outdoors entitled “LOCAL HEROES: Christopher Sichko, PHD”. The relevant part comes from the bottom of the article. Quoting: “Sichko says, ‘My ultimate goal is to support the regener...
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Heated Debate Over Furbearer Hunting Prompts Increased Security At Colorado Wildlife Meeting
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The Colorado Sun, Approved, State

Heated Debate Over Furbearer Hunting Prompts Increased Security At Colorado Wildlife Meeting

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun A CPW official cited large turnout and “detailed information about public testimony” as reasons for checking people for weapons at the door at the Wednesday meeting. Tension over furbearer regulations has prompted increased security for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife commission meeting Wednesday, when commissioners will vote on petitions from opposing groups focused on hunting and trapping of animals for their fur, including fox, coyote, beaver, bobcat, pine marten and otters.  CPW has encouraged attendees to arrive early to the meeting at the Double Tree Inn in Westminster where the agency will enforce the hotel’s ban on firearms and weapons by conducting security checks prior to entry.  CPW is taking the ...
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Laura Clellan Takes Helm At Colorado Parks And Wildlife After Unanimous Vote
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Laura Clellan Takes Helm At Colorado Parks And Wildlife After Unanimous Vote

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission has unanimously voted to name Acting Director Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan as the new permanent director. Clellan has been serving as acting director since Dec. 1, 2025. She previously served as Chief for Leadership and Employee Development for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Lakewood and as Adjutant General and Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT CBS COLORADO
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Beloved ‘Dog Heaven’ in Colorado Springs Closed Over Water Concerns
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The Gazette, Approved, Local

Beloved ‘Dog Heaven’ in Colorado Springs Closed Over Water Concerns

By Seth Boster | The Gazette One recent afternoon near his Colorado Springs home, Sean Paige was hiking with Nellie the golden retriever en route to a favorite spot in Stratton Open Space: South Suburban Reservoir.  “She’s still anxious to get there, because she thinks it’s gonna be full of water,” Paige said.  But Colorado Springs Utilities announced the draining of South Suburban Reservoir in April 2024 for repairs to the dam. Nellie has been among dogs splashing in the water over the years — the place Paige has called “dog heaven” under the gaze of Cheyenne Mountain — but not the past couple of summers during the closure.  And not for summers to come, following an announcement by Utilities.  “Now it’s off-limits,” Paige lamented. “Try explaining that t...
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Do your rights end at my property—or has Colorado left public access unclear?
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GregWalcher.com, Approved, Commentary, State

Do your rights end at my property—or has Colorado left public access unclear?

By Greg Walcher | Commentary, GregWalcher.com John B. Finch, a 19th Century prohibition activist, originated the expression, “your right to swing your arm ends just where my nose begins.” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes often used similar analogies to argue that personal freedoms do not extend to injuring the safety or property of others. Yet he also upheld limitations on property rights when their exercise would harm the community. That legal dichotomy is at the heart of a long-simmering Colorado dispute, whether one has the right to float on streams that cross private property. It is the subject of “Public Resources on Private Property: Why the right to float is complicated and how Colorado addresses it,” a new report from the Common Sense Institute, which I co-authored with one of m...
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Wolf Reintroduction Sparks Debate at Upcoming Colorado Town Hall
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State, Approved, The Gazette

Wolf Reintroduction Sparks Debate at Upcoming Colorado Town Hall

By The Gazette Staff | The Gazette Agriculture and outdoor recreation are considered two of Colorado’s most important industries. The outdoor recreation industry contributes over $65.8 billion and 511,000 jobs to Colorado’s economy, while the agriculture industry generates $47 billion and 195,000 jobs annually, according to the most recent data. Yet as Colorado Politics’ recent Rural Reckoning series indicated, these two powerhouses don’t always get the attention that industries do in the halls of the Capitol. A town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 9, sponsored by The Gazette and The Common Sense Institute, will dive more deeply into the importance of these industries to Colorado’s economic success, and the policies necessary to ensure they thrive. The Common Sense Institute is a non...
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