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DENVER, Colo. – Antler collectors and all people taking to Colorado for recreation are reminded that shed antler and horn collecting is prohibited on all public lands west of I-25 from March 2 through April 30. Additionally, in order to maintain protection for the Gunnison sage-grouse, the new regulations include a closure to collection of shed antlers on public lands May 1 to May 15 from sunset to 10 a.m. in the Gunnison basin (Game Management Units 54, 55, 66, 67, 551).
The new regulation was approved by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission in January. Starting next year and in all subsequent years, the seasonal collection prohibition starts on Jan. 1 and continues through April 30.
The purpose of this regulation is to reduce stress on wintering big game animals during the time of year when deer, elk, pronghorn and moose are most vulnerable. Stress can result in decreased body condition, increased mortality and decreased survival of deer fawns and elk calves. These regulations protect the health of Colorado’s big game herds and other wintering wildlife.
CPW will be working with recreation organizations, land-use management agencies, visitors bureaus and local communities to get the word out about these new restrictions. Protecting our wintering wildlife is something we have to do together.
As more people enjoy each season that Colorado has to offer, and new forms of recreation continue to emerge, it is increasingly important that everyone involved in outdoor recreation help to educate others about conservation of our public lands. — CPW Director Bob Broscheid
Anyone violating the closure or in possession of antlers or horns during the closure period will be fined at least $68. Even if you are not intentionally looking for antlers you are prohibited from picking up antlers.
Because wildlife officers patrol vast areas, CPW is asking for help from the public to enforce the new regulations. If you see activity that appears to be in violation of the closure regulation, please call the nearest CPW office or local law enforcement as soon as possible. Do not, however, confront or approach anyone you suspect is behaving illegally.
Why were these dates chosen?
In most parts of western Colorado, winter conditions affecting big game typically last into late April or early May, and big game are still losing weight and body condition. The April 30 date is intended to help minimize additional stress during this critical time frame.
In addition, these dates closely align with restrictions in neighboring states. For instance, Wyoming prohibits the collection of shed antlers and horns from January 1 through April 30 on public lands west of the Continental Divide.
Why are other kinds of recreation and hunting still allowed in areas where shed collection is restricted?
While it is true that these restrictions may overlap with some hunting seasons, the amount of pressure put on the animals will be limited by the number of hunting license holders. Some shed collectors use OHVs and snowmobiles in their search. Loud, fast-moving OHVs and snowmobiles are major sources of wildlife stress. Also, the CPW Commission does not regulate other forms of recreation such as hikers and bikers on other land-use agency properties such as the Bureau of Land Management lands or National Forest land.
What are the penalties for violations?
Our initial goal is to educate the public about the negative impacts to wildlife caused by irresponsible shed collecting and recreational activity, and why the new regulation is needed; however, based on officer discretion, violators will likely face a $50 fine and $18 surcharge. There will be five license suspension points applied to the violator’s privilege to apply for, purchase, or exercise the benefits conferred by any licenses issued by CPW. If a person accumulates 20 or more points within a five-year period, that person could be suspended from hunting and fishing for up to five years.
Additionally, possession of antlers during the closure on public lands west of I-25 can also be counted as a separate ($68) violation with each individual antler being considered a possible violation offense. In addition, apart from the new shed collection rules, harassing wildlife remains illegal and CPW officers will cite any individual violating this existing regulation. Harassing wildlife is a $137 violation that also includes 10 license suspension points. A $2.50 DNA surcharge will also apply to each citation that an officer issues to a violator.
What about private lands?
The CPW Commission chose not to include a private land requirement in its decision to enact a shed collection closure in Colorado. However, it is unlawful to collect sheds on private property unless a person has lawful access to that private property. Possession of antlers or horns on private property without lawful access is prohibited.
Is shed and horn collection growing in popularity?
Although shed collection is not a new activity in Colorado, there is evidence that it is rapidly growing in popularity. At the CPW Commission’s January meeting, both the commissioners and members of the public noted they had seen a big increase in shed collection around the state, likely due to the substantial profit collectors can make from the sale of shed horns and antlers. Once considered a fun, recreational activity for families or the source of a unique medium for artisans, shed collection is now a major business. As a result, a growing number of people are participating. Unfortunately, too many shed collectors are focusing on financial gain rather than protecting wildlife, creating the need for new regulations.
In some states, you need a permit to collect sheds. Is Colorado considering the same?
The requirement of a priced permit for collecting shed antlers and horns is a novel concept that would be precedent-setting in the western U.S. Although the CPW Commission decided not to require a permit at its latest meeting, it is an issue it may revisit in the future.
Will the BLM/Forest Service/Sheriff’s Office, enforce the new regulation as well?
These agencies may notify CPW if they catch violators and coordinate with CPW officers to take enforcement action.
Once an antler or horn drops, why is it still the purview of CPW? It is no longer ‘wildlife.’
Shed antlers or shed horns are still considered “wildlife” based on the statutory definition, which includes any parts thereof and whether alive or dead.
Have there been past restrictions?
Previously there were two localized antler collection closures in place, one for public lands in the Gunnison Basin and one for public lands in the Eagle and Roaring Fork Valleys. The problem with these closures was that it was moving the antler collection pressure to other areas of the state with important winter range habitats. The only other restriction that is also in place is the harassment of wildlife statute, which can be written to any individual who is harassing wildlife, including shed collectors. A harassment ticket is $137.
What if I’m doing something unrelated, like hiking, and find an antler?
If you are hiking in an area where there is currently a shed antler and horn collecting closure and you see an antler or horn, please leave it alone. There is no way for a CPW officer to differentiate between you and someone who entered the area for the purpose of shed collecting.
Washington, DC – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity, released the below statement following the Trump Administration’s announcement on Friday that they will be implementing additional sanctions against North Korea.
I am pleased to see today’s announcement of increased sanctions against North Korea. We must continue to take every diplomatic and economic measure to stop North Korea and to prevent nuclear war. These newly announced sanctions will lead to more ships being interdicted and less money to the Kim regime. The United Nations and China must follow suit with increased pressure on this regime that imprisons and tortures its own citizens, murders American citizens like Otto Warmbier, and threatens the world with nuclear war. Earlier this Congress, I introduced the bipartisan LEED Act that gives those that currently conduct trade with North Korea a clear choice – either do business with this heinous outlaw regime or do business with the world’s leading economic and military power. I will continue to work with the Administration to sanction all entities, wherever they may be based, that aid North Korea’s nuclear program. — Gardner
McCarthy, who served as EPA Administrator in the Obama administration from 2013-17, is also a Harvard University Senior Fellow at the Institute of Politics and Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. A leader in public health and environmental protection, she helped develop the Climate Action Plan, signed the Clean Power Plan, and spurred international efforts to secure the Paris Climate Agreement.
McCarthy is appearing as part of the CSU Office of International Programs’ Global Engagement Lecture Series.
We are very honored to host such an extraordinary and influential global thought leader on campus. — Shauna DeLuca, assistant director of Global Co-Curricular Initiatives for International Programs.
All of us have been bombarded for months, even years, by news, fake news, information, misinformation, disinformation, alternative facts, confusing mentions of truth, lies, ideologies, opinions, beliefs, fiction, scientific findings and denials of scientific findings, predatory journals, and what Winston Churchill called “terminological inexactitudes.”
It’s time we discuss a subject that begs to be brought up in public: Facts.
And Colorado State University has the experts who can help us define what a “fact” is, and the impact of such a concept on our lives and our country.
(parking is available in Lot 425 – accessible from South Shields Street and West Pitkin Street)
As a university, a public establishment that promotes a universe of thoughts, we can come together to define the meaning of a ‘fact.’ Right and wrong are not always so easy to define, as people with different views may use words differently. We might consider how the misuse of words impacts the country and the world. — explained Patrick Burns, vice president for information technology and dean of libraries for CSU
“We expect the views expressed here will stimulate abundant, civilized discussions,” Burns said.
The Information, Misinformation and Disinformation Symposium is presented by CSU Libraries.
(February 19, 2018—CBI—Pueblo, CO)—The Saguache County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are investigating a body discovered in the county on February 18, 2018.
A hiker in the area of County Road 42 and County Road Z discovered a female body just after 10:00 a.m. and alerted authorities on Sunday morning. The investigation is ongoing to determine the identification of the deceased, as well as the circumstances surrounding the person’s death. Anyone with information is asked to call the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office at (719)655-2544.
Early indications are this case does not appear to be connected with the Kristal Reisinger missing person case out of Saguache.
Updates will be provided as they become available.
DENVER — Denver International Airport (DEN) today announced the appointment of Cristal Torres DeHerrera as its chief of staff. As one of five executive vice president positions at the airport, DeHerrera will be responsible for managing the airport’s External Affairs business unit which includes overseeing the airport’s Executive Office and Government and Community Affairs, including the DEN Commerce Hub.
In her role, DeHerrera will lead development of the airport’s strategies, policies and plans related to legislative and regulatory activities at the local, state and federal levels. DeHerrera will also be working closely with the airport executive team on a number of priority initiatives, including the public-private partnership to renovateDEN’s Great Hall with the Great Hall Partners, a team of local and international companies led by Ferrovial S.A.
“After a thorough search, we are delighted to welcome Cristal Torres DeHerrera to the DEN team,” said airport CEO Kim Day. “Cristal’s strength in contract negotiation, good government, process improvement and community collaboration will benefit the airport. She is a thoughtful, intuitive and collaborative leader who will be a positive addition to our executive team.”
“Cristal will be a phenomenal addition to the airport team,” Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. “During her four years as deputy city attorney, she has grown to become a trusted advisor to my administration, a strong collaborator with our regional partners and a dedicated listener to our community, and she will remain a close and steadfast advisor. I am so pleased she will be staying with the city team and helping to lead the airport into its next great era.”
“DEN is the Rocky Mountain Region’s No. 1 economic driver and a $1 billion operation. I’m thrilled to join Kim and the DEN team to continue making DEN America’s favorite airport, where the Rocky Mountains meet the world,” said DeHerrera.
DeHerrera, who will begin her new position at the airport on April 2, currently serves as the deputy city attorney for the City and County of Denver, a position she has held since 2014. As the No. 2 attorney for the city, she manages the day-to-day operations of more than 200 attorneys and staff in one of the largest public law offices in the western United States. DeHerrera is an advisor to the mayor and the city on a wide range of legal and policy issues and serves as the city’s lead negotiator for many of the city’s largest contracts.
“Cristal has been a valued leader in the City Attorney’s Office,” said Kristin Bronson, city attorney. “While we are disappointed to see her go, I know the airport will be well served by her skills and she will remain an important asset to the city.”
DeHerrera’s accomplishments include leading the development of the governance structure for the National Western Center. Specifically, she worked to ensure the governance structure fostered ongoing partnership, collaboration and engagement with the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods and that the National Western Center directly benefits the surrounding neighborhoods and residents for the foreseeable future.
“Cristal envisioned and led the creation of a new public authority to govern and manage the new National Western Center campus, unlike any authority previously created in Denver,” said Gretchen Hollrah, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of the National Western Center. “Under Cristal’s leadership, the NWC Authority has been structured to honor the community in which it resides, to be a responsible steward of new public buildings and to deliver year-round activity for the people of Denver.”
DeHerrera also led Mayor Hancock’s efforts to partner with the Denver City Council on the Public Safety Priority Enforcement Act which promoted public safety through community trust and limited Denver’s role in federal immigration enforcement. DeHerrera is currently leading the development of Denver’s Immigrant Legal Defense Fund.
“It’s critical that we have the leadership and experience necessary to support DEN as it continues to create global connectivity and local economic opportunity,” said Denver City Councilman Paul Lopez. “Over the years, I’ve worked closely with Cristal to restore public faith in government. I have great confidence in her ability to collaborate with the thousands who make DEN a world-class airport.”
Prior to her position with the city, Cristal was a partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where her practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, public and private securities offerings, capital formation and securities advice.
DeHerrera holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and her undergraduate degree, with honors, in political studies from Pitzer College in Claremont, California. The Colorado Hispanic Bar Association recently honored DeHerrera with the Christopher A. Miranda Outstanding Hispanic Lawyer Award. In 2016, she received the Denver Bar Association’s Richard Marden Davis Award for leadership in Denver’s civic, cultural, educational and charitable activities. She was recognized in 2015 by the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and was honored with the Raising the Bar Award, Women to Watch: 5 Female Attorneys Who Will Make an Impact over the Next 10 Years. In 2014, she received the Denver Business Journal’s 40 under 40 award.
Washington, DC – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the below statement following his votes to advance immigration reform:
Our immigration system is broken and that’s why I voted for solutions. President Trump has repeatedly stated he wants to address the Dreamer population and increase border security and the proposals I supported today would have done exactly that. I’m dissapointed we were not able to find a solution this week but that does not mean our work is over. I’ll continue to work with Senator Bennet and my other colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a solution that can pass the Senate, the House, and ultimately be signed by the President. — Gardner
DENVER – Coloradans confronting a narrowing number of increasingly expensive health insurance options could soon have one new option available to them, if a bill making its way through the Colorado Statehouse continues to progress.
Senate Bill-132, authored by Parker Republican Jim Smallwood, requires the state’s Insurance Commissioner to seek a waiver from federal Obamacare rules that restrict the sale of so-called catastrophic care plans, which could soon allow every Coloradan to purchase such plans through the state’s Obamacare exchange. Smallwood’s bill passed its first legislative test Thursday, winning unanimous bipartisan approval of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
These plans may save consumers as much as 30 percent in their medical premiums while still complying with almost all of the significant Obamacare protections, such as limits on out of pockets costs, coverage for essential health benefits and assurances that pre-existing conditions aren’t excluded. Although catastrophic plans may not be the right choice for every Coloradan, Smallwood told the committee that they could have appeal to those Coloradans who aren’t rich enough to absorb high costs, and not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or Obamacare subsidies.
Those being squeezed hardest by the rising cost of care aren’t lower income people covered by Medicaid, or older individuals who get Medicare, but those in the economic middle who aren’t wealthy but still make too much money to qualify for subsidies. It’s for these caught-in-the-middle Coloradans, who are willing to pay lower premiums for coverage that isn’t quite as rich but still can stave-off enormous bills resulting from major medical costs, that this bill is written. — Smallwood
Applying for a federal Obamacare waiver won’t guarantee we’ll get one. But the sooner we try, the sooner we can help provide one more option for those who want coverage but aren’t well served by the current market, said Smallwood.
SB-132 passed on a unanimous 5 to 0 vote and now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for action.