Colorado Parks and Wildlife to seek input from Native communities on state parks

STATEWIDE, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced it will be seeking input from tribes and Native communities on state park initiatives.

According to CPW, the “Engaging Colorado’s Tribal Communities” has received $50,000 in funding. The project will entail "listening sessions" where tribal communities can express their priorities for local parks.

The project, according to officials, is a joint effort with CPW and the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO).

“If we take care of the land, the land takes care of us, and what better way to do that than through the relationship lens of community partnerships,” said Stacy Coleman, Colorado Department of Natural Resources’ Assistant Director for Tribal Affairs, in a press release. “Better supporting the needs of the diverse Native communities here in Colorado on state park matters, ancestral public lands, is an important priority for the DNR and this grant allows for the opportunity to meaningfully engage in this statewide conversation together.”

GOCO also approved five other statewide projects at their last commission meeting. According to a press release, those include:

• Fossil Bed Protection Structure ($25,000) – Funding will support the construction of a protective structure at the Indian Springs Trace Fossil Natural Area to preserve one of North America’s most significant 450-million-year-old fossil beds.
   
• Black-footed Ferret Monitoring ($10,000) – In a groundbreaking move, CPW will collaborate with the Smithsonian and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor endangered black-footed ferrets using radio collars for the first time in over three decades.
   
• Aerial Herbicide Drone Deployment ($25,000) – CPW will purchase a drone-based herbicide application system to manage invasive species in State Wildlife Areas that are difficult or unsafe to access by ground equipment.
   
• OHV Stakeholder Engagement ($25,000) – Working with NoCo Places, CPW will lead a stakeholder engagement initiative to determine future uses of the Lefthand OHV Area, which has been closed to motorized use since the 2013 floods.
   
• Wolf Drone Monitoring ($15,000) – CPW will pilot drone-based technology to monitor gray wolf movements and test hazing techniques to deter conflicts with livestock.

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