{"id":433015,"date":"2026-01-27T15:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/433015\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T15:57:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:57:11","slug":"colorado-gets-federal-approval-for-new-10-year-wildlife-conservation-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/433015\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado gets federal approval for new 10-year wildlife conservation plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colorado\u2019s latest roadmap for protecting its most vulnerable wildlife, the State Wildlife Action Plan<\/a> from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, received federal approval this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be eligible for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants, states have to update their wildlife action plans every 10 years,\u201d said State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator Kacie Miller. \u201cThat approval allows federal grant dollars to come to Colorado for a full array of fish and wildlife species.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colorado currently receives about $1.2 million to $1.3 million a year through the program. The funding is aimed at preventing species from becoming endangered while supporting recovery and habitat protection statewide.<\/p>\n

The plan helps determine which species and habitats will receive attention through 2035, how conservation dollars are spent and how state agencies and partners coordinate their work.<\/p>\n

The 2025 plan responds to a growing list of conflicts with wildlife as human activity continues to expand. \u201cOver the last 10 years, we\u2019ve seen compounding threats in Colorado,\u201d Miller said. \u201cIncreased drought and climate concerns, loss of habitat and development are all happening at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the report, these changes, along with energy projects, farming and recreation, all break up natural habitats, pollute water and soil and make it harder for animals to find food, shelter and mates. <\/p>\n

As cities grow, rainwater runs off pavement instead of soaking into the ground, streams carry more pollution and wildlife is increasingly confined to smaller, disconnected patches of land.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the same time, invasive species, disease and pollution are spreading while climate change is intensifying wildfires and stressing already limited water supplies.<\/p>\n

Many species are affected by more than one of these threats at once. Fish and amphibians are especially vulnerable to changes in water quality and river flows, birds and bats face risks from development and energy infrastructure and insects are declining as habitats disappear and pesticides reduce their food sources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The plan found that nearly all major habitat types in Colorado are affected \u2014 including grasslands and prairies, rivers and streams, wetlands, sagebrush shrublands and forests and alpine areas. Water-dependent habitats, like rivers, wetlands and streamside corridors, are among the most heavily impacted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some sobering information in the plan,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThis was the first time we did a really robust climate change assessment, and it shows which species are most vulnerable and why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"pronghorn-wildlife-pawnee-grassplands-eastern-plains-20230708\"Hart Van Denburg\/CPR NewsA couple of Pronghorns graze in the Pawnee Grasslands on Colorado\u2019s Eastern Plains.<\/p>\n

Along the Front Range and eastern plains, rapid growth is putting pressure on grasslands, riparian corridors and wetlands near cities and towns. Water use is also a major factor, as diversions and runoff affect rivers and streams that wildlife depends on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really drawing attention to the species most impacted by development and thinking about best management practices we can recommend,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThat way, there\u2019s consistent messaging no matter who owns the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Western Slope, water management, energy development and climate change play an outsized role. Rivers and streams that support native fish are heavily altered by dams and diversions, while sagebrush shrublands and lower-elevation forests are increasingly fragmented by roads and energy infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At higher elevations, warming temperatures and changing snowpack are shrinking habitat for cold-adapted species like Canada lynx, wolverines and American pikas.<\/p>\n

Familiar species at risk<\/p>\n

Many of the species identified as top conservation priorities over the next decade will be familiar to Coloradans. They include the lark bunting, Colorado\u2019s state bird; mountain bluebirds; prairie dogs; American pikas in the high country; Canada lynx and gray wolves; and the greenback cutthroat trout, the state fish.<\/p>\n

Pollinators also stand out. The plan lists monarch butterflies and multiple native bumble bee species among those most in need of conservation, as habitat loss and pesticide use continue to take a toll.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe certainly need continued support for these species,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe funding we receive now isn\u2019t enough to implement the entire plan, which is why partnerships and additional support are so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the 2025 plan, conservation dollars are not spread evenly. Species are ranked into tiers based on how vulnerable they are, whether Colorado has a high responsibility for their survival, and whether threats are likely to worsen in the next decade. <\/p>\n

\u201cTier One species are the most vulnerable and help highlight where our biggest concerns are,\u201d Miller said. \u201cSpecies of Greatest Information Need are different \u2014 we believe they may be declining, but we need more data to fully understand what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Courtesy Colorado Parks & WildlifeA native greenback cutthroat trout collected during a population survey at Herman Gulch in 2018.<\/p>\n

The plan also steers money toward habitat-based projects, like restoring rivers, wetlands, grasslands and sagebrush, because those investments can benefit multiple species.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you focus on an entire habitat \u2014 like a forest or a wetland \u2014 you can benefit a whole suite of species at once,\u201d Miller said. \u201cHealthy habitat supports many species throughout their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wildlife officials say progress will be tracked through monitoring and data updates, but the plan itself does not mandate spending levels or timelines, making follow-through and future funding decisions key to its success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time CPW has had a State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator position,\u201d Miller said. \u201cNow that the plan is approved, we can focus on implementation, tracking progress and making more of that information public so people can see what\u2019s being accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the plan\u2019s approval, CPW has launched a new collection of digital resources that make key components publicly available. That includes species rankings<\/a>, habitat information and supporting data used to guide conservation decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a living document,\u201d Miller said. \u201cConserving wildlife relies on people. We want folks to stay engaged, pay attention, and continue enjoying the wildlife of Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n

CPW says expanding access to this information is meant to increase transparency and help conservation partners, researchers and the public better understand the state\u2019s wildlife priorities.<\/p>\n

The agency says the plan is designed to remain flexible, allowing priorities to evolve as new data emerges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Colorado\u2019s latest roadmap for protecting its most vulnerable wildlife, the State Wildlife Action Plan from Colorado Parks and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":433016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[9045,11278,2421,79,201,25045],"class_list":["post-433015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-colorado-news","tag-federal-funding","tag-federal-government","tag-science","tag-wildlife","tag-wildlife-and-animals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}