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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Category: Nature & Science

  • Wildlife officials focus on project to aid with management of Larimer County elk herds

    Wildlife officials focus on project to aid with management of Larimer County elk herds

    FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists are working on a project to obtain population demographic data to effectively and sustainably manage elk herds in Larimer County.

    Portions of the project were made possible thanks to funding support from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Habitat Partnership Program that is funded by revenue from the sale of big game licenses.

    Wildlife biologist Angelique Curtis is leading the project designed to help with management decisions for the elk herd in Data Analysis Unit (DAU) E-4.

    It specifically is targeting elk in Red Feather Lakes and the Poudre Canyon geographic areas. Crews will deploy 30 GPS satellite collars on cow (female) elk to assist in data collection and help with monitoring the herd.

    “The goal of this study is to get an understanding of migrational movements of the E-4 elk and gather herd composition data to better model the dynamics of the population for sustainable harvest,” Curtis said. “The collared cow elk will be used as ‘judas’ elk to perform aerial surveys for annual classification data. In this instance a ‘judas’ animal is the cow elk that we can locate from the collar that will lead us to the herd where we can then classify the whole herd.”

    The GPS collars will provide enough data in the first three years of deployment to design a population model for the herd. The study will last four to five years, with the remaining data collected after year three from the collars being used to refine the parameters of the model.

    Deployment of the collars started last summer by trapping or ground darting elk in the Comanche Wilderness Area. Helicopter capture was also used this past winter to deploy additional units. The few remaining collars will go out late this month via ground darting and trapping.

    Collars are spatially distributed in selected geographical areas to get a representative sample of the herd. The GPS collars will give location data every 13 hours to get a rolling time frame of movements throughout the year.

    “The locations are transmitted to the biologists computers and phones, so they reduce the time needed to track the animals,” Senior Wildlife Biologist Shannon Schaller said. “This also ensures we collect data in remote areas. If a collared elk stops moving for more than eight hours, it will emit a mortality signal that biologists can attempt to retrieve to help them understand mortality causes.

    “This technology has been a real benefit for wildlife biologists to collect data more efficiently.”

    Wildlife managers need the new data to make informed recommended license allocations for hunters, as to date there is not much known about the elk in the DAU.

    Previously, hunter harvest and voluntary elk tooth submissions from 2009 to present provided data on the herd composition (sex and age) to make harvest recommendations. The last aerial survey of the elk in the DAU was in 2006.

    In 2014, estimated elk populations obtained from ground surveys reached the upper end of the management objectives – the herd size was increasing past the point of the carrying capacity the landscape would support. Thus, both bull and cow elk license numbers increased to help the herd stay within the management objective. Wildlife managers are seeking better data on herd trends to assess harvest limits to align with new population models.

    Starting this December, Curtis along with wildlife officers, will conduct aerial surveys to gather baseline data using the GPS collars to locate the elk.

    Once more data is compiled, the new population matrix model will be built with an understanding of the areas of greatest conservation, migration corridors, calving areas and habitat enhancement opportunities all designed to keep the elk herds healthy and within the management objectives.

     

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  • Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to meet July 16 – 17 in virtual meeting

    Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to meet July 16 – 17 in virtual meeting

    DENVER – The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider emergency regulations necessary to temporarily reauthorize the use of a Temporary Authorization Number (TAN) as proof of privilege for most Division products for up to 45 days and to temporarily reauthorize offering hunter education completely online, as well as permanent regulations to increase the fee for river outfitter licenses, to create the “Independence Parks Pass” for disabled veterans, to require the purchase of either a furbearer license (or a furbearer permit in addition to a small game license) for the avocational harvest of all furbearer species except coyotes, to close the 2020 hunting season for greater sage-grouse in Game Management Units 4 and 5 pursuant to thresholds set forth in the Northwest Colorado Greater Sage-grouse Conservation Plan, and to make corrections to the 2020 Public Access Program enrollment. The Commission will also discuss revising refund and reissue regulations to provide more consistency and customer service opportunities, and an annual review of regulations related to “Parks and Outdoor Recreation Lands” and “Passes Permits and Registrations” at a virtual meeting on Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17. The meeting will be streamed live on CPW’s YouTube page here.

    The commission will also consider a recent CPW relevancy study, State Recreational Trails Committee member appointments, 2020-2021 Snowmobile Capital Grants funding recommendations, a presentation on the Youth Internship Program (YIP), the Fishers Peak property name, the West Slope Draft Mountain Lion Management Plan, multiple elk herd management plans, and State Wildlife Area access.

    The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 16 and adjourn at 4:45 p.m. The commission will reconvene at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 17 and adjourn at 10:30 a.m.

    Additional agenda items include:

    • Department of Agriculture update

    • Department of Natural Resources update

    • Financial update

    • Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) update A complete agenda along with all materials for public review for this meeting can be found on the CPW website. The public is encouraged to email written comments to the commission at . Details on providing public comments for virtual meetings are available on the CPW website.

    The commission meets regularly and travels to communities around the state to facilitate public participation. Anyone can listen to commission meetingsthrough the CPW website. This opportunity keeps constituents informed about the development of regulations and how the commission works with Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff to manage the parks, wildlife and outdoor recreation programs administered by the agency. Find out more about the commission on the CPW website.

    The next commission meeting will take place on September 2 and 3.

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  • Lost Lake area near Nederland to close over human-bear safety concerns

    Lost Lake area near Nederland to close over human-bear safety concerns

    Hessie Trailhead, trails remain open for day use only to Wilderness boundary

    BOULDER, Colo. (July 7, 2020) – The Roosevelt National Forest and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are closing the area around Lost Lake to all use starting Wednesday, July 8, 2020, over safety concerns with a bear in the area.

    This bear has been involved in conflicts at the campground since 2017, entering unoccupied tents, retrieving people’s food left unsecured and showing little fear of humans. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is confident it is the same individual bear due to matching descriptions from conflict reports.

    “We are concerned for the safety of backcountry campers, as this bear has become an issue,” said Kristin Cannon, Deputy Regional Manager for CPW’s Northeast Region. “For the time being, we feel it is best to keep campers safe and close down the area.” 

    The entire area is closed to camping from the Hessie Trailhead near Nederland to the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area boundary. Day use along the King Lake Trail or Devil’s Thumb Trail will be permitted; but the Lost Lake Trail spurs off of King Lake Trail will be closed and no use will be permitted beyond that trail junction.

    “This area closure is a rare step that we take only in the most critical circumstances and is necessary for public safety,” said Boulder District Ranger Angela Gee. “We understand that this is the height of camping and hiking season and our hope is this closure will be brief.”

    The closure will remain in place until further notice.

    “We would like to remind the public that no matter where you are camping this summer, especially if you are in the backcountry, please use a bear resistant canister to store any scented items and pack out all trash,” said Jason Duetsch, Area Wildlife Manager for CPW. “This is the best way to avoid dangerous bear encounters and to prevent unnatural food rewards.”

    Helpful links:

    Photos:

    Bottom Left: Pictured are bear safety camping essentials: bear spray, an air horn and a bear canister

    Bottom Right: Stock bear photo, not a photo of the bear associated with this release

     

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  • Video highlights the exciting arctic grayling spawn at Joe Wright Reservoir

    Video highlights the exciting arctic grayling spawn at Joe Wright Reservoir

    [WATCH] https://youtu.be/LuJif1T3oDs

    LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. – Just upstream of Joe Wright Reservoir, Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists, technicians, researchers and hatchery personnel conducted its annual spawning operation for a fish that most Coloradans might be surprised to find here in the Rocky Mountains.

    Arctic grayling were first stocked in Colorado in the late 1890s, but it wasn’t until the mid-1960s that CPW had success with a self-sustaining population. 

    This year’s arctic grayling spawning operation was conducted June 23 on Joe Wright Creek. Aquatic biologists from CPW’s Northeast Region have been coming to this spot every year since 1994 to collect and fertilize grayling eggs to deliver to the Glenwood Springs State Fish Hatchery. The annual egg request has ranged from 100,000 to 275,00 grayling eggs over the last decade, with 100,000 eggs needed for 2020.

    “They will get stocked out at various lakes throughout the state,” Aquatic Biologist Kyle Battige said. “It depends on the year, but we generally stock between 5-10 lakes around the state of Colorado with grayling.”

    The goal of the 2020 spawn was to catch around 100 ripe females via electrocking near the creek’s inlet to the reservoir to meet the established egg quota. However, the spawning operation entails far greater numbers of fish.

    “In the quarter-mile of stream we shocked today, we caught almost 1,000 grayling,” Battige said. “Arctic grayling are not native to Colorado, the fish here in Joe Wright Reservoir originally came from Montana. They’ve been in Joe Wright Reservoir for about 30 years, we have been spawning them for over two decades now and there is an annual spawning run that is just a spectacle to see.”

    If you came up to Joe Wright Creek during any other time of the year than during the spawning run, you likely would not find a single grayling in the creek. Joe Wright Reservoir and Creek provide a unique habitat for them. The arctic grayling population in Joe Wright Reservoir is not stocked and is maintained solely through natural reproduction from fish spawning naturally in the creek.

    “Grayling do really well in Joe Wright Reservoir and Creek because it is crystal clear, great mountain water with appropriately-sized spawning gravel,” Battige said. “They run up the creek out of the reservoir towards the end of June every year, spawn, and then migrate back downstream to the reservoir where they spend the other 11 months of the year.”

    The fish that are caught via electroshocking are sorted by males and females into holding nets on the creek. The females are massaged and stripped of their roe, or eggs, and the males of their milt, or semen, which are then carefully mixed in plastic tubs with filtered creek water. Once fertilized, the eggs are sent to the Glenwood Springs State Fish Hatchery.

    The fertilized eggs will be hatched and raised at the hatchery then stocked out in the fall as one to two inch fish.

    Grayling are in the salmonid family – they are related to trout – and have tasty white meat. CPW has always made an effort to offer anglers a wide variety of fishing opportunities when it comes to sport fish, and the arctic grayling is rather extraordinary.

    “They are really pretty fish, but don’t get that big in Colorado,” Battige said. “A really big grayling in Colorado would be around 16 inches, but they just provide a unique angling opportunity. They are a lot different than a rainbow or a brown trout. The males this time of year have an elongated dorsal fin that gets really colorful.”

    The state record for biggest grayling was caught in Jackson County on Lower Big Creek Lake in 2002. Derik Drinnen caught a 17 ¼-inch grayling weighing one pound, 10 ounces.

    Other grayling waters across Colorado include Pearl Lake north of Steamboat Springs, Silver Lake and Bonham Reservoir in Mesa County and Pomeroy Lake near Salida. 

    The Colorado Fishing Atlas, the latest interactive mapping tool offered by CPW, allows users to search for fishing opportunities by species, specific interest or proximity to your home or destination.

     

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  • THE SPAWN MUST GO ON

    THE SPAWN MUST GO ON

    LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. – On June 30, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials were met with a blizzard and 34-degree temperatures at Zimmerman Lake while conducting its greenback cutthroat trout spawning operation. This video from Senior Video Producer Jerry Neal highlights the dedication of CPW’s aquatics staff working in these winter-like conditions, even if it says summer on the calendar.

    [Link to video] – https://vimeo.com/434428021

    While teamed up with CPW Cutthroat Trout Research Scientist Kevin Rogers, the Northeast Aquatics team collected spawn and mark recapture data from the greenback cutthroat trout “broodstock” population at Zimmerman Lake. Aquatic Biologists are always prepared for variable weather when working at 10,000 feet, but they certainly were not expecting blizzard conditions when they arrived at the lake early in the morning on June 30.

    The team captured the fish using live “trap” nets that were deployed the previous afternoon (when it was sunny and warm). Eggs were collected from females and mixed with milt (sperm) from males. The fertilized eggs were driven in small one-gallon coolers to CPW’s Salida Isolation Unit, operated by the Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery, where they are either reared to fry to be stocked back out into the wild at other reintroduction sites, or raised to one year of age to be stocked back into the wild and replenish the broodstocks at Zimmerman Lake and the Leadville National Fish Hatchery.  

    All of the fish that are stocked into Zimmerman Lake are given a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag, each with a unique alphanumeric code, and a color coded Visual Implant Elastomer (VIE) tag, with each color representing a different year class and family group. During the spawn operation at Zimmerman Lake, each fish was scanned for its PIT tag and visually checked for its VIE tag.  Additionally, aquatic biologists measured length and weight and identified sex of each fish. All of this information enables biologists to assess individual fish growth rates and estimate survival of the different year classes and family groups, and thus evaluate CPWs efforts to maximize genetic diversity in the broodstock.  

    The broodstocks at Zimmerman Lake and the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, and associated hatchery operations, represent the backbone of efforts to recover the Federally Threatened State Fish of Colorado, the Greenback Cutthroat Trout.

    “It is fun and rewarding work for the biologists, even though the weather isn’t always ideal,” said Boyd Wright, CPW Native Aquatic Species Biologist.

     

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  • Wildlife Groups File Lawsuit to Protect Canadian Lynx Habitat

    Wildlife Groups File Lawsuit to Protect Canadian Lynx Habitat

    MISSOULA, Mont.—Wildlife advocates filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on July 1 over its failure to take any action in response to a 2016 court order striking down the agency’s exclusion of Canada lynx habitat in the species’ entire southern Rocky Mountain range from designation as critical habitat. This habitat is essential for the wildcat’s recovery.

    “Lynx were virtually eliminated from Colorado in the 1970s as a result of cruel trapping, poisoning, and development that lay waste to their habitat,” said Lindsay Larris, wildlife program director at WildEarth Guardians, based in Denver.  “Despite efforts to reintroduce these elusive cats to their native habitat from 1999 to 2010, without federal critical habitat protections, the lynx may never truly have the opportunity to recover in the Southern Rockies.”

    Critical habitat is area designated by the federal government as essential to the survival and recovery of a species protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once designated, federal agencies must make special efforts to protect critical habitat from damage or destruction. In 2014, USFWS designated approximately 38,000 acres of critical habitat for threatened lynx, but chose to exclude the lynx’s entire southern Rocky Mountain range, from south-central Wyoming, throughout Colorado, and into north-central New Mexico. These areas are vital to the iconic cat’s survival and recovery in the western U.S., where lynx currently live in small and sometimes isolated populations.

    “Nearly four years later, the Fish and Wildlife Service has not lifted a finger to comply with the court’s order to reexamine the Southern Rockies for critical habitat designation for lynx,” said John Mellgren, attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. “A federal judge unambiguously ordered the Service to fulfill its mandatory duties under the ESA related to potential critical habitat for lynx in the Southern Rockies, and the Service has not done so. Colorado, in particular, is full of excellent lynx habitat that deserves a heightened level of protection to help foster lynx recovery.”

    Perplexingly, USFWS’ latest designation decreased existing protections by 2,593 square miles compared to a 2013 plan. In doing so, USFWS excluded much of the cat’s historic and currently occupied, last best habitat in the southern Rockies and other areas from protection. In its 2016 order, the court found USFWS failed to follow the science showing that lynx are successfully reproducing in Colorado, and therefore excluding Colorado from the cat’s critical habitat designation “runs counter to the evidence before the agency and frustrates the purpose of the ESA.”

    The July 1 court challenge seeks to install hard, legally binding deadlines for USFWS to publish a lynx critical habitat rule, along with frequent progress reports, also legally binding, due to the agency’s long record of negligence and delay on the subject of Canada lynx recovery actions.

    More Canada lynx background information can be found here:

    https://wildearthguardians.org/press-releases/wildlife-groups-file-lawsuit-to-protect-canadian-lynx-habitat/ 

     

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  • Gov. Polis signs funding bill to aid CPW in developing next state park

    Gov. Polis signs funding bill to aid CPW in developing next state park

    TRINIDAD, Colo. – In a sun-soaked open space flanked by 9,633-foot Fishers Peak, Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Monday a bill that provides $1 million to support Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s development of Colorado’s next state park.

    Polis called the funding critical toward achieving his goal of CPW opening the 19,200-acre park to the public as the 42 state park.

    The governor also called the next state park an economic engine that will drive the economy of Trinidad and the region as he signed Senate Bill 3 in front of a small group of lawmakers and dignitaries including Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Department of Natural Resources, and CPW Director Dan Prenzlow.

    “This is a big day because developing our 42nd state park is not as simple as opening the gates and inviting the public,” Prenzlow said. “CPW parks staff, wildlife and aquatic biologists, engineers, wildlife managers and all our partners are deep into the process of transforming this former ranch into a showplace for all who might want to recreate here.

    “CPW staff is committed to meeting the governor’s challenge to open this park by 2021 by accelerating the designing and construction of state parks from a multi-year process down to a single year. This funding will help us expedite the process. I’m confident when we finally open these gates, the public will be thrilled at the park that will greet them.”

    Gibbs and Prenzlow were joined by Representatives Daneya Esgar and Perry Will, local government and business officials from Trinidad and Las Animas County as well as leaders of CPW’s non-profit partners The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), each playing a critical role in the purchase of the Fishers Peak property.

    “We could not have gotten this far without the hard work of our partners from GOCO, the City of Trinidad, TNC and TPL,” Prenzlow said. “Nor could this happen without our partners in the Legislature and in the hunting and fishing communities who provided millions in revenue from hunting and fishing license sales.”

    In February 2019, CPW partnered with the City of Trinidad, TNC, TPL and GOCO to purchase the mostly undeveloped property, prized for its variety of habitat, wildlife and the linkage it provides between grasslands to the east with foothills and mountains to the west.  

    On April 2, the partners signed over ownership of the property to CPW and the agency, with its partners, immediately ramped up master-planning efforts to create a park that will protect the natural treasures and wildlife found there while welcoming visitors, including hunters, hikers, mountain bikers, wildlife watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

    For months, biologists have been combing the property to inventory the flora and fauna. Among their discoveries was the presence of the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. In 2014, the mouse was listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to loss of habitat and low population numbers. 

    Bird surveys continue and are going well; biologists believe they have found a potential golden eagle nest as well as a nesting pair of peregrine falcons. They also report owl sightings. 

    Herptile surveys have found an unusual lizard species, a variable skink, making the property likely the only state park with this species.

    Biologists have also deployed dozens of trail cameras across the property to study everything moving on the ground. There’s even coordinated weed-mapping underway with experts studying plants to formulate the appropriate seed mixture to use when landscaping areas of the park.

    The information gathered will then be combined with research into the archaeological and cultural history of the property. Next comes the public process as planners gather input to set management goals for the property and design recreation areas that include roads, parking lots, restrooms, picnic areas, trails and wildlife-viewing areas for the public to enjoy.

    In recent weeks, crews have begun grading and laying gravel on a new access road and parking lot.

    Installing vault toilets is expected to be completed in the coming days. To stay informed on continuing progress of the park, please sign up to receive CPW eNews emails or visit cpw.state.co.us.

    The property remains closed to public access.

    Photos courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife / Bill Vogrin

     

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  • New Laws to Boost Rural Economies and Hire Rural Peace Officers Signed Into Law

    New Laws to Boost Rural Economies and Hire Rural Peace Officers Signed Into Law

    PUEBLO, CO– At Musso Farms in Pueblo, Governor Jaerd Polis today signed four bills that will boost rural economies, help smaller communities afford the costs of peace officer training programs, improve seed regulation and better protect energy consumers.

    “We can’t leave Colorado’s rural communities behind as our state recovers from the pandemic,” said Rep. Bri Buentello, D-Pueblo. “The legislation signed today will improve a critical economic development initiative and enhance seed regulation to help Colorado’s agriculture producers. To support our communities that are struggling with smaller and smaller budgets, we created a new scholarship to help them afford to hire and train new law enforcement officers. I’m proud of our work to boost rural economies and help build an economy that works for all parts of our state.”

    HB20-1229, sponsored by Representative Bri Buentello, establishes a scholarship fund for rural and small communities to assist in paying for the cost of potential police officers to attend an approved basic law enforcement training academy. SB20-002, sponsored by Representatives Barbara McLachlan and Buentello, strengthens and cements a successful existing program, REDI, in the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to ensure that the program continues and make improvements to spur rural economies. HB20-1184, sponsored by Representatives Buentello and Rod Pelton, improves seed regulation in Colorado to help agricultural producers.

    “Colorado’s rural communities have been hit hard by ongoing trade disputes, declining tourism revenue from the pandemic and dwindling town budgets,” said Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango. “Today, the governor signed my bill to spur rural economic growth. The law makes the successful Rural Economic Development Grant Initiative permanent and bolsters the program to help our small businesses and rural communities recover faster and get back on their feet.”

    SB20-030, sponsored by Representative Daneya Esgar, imposes various requirements on public utilities and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) related to information reporting, billing, and customer interactions. The bill nearly doubles the level of income that the PUC may use to means test the medical exemption, allowing more Coloradans with medical needs to take advantage of the program.

    “Across our state, hardworking Coloradans are struggling to make ends meet and pay their electricity bills,” said Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “We can lower electricity costs by strengthening consumer protections and increasing transparency in billing. Importantly, this new law provides utility relief that so many Coloradans rely on to a lot more older Coloradans with medical conditions to help them make ends meet.”

     

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  • Farmers, Ranchers and Private Forest Landowners Use Conservation to Protect Pollinator Habitat, Boost Crop Production

    Farmers, Ranchers and Private Forest Landowners Use Conservation to Protect Pollinator Habitat, Boost Crop Production

    The next time you snack on almonds, add blueberries to your smoothie or eat pumpkin pie, thank a pollinator and thank farmers, ranchers and private forestland owners who work hard to create and maintain their habitat.

    Pollinators, such as honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, birds, bats, flies and many others, play a critical role in crop production. Without pollinators, we wouldn’t have many crops.

    During the week of June 22-28, the nation will celebrate these iconic and crucial pollinators during National Pollinator Week. This year’s theme is “Pollinators, Plants, People and Planet.” Thirteen years ago, the U.S. Senate unanimously designated the third week in June as National Pollinator Week to increase awareness about the importance of pollinators and the challenges many of them face, including serious population declines and habitat losses, often due to land use changes and excessive or improper pesticide use. Nearly 200 species of pollinators are considered threatened or extinct.

    Pollination occurs when pollen grains are moved between two flowers of the same species, or within a single flower by wind or insects and animals. Successful pollination results in healthy fruit and fertile seeds, allowing the plants to reproduce.

    The extensive and critical world of crop pollinators is a $20 billion a year industry. About 75 percent of crop plants are pollinated by billions of animals and insects every year

    Many federal, state and local government agencies, non-government organizations and universities have launched extensive efforts to protect pollinators, especially honeybees and the Monarch butterfly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works closely with farmers, forest landowners and other private landowners to increase pollinator habitat in targeted areas nationwide.

    The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), offers financial incentives to agricultural producers and private forest landowners who enhance pollinator habitat by voluntarily implementing conservation practices such as cover crops, wildflower and native plantings in buffers and areas not in production.

    Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) also can be used to enhance habitat to protect pollinators. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), CRP is a land conservation program in which enrolled landowners remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.

    As owners and stewards of the land, many farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners manage their natural resources to work to achieve their production goals, they are protecting the rich and diverse ecology on or near their operations.

    When we protect pollinators, we protect our ability to grow food. We thank our farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners for who offer a safe haven for pollinators and grow the products we enjoy.

    Whether you are a large commodity producer, a small and diverse organic producer or even a suburban homeowner, you can have an important role in saving pollinators in Colorado.

    Do your part to help protect pollinators. By taking action to diversify and beautify your operation or property, you could ensure that many fruits and vegetables are available and plentiful for future generations for many years to come.

    For more information about pollinators and what you can do in Colorado, please contact your local USDA service center.

     

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    photo credit: MGN Online

     

  • New Data Shows Significant COVID-19 Impact on Bison Marketplace Comments Filed with USDA Show Losses Ample to Qualify for CFAP Relief

    New Data Shows Significant COVID-19 Impact on Bison Marketplace Comments Filed with USDA Show Losses Ample to Qualify for CFAP Relief

    National Bison Association News & Information

    WESTMINSTER, CO (June 22, 2020) — The economic disruption impacting nearly all sectors of the U.S. bison business far exceeds the threshold required to qualify bison producers for assistance being offered to agriculture through USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), according to formal comments that the National Bison Association filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today.

    Bison were among the agricultural products excluded from USDA’s first round of CFAP relief in May. At the time, the agency said that insufficient market information existed to demonstrate that bison producers had suffered at least a five percent drop in price and income from the period between mid-January and mid-April.

    However, producers excluded from the first round of assistance have until today to submit information documenting losses exceeding five percent. USDA will use that information to determine which agricultural commodities will be eligible for an additional $637 million in assistance.

    Based on information compiled from a series of surveys conducted by the bison association over the past month, prices for live bison weighing between 400 – 800 lbs. dropped 37 percent for bulls and 25 percent for heifers in the period between mid-January and mid-April. Producers responding to one on-line survey indicated that feeding costs have increased by 12 percent per animal per day during that same period.

    In a separate survey, farm-direct marketers form 24 states echoed the impact cited by the ranchers selling into larger commercial markets. The farm-direct marketers reporting live animal sales as at least 10 percent of their business reported that prices have dropped significantly. Thirty eight percent reported declines between 20-49 percent, while 24 percent of the respondents reported price drops exceeding 50 percent.

    The bottleneck in processing capacity is creating significant economic havoc for farm-direct marketers. Even though the survey did not ask about difficulties in getting animals scheduled for processing, nearly one-third of the respondents cited that as a critical factor harming their business.

    Farm-direct marketers selling to restaurants and other foodservice outlets reported a sharp drop in sales, with half reporting sales declines exceeding 50 percent. And, 63 percent of the producers participating in farmers’ markets said that they anticipate 2020 sales to be down by more than 20 percent.

    The association noted that the criteria established by USDA for determining eligibility for assistance was challenging because most economic activity in the bison business occurs outside the January-April time frame each year. While the producer surveys did provide information documenting a strong impact, “That information also serves as a type of canary in the coal mine, exposing the explosive impacts felt beyond mid-April,” the association’s comments note.

     

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