CPW acquires 120-acre property in Park County for new State Wildlife Area
PARK COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - A contract was finalized Friday, Feb. 14, for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to acquire a 120-acre property in Park County to be Colorado's newest State Wildlife Area.
According to CPW, the 120 acres include a quarter-mile along Michigan Creek and are located about six miles southeast of Jefferson, abutted by Michigan Creek and County Road 77. The property will become the Michigan Creek State Wildlife Area and neighbors both Bureau of Land Management land and National Forest Service lands.
CPW said a private landowner approached Western Rivers Conservancy in 2023 to donate the land towards conservation efforts. Working with Colorado Open Lands, WRC placed a conservation easement on the property in late 2024 and held title to the land until conveying the land as a donation to CPW.
According to CPW, Michigan Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River and Tarryall Creek. The stream sustains a naturally reproducing population of brook and brown trout, and the land offers increased hunting access for deer and elk in Game Management Unit 50.
State Wildlife Areas offer hunting, angling, and wildlife viewing opportunities with the purchase of an SWA pass. Revenue from SWA pass purchases fund hunting and fishing conservation efforts and continued habitat health. Funding for this project was provided by the Park County Land and Water Trust Fund, CPW said.
