LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Colorado’s economy, elk population, conservation funding, hunting industry and resident taxpayer dollars are in the crosshairs. An environmental extremist-driven ballot initiative aims to force an introduction of wolves onto the Colorado landscape even though Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed a natural migrating, active pack in the northwest part of the state.
“Ballot box biology is reckless. In this particular case, it totally undermines the authority of Colorado’s wildlife professionals who have said time and time again over several decades that a forced wolf introduction is a bad idea,” said Kyle Weaver, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO. “As an organization, RMEF pledges to do all in our power to educate voters about the significant, real-life, detrimental impacts of such an effort.”
RMEF first warned about the initiative proposal three years ago. Since then, environmental extremists have raised more than $1 million, the lion’s share of it from out-of-state donors, to gather and deliver 215,000 (of nearly six million residents) petition signatures to the Colorado secretary of state. Staffers later deemed 76,037 or 35.3 percent of projected signatures as invalid but approved the measure for the 2020 ballot by a projected margin of 1.8 percent.
Colorado is home to the largest elk herd in North America, yet researchers in the southwest part of the state are trying to figure out why elk recruitment is ailing.
RMEF has a long history in Colorado. Since 1987, RMEF and its partners completed 782 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects with a combined value of more than $177.7 million. These projects protected or enhanced 468,068 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 122,107 acres. There are also more than 17,000 RMEF members and 28 chapters in the state.
“Proponents are offering zero funding for wolf management, livestock or pet depredation, deterrent measures, research or other costs. Yet they expect Colorado taxpayers and hunters to foot a bill that will be millions upon millions of dollars. As outdoorsmen and women who care about wildlife and our wild landscapes, we must unite and fight against this measure,” added Weaver.
Founded more than 35 years ago, fueled by hunters and a membership of nearly 235,000 strong, RMEF has conserved more than 7.9 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.
MOFFAT COUNTY – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials are confirming they have additional evidence that a group of wolves is now residing in northwest Colorado.
On Jan. 19, CPW wildlife officers investigated the discovery of an animal carcass surrounded by large wolf-like tracks in the northwest corner of Moffat County. While conducting their investigation in the field, wildlife officers were surprised when they heard distinct howls within the area.
“This is a historic sighting. While lone wolves have visited our state periodically including last fall, this is very likely the first pack to call our state home since the 1930s. I am honored to welcome our canine friends back to Colorado after their long absence,” said Governor Jared Polis. “It’s important that Coloradans understand that the gray wolf is under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. While the animals have naturally migrated to our state and their presence draws public interest, it’s important that people give them space. Due to their Protected status, there are severe federal penalties for anyone that intentionally harms or kills wolves in our state.”
“Right after our two officers heard the howls from the wolves, they used binoculars to observe approximately six wolves about two miles from the location of the carcass,” said JT Romatzke, Northwest Region Manager for CPW. “After watching them for about 20 minutes, the officers rode in to get a closer look. The wolves were gone but they found plenty of large tracks in the area.”
A trail of wolf tracks observed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers in Northwest Colorado on January 19, 2020
According to the officers, the tracks measured approximately 4.5 to 5.5 inches and appear to have been made by at least six animals.
“As we have made clear, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will not take direct action in these cases,” said Dan Prenzlow, Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “We have the leading experts on wildlife management and species recovery working for our agency, but while wolves remain federally protected, they are under the jurisdiction of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We will continue to work with our federal partners and monitor the situation.”
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, killing a wolf can result in federal charges, including a $100,000 fine and a year in prison, per offense. The public is urged to contact CPW immediately and fill out a report if they see or hear wolves or find evidence of any wolf activity in Colorado. The Wolf Sighting Form can be found on the CPW website.
‘Taking my gun for a walk’ plus learning to butcher and prepare deer like a gourmet
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Ten months of classroom study, days of target practice at the shooting range and hours of immersing myself in the ethics and strategies of hunting all built to a climax on the weekend after Christmas: my first big game hunt.
The anticipation was almost overwhelming as, on Dec. 28, my daughter, Natalie, and I embarked on our first big game hunt as members of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Rookie Sportsperson Program (RSP).
The RSP is a free program offered by CPW’s Southeast Region headquartered in Colorado Springs. It takes novice outdoors enthusiasts like Natalie and me and teaches them outdoor skills. Hopefully, attendees are inspired to get outside and sample all the adventures available in Colorado’s great outdoors.
We are learning about hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and much more. We became certified in the safe handling of firearms through a Hunter Education course and have been out on a couple small-game hunts with our mentor, District Wildlife Manager Logan Wilkins.
Along the way, Natalie and I began to understand why people hunt. We learned how hunting provides perhaps the most organic, natural protein one can find. And we learned how CPW uses hunting to protect big game animals from starvation and disease that result when herds grow too large, leaving no food for them on over-grazed habitat.
Way back on March 30, in anticipation of my hunt, Wilkins helped me decide which hunting license to buy so I could join him on a mentored pronghorn hunt near his district in Limon. Ever since, I’ve had the license in my wallet, just waiting to use it.
Every once in a while, I would take it out and read it: “Resident Pronghorn License. Doe Late Rifle. For Units 110, 111, 118, 119, 123, 124. Season Dates: 12/01/19 – 12/31/19.”
On the big day, Natalie and I met Wilkins at 6:30 a.m. in Limon. It was a cold Saturday morning, but I was burning with the Big Game Fever. Wilkins had gotten permission from a landowner in the area to let a couple novice hunters come try their luck at pronghorn hunting.
As we stepped out of the truck, the wind blew bitter cold in our faces and would continue to blow throughout the day. I was proud of my daughter: she never complained.
My first good chance to get a pronghorn came early in the day. We found a position in a field around 150 yards away from a group of pronghorn and sat down to keep from drawing attention to ourselves.
I positioned my lefty Savage Rifle, loaded with .243 Winchester ammunition, on a set of shooting sticks and tried to aim as the wind whipped us. Out in the field were two does and one antlerless buck, “all legal” with my license, Wilkins told me.
I took a deep breath and found them in my scope. But I couldn’t get the crosshairs to hold still long enough to feel comfortable taking a shot. We had practiced on targets at 100 yards and these pronghorn, at 150 yards, were just out of my range.
As I struggled to calm my sights, I sat back on my butt and we adjusted the shooting sticks. But I still couldn’t get the scope to remain still long enough to feel comfortable taking a shot. We decided to get up to try to get cover behind a nearby hay bale.
“We’ll see what they’ll tolerate,” Wilkins said.
Turns out they didn’t tolerate much from us. As soon as we got up and began walking, the three pronghorn took off, moving so quickly out of range that their speed seemed almost supernatural.
“They say they evolved alongside big cheetah-like cats,” Wilkins said. “Myself, I like to say God was just showing off.”
He told me pronghorn will stand facing into the wind so that the scent of predators is blowing toward them. And I read online later that windy days on the plains can dry a pronghorn’s eyes, impairing their sight and making them skittish.
They certainly were jumpy the day we were hunting them. We spent the rest of the morning trying to spot and stalk them. Many times we saw a herd and crossed freezing fields hoping to sneak up only to pop up over a small hill and find the herd had disappeared.
We broke for a late lunch around 1 p.m. Wilkins offered to get a hunting blind – essentially a camouflage tent – that we would sit in until dark. But bad weather was moving in and news of cars sliding off nearby Interstate 70 convinced me to call it a day.
When we got home, I fell asleep sitting on the couch while my girlfriend was talking to me about how our hunt went. The next week, when people asked me how my hunt went, I told them what I’d heard others say: I ended up just taking my gun for a walk.
But the day was much more than just a cold hike with my gun. As with my small-game hunts, I got to experience with my daughter an adventure we will never forget. Sure we didn’t even get off a shot. But we enjoyed the preparation, the anticipation, the quest, the shared experience of trying to feed ourselves the way our ancestors did a century ago.
Like many things, it’s more about the journey than the actual destination.
A week later, I was back in class, learning more about how to cook wild game from professional wild game chef Jason Nauert.
Wearing a black Prosper Meats hoodie and a hat with a Colorado logo and a forearm loaded with tattoos (are you even a chef without them?), Nauert told us about his background.
He attended the Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat after leaving a career in law enforcement due to an ankle injury. In 2014, he began working with Special Forces units to develop a program teaching soldiers how to harvest, field dress and prepare animals in the field. Now, when he’s not traveling around the country teaching these skills at U.S. military bases, Nauert imparts his knowledge at classes like this one.
Nauert showed us how to process a deer, demonstrating different cuts and explaining his techniques as he went.
It was incredibly helpful to see how a professional breaks down an animal into its different cuts of meat. He had great tips for cutting and preparing every part of the animal, such as the deer’s legs or “shanks.”
“With shank meat, a lot of people waste their time cutting all that connective tissue, the silver skin, apart,” Nauert said. “Don’t waste your time. If you braise these in tomato sauce, or something with acidity, they’re fantastic. And you’re not wasting your time trying to cut all that silver skin off. You can tie butcher’s twine around a shank, then let it braise for six to eight hours. The meat falls off, you’ve got a beautiful dish.”
Nauert also dispelled the myth that some cuts of meat have to be tough.
“Some of the biggest reasons people end up with tough cuts of meat are, one, they cook it too long,” he said. “Two, they don’t use the right marinade if they’re trying to marinate it. And three, they cut it wrong.“
Another trick is cutting across the grain of the meat.
“If you cut with the grain, you’re screwed,” he warned. “If you cut against the grain, it’s going to be beautiful. Try not to cut super thick cuts either. It’s wild game. It’s not a cow. You can’t get away with three-inch pork chops or something like that. You want it thin.”
Nauert had prepared a few dishes ahead of time to show the class what the results of cutting and cooking wild game could be. The delicious smell of venison carne asada and venison chili wafted around us and we all dug in to the delicious dishes.
At the end, Nauert wrapped up the different cuts of meat from the deer and everyone was able to take home a cut of their choosing. My girlfriend, Jamey, and I chose a roast.
For dinner the next evening, we took chopped carrots, potatoes and onions and put them in a slow cooker with salt, pepper and garlic. Then we added broth and water to the pot and cooked it on high for about eight hours. The result was a delicious dinner for our family for the next two evenings.
For our final month of RSP, we’ll be participating in an ice fishing class and then have a final banquet consisting of wild game prepared by participants in the program. You’ll be able to read all about it in the next installment of Field Notes of a Rookie Sportsperson.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Logan Wilkins, district wildlife manager in Limon area, scans for pronghorn as Travis Duncan aims his rifle.
Professional wild game chef Jason Nauert teaches members of CPW’s Rookie Sportsperson Program how to properly butcher and prepare wild game.
Deer steaks cook in a class to teach members of CPW’s Rookie Sportsperson Program how to properly prepare wild game.
Colorado State University and Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop nutrients, inputs and services, have entered into a strategic partnership with a primary goal: feeding the world in the most sustainable, inclusive and innovative way.
Nutrien is providing CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences $1 million each year over the next 10 years. This $10 million gift will fund state-of-the-art research and teaching initiatives on campus and provide scholarship support to students, elevating CSU into a position of leadership in developing a diverse, highly skilled agricultural workforce and boosting Nutrien’s ability to deliver industry-leading products.
“We are grateful for this incredible support from Nutrien,” CSU President Joyce McConnell said. “Both Nutrien and CSU share a vision of using high-tech agriculture to help sustainably feed the world. We face immense challenges to accomplish this task, and it is through improved research capabilities and training more students to bring their innovative ideas forward that CSU will make a bigger impact on the future.”
Nutrien, a global company with offices not far from campus in Loveland, Colorado, has been providing crop inputs and expert agronomic services for more than 50 years. The company has operations and investments in 14 countries and 20,000 employees, including more than 600 CSU alumni.
Mike Frank, Executive Vice President and CEO of Retail at Nutrien, said studying strategic plans put together by CSU and the College of Agricultural Sciences that look 10 years into the future inspired his company to seek a partnership with the University. He said CSU’s commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion, global research, and high-tech agriculture perfectly fit with Nutrien’s vision.
“We’re extremely excited about our partnership with CSU – the University itself and in particular the College of Agricultural Sciences,” Frank said. “When we talk to CSU and the folks in the ag school about their strategic vision, it really aligns with what we’re doing.
“We have an incredible responsibility and opportunity in agriculture to feed a growing population around the world. The American farmers have embraced that, and the programs and research at CSU and the tools and knowledge that CSU imparts to its students really fits with where agriculture is going.”
Numerous impacts
Nutrien’s gift – the largest in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ history – will impact the college in numerous areas:
Scholarships for students in the college, focusing on education and success of women and students from diverse backgrounds.
Program enhancements to help students become career-ready in the field of agriculture, and ensuring they persist in their studies through graduation and placement in the industry.
Funding to attract top talent in the application of technology to agricultural problems including food safety, security and sustainability.
Sponsorship of high-impact engagement and educational events at the nexus of technology, innovation and agriculture, such as CSU’s AgInnovation Summit.
Sponsorship of the Nutrien Ag Day BBQ each fall, held annually to coincide with a home football game.
In recognition of this transformational gift, the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Shepardson Building will be renamed the Nutrien Agricultural Sciences Building. This building is undergoing a radical remodel of its 1938 structure and a 41,000-square-foot expansion with funds from the State of Colorado and CSU. The Nutrien Agricultural Sciences Building will house the impactful programs and people supported by the Nutrien gift, and the building will become a home for Colorado agriculture, student aspirations and agricultural innovation for a global impact.
A rendering of the proposed Nutrien Agricultural Sciences Building
“We have a long-term vision in mind and a partner (Nutrien) who wants to be part of that, which is tremendously exciting,” said James Pritchett, interim dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. “I’m especially excited for our students. Nutrien’s gift is transformational for attracting, retaining and placing talent in agriculture. Students respond with enthusiasm and boundless energy when we show our confidence in their future, and that is exactly what this gift does. Our students will be working in state-of-the-art facilities, and that means we will be teaching and they will be learning better. We invite all to come to the table and be partners in this future vision.”
The college has more than 120 faculty and more than 2,200 undergraduate student majors and minors – 65 percent of them female – plus 298 graduate students. Nearly 30% of agricultural sciences students are the first in their family to attend college.
About Nutrien
Nutrien is the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, playing a critical role in helping growers increase food production in a sustainable manner. Nutrien produces and distributes 27 million tons of potash, nitrogen and phosphate products worldwide. With this capability and the leading agriculture retail network, Nutrien is well positioned to supply the needs of its customers. Nutrien operates with a long-term view and is committed to working with stakeholders to address economic, environmental and social priorities. The scale and diversity of Nutrien’s integrated portfolio provides a stable earnings base, multiple avenues for growth and the opportunity to return capital to shareholders.
About State Your Purpose
The Campaign for Colorado State University: The University’s first $1 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign has attracted transformative philanthropic support for people, programs and places at CSU. The campaign surpassed its original goal 21 months ahead of schedule and continues through June 2020, coinciding with the conclusion of a yearlong celebration of CSU’s 150th anniversary. Read more about the campaign’s impact at giving.colostate.edu.
DENVER, Colo.—The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) has joined Coloradans Protecting Wildlife (CPW), a coalition formed to fight a ballot measure that will be decided in the November 2020 general election. The measure would force the introduction of wolves along Colorado’s Western Slope.
“This initiative is a reckless and dangerous approach that circumvents Colorado’s wildlife management authorities at Colorado Parks and Wildlife who have affirmed multiple times over the years that we should listen to the science and not force wolves into Colorado,” says Blake Henning, Chief Conservation Officer at RMEF. “Outdoor enthusiasts, sportsmen, farmers and ranchers, and many residents will be negatively impacted if this proposal is successful. Not to mention the millions of taxpayer dollars it will cost to implement.”
The 2020 initiative would ignore long-standing scientific processes, research, and expert guidance by forcing the introduction of wolves into Colorado without any analysis of the potential negative impacts on Colorado’s environment, ecosystems, or its citizens.
“Anyone who appreciates Colorado’s quality of life and natural beauty should be concerned by this proposal,” warns Henning. “Colorado is nationally and internationally renowned for its successful wildlife management. Introducing a new apex predator like the wolf will dramatically impact the state’s ungulate populations. Fifty-four of the state’s 64 elk and deer units that are under objective are in western or southwestern Colorado.”
As responsible stewards of the land, various stakeholders have previously worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to develop a “free-ranging” wolf plan, including necessary management strategies to ensure gray wolves that enter Colorado from other states are protected yet do not endanger animals or people that they may come in contact with. This plan is working as evidenced by the recent confirmation of a wolf pack living in northwest Colorado that migrated here without human intervention.
By supporting CPW, RMEF joins a growing, robust coalition of stakeholders educating voters about the pitfalls of introducing wolves to Colorado’s landscapes. Trade organizations opposed to the initiative include the Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Cattleman’s Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Outdoor Channel, Colorado Mule Deer Society, Hunter Nation, Big Game Forever, Colorado Traditional Archers Society, Colorado Bowhunters Association, Four Corners Chapter of SCI, Colorado Outfitters Association, Bull Basin Guides and Outfitters, Code of the West Outfitters, Hunt 360, Colorado Independent Cattle Growers, Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association, La Plata-Archuleta Cattleman’s Association, Gunnison, Eagle, Garfield, and La Plata Colorado Farm Bureau boards, as well as Alamosa, Archuleta, Cheyenne, Crowley, Douglas, Fremont, Garfield, Hinsdale, Jackson, Kit Carson, Las Animas, Lincoln, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, and Weld counties.
Together, these groups are urging voters to vote no on forced wolf introduction and leave species management up to wildlife biologists and the relevant state and federal agencies.
For additional information about Coloradans Protecting Wildlife, please visit: www.RethinkWolves.com.
(Burlington, Colo.) Producers know their costs of producing crops and livestock continue to be high while market prices are going down. As profits decrease or there are losses, producers may have difficulty securing operating loans or have to take money from the savings they accumulated over the past few years of good prices. What are they to do?
Colorado State University Extension will host an Agriculture Outlook and Strategy Forum in Burlington on January 22nd. Producers participating in the forum will learn about the outlook for commodity prices, production costs for each area, and various strategies for being profitable when prices are low.
Dr. Brent Young, CSU Agricultural and Business Management Economist will present current outlook information for commodities common to northeastern Colorado as well as the costs and returns for various commodities. He will also explore strategies, including developing marketing plans and utilizing crop insurance.
The program is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22nd at the Community Center at 340 S. 14th Street and will be held from 9 am to noon. Lunch will be provided.
Registration is required and the fee is $15. To register online go to https://2020agoutlook.eventbrite.com . Space is limited and the registration deadline is Friday, January 17th.
For more information about the forum, please contact Brent Young at 970-522-7207 or by email at .
Mandan, ND – Sunflower producers looking for some expert advice on the crop should plan to attend the National Sunflower Association’s annual Research Forum this week. The forum will be held January 8-9, 2020 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo, ND. The forum is an annual event designed to learn about research, promote discussion, and stimulate creative thinking.
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, Kansas State University, University of Nebraska and Texas A&M University will present their findings on sunflower studies they have conducted. Topics will cover everything from diseases, insects, irrigation, blackbirds, and more.
David Lyall will be the noon speaker at this year’s forum. Lyall is CEO and Co-Founder of Bee Innovative, an Australian AgTech company, and is the inventor of “BeeDar.’ Bee Innovative has developed a unique, drone-based technology for precision pollination that promises to increase yields and improve accuracy and efficacy of crop pollination season to season but also has a vital role to play in protecting and improving the health of our honey bee populations. Lyall will talk about putting the power of pollination back in your hands and protecting our bee populations into the future.
Registration information and the agenda for the meeting can be found on the NSA website: www.sunflowernsa.com/events.
For more information, contact John Sandbakken or Jody Kerzman.
DENVER, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is coordinating the Youth Fair at the International Sportsmen’s Expo, where more than 500 companies pack three giant halls with fishing and hunting products, expert presentations, a variety of informational booths, and a new “Campfire Theater” that will offer tips and tricks for Colorado’s outdoors in a casual setting. The International Sportsmen’s Expo runs from January 9 – 12, 2020 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
The Youth Fair will offer free activities geared toward young sportsmen and women, including live raptor demonstrations, a catch-and-release fishing pond (with free flies for kids who fish), and mini off-road racetrack. Don’t forget, youth under 16 enter the Expo for free!
“We are excited to sponsor the Youth Fair at the International Sportsmen’s Expo . We think families will particularly enjoy our Leave No Trace Challenge Trail and kids fishing tank,” said CPW Interpretation and Wildlife Viewing Coordinator Mary McCormac. “Our goal is to provide activities that are not only fun and engaging, but also promote responsible and ethical outdoor behaviors.”
Look for CPW signs near the food court located in the northwest corner of the exhibit floor. Some of CPW’s featured exhibits at the Youth Fair include:
CPW Kids’ Leave No Trace Challenge Trail – Bring the kids! Join us for an indoor nature trail that teaches conservation and Leave No Trace principles. Take a “selfie ” in front of our beautiful state park backdrop, sponsored by the Friends of Colorado State Parks.
New this year! Test your Leave No Trace knowledge on the Challenge Trail using your smartphone with the free Agents of Discovery app. Download the app before you or staff and volunteers will be on-site to help you.
Kids fishing tank – Catch and release real fish. All rods, tackle and bait will be provided by CPW’s angler outreach program.
Boating Safety – Color and make your own t-shirt that promotes the importance of wearing life vests when boating throughout Colorado. Also, be on the lookout for our Boating Safety Program mascot, Talon the red-tailed hawk, while exploring the show.
Invasive species – Try your hand at the “Whac-A-Mussel” game and learn about invasive species in Colorado.
Hatcheries – Check out our brand-new hatchery trailer and learn how and why we stock fish in waters across the state. Test your skills and tie your own fly to take home.
CPW sales booth – Purchase CPW merchandise, Colorado Outdoors subscriptions and more.
Hunter Education – Want to pass on your hunting heritage? Learn what it takes to become a hunter education instructor.
CPW information center – Ask questions, learn about our 41 amazing state parks and see if the new transferable state parks pass is a fit for your household. Officers and staff will be on-hand to answer questions.
CPW partner booths – Learn more about trail etiquette with Stay the Trail’s mini remote control truck course and other topics with Colorado Wildlife Federation, Outdoor Buddies, and the Raptor Education Foundation, which will have live birds as part of their educational booth.
The International Meteor Organization (IMO) is projecting that the Quadrantid meteor shower will peak around 1 a.m. Saturday. AccuWeather predicts that most of Colorado, including the eastern plains, will have good viewing conditions for the shower. And Jackson Lake State Park offers up the dark skies to showcase it all.
By Amy Brandenburg, Park Ranger at Jackson Lake State Park
ORCHARD, Colo. – Ralph Waldo Emerson probably said it best, “The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us.”
Venturing from Denver and the metro area, the sky is clouded with an orange haze and inorganic glow. However, once on the eastern plains of Colorado, a traveler can pull the car over on a country road, get out, look up and be astounded at the beautiful sights that encompass the sky above him. This is one of the very unique things about living outside of the city, which most people forget about, because their eyes are looking down at their phones.
Morgan County has exceptionally dark skies once you journey away from our still quiet towns onto a county road. We should consider ourselves lucky to still be one of the few places our children can look up and see the big dipper, or even the Milky Way on a clear night.
Jackson Lake State Park is taking these dark skies one step further. The park was awarded two separate grants – $3,500 from the Colorado Parks Foundation and $20,000 from the Director’s Innovation Grant – to fund a “Dark Skies Initiative.”
This project consists of eliminating and changing out lights inside and outside all buildings on the park to be “dark skies friendly.” This means that lights are fully shielded, point straight down and have a color temperature less than 3000 kelvins. Bathroom buildings will also have sensors inside, so that lights are not staying on all evening.
Aside from causing less light pollution for night sky viewing, research has shown that this specific type of lighting is less harmful to wildlife that migrate in the night. Some birds even rely on stars for their migration path. Studies have also found that increased lighting has little to no effect on decreasing crime rates. Additionally, having dark areas is also known to help people reset their circadian rhythm, which is the biological clock that relies on the daily cycles of lightness and darkness; more on these topics to follow in upcoming articles.
Jackson Lake is not alone in this lighting feat; they are also working with Morgan County Rural Electric Association to remove the large light poles at the park to increase opportunities to see those beautiful stars above.
Since the lighting will be so minimal at Jackson Lake State Park, it will become an even more significant place to visit during unique celestial and lunar events. One of Jackson Lake’s frequent amateur astronomers stated, “I drive out twice a month to get away from the city’s light dome, so I can enjoy the night sky in such a way that is impossible to do in Denver. You can actually see the Milky Way.”
Photo by Nora Logue
The grants also affords the park the opportunity to acquire a new telescope to use while hosting educational and interpretive programs for the public. Guests can expect several experts in the field to share their knowledge, as well, at certain times of the year.
Furthermore, in the evenings, rangers will be educating campers to “light their site, not the night.” Many new RVs and motor homes have large amounts of exterior lights, which are generally unnecessary, use excess energy and can cause neighboring campers to have a limited view of the night sky.
By making these changes, Jackson Lake State Park is hoping to gain the accreditation of an “International Dark Skies Place” from the IDA (International Dark Skies Association). If the title is granted, Jackson Lake State Park will be the only state park in Colorado, and the only accredited place in Colorado east of I-25 to be certified.
It is a very exciting endeavor for Jackson Lake State Park, an endeavor they hope will create a new unique reason to visit Morgan County.
DOVE CREEK, Colo. – Good habitat is the key for maintaining wildlife populations. So Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working in western Colorado to restore abandoned farmland and other areas back to a natural condition.
On a freezing November morning on the western edge of Colorado, Ryan Lane, a CPW wildlife technician, drove an open tractor back and forth across a 400-acre expanse of the Coalbed Canyon State Wildlife Area. The tractor pulled a specialized planter, known as a no-till drill that pushed seeds from 30 different native plants into the dry soil. Late fall is a good time for planting these types of seeds ‒ with snow and rain usually reliable at this time of year getting the seed down ahead of moisture is ideal.
Since 2014, CPW has been working aggressively in several areas throughout western Colorado to plant native seeds on: old farmland, state wildlife areas, state trust lands and areas burned in fires. Since 2015, the agency has planted on about 7,500 acres for restoration and on another 10,000 acres of areas burned in forest fires, explained Trevor Balzer, CPW’s sagebrush and mountain-shrub habitat coordinator.
One of those areas is the 2,800-acre Coalbed Canyon State Wildlife Area in southwest Colorado. In the areas level enough to plant, the parcel produced beans and wheat for decades. To accommodate agricultural crops, however, the land was stripped of sagebrush and other native plants that supported multiple species of wildlife, including the Gunnison Sage-grouse, mule deer, elk, multiple species of birds and small mammals.
Before CPW’s ownership, the fields were abandoned and planted with a fast-growing non-native grass that does not provide much value to wildlife. So in 2016, CPW started the long restoration process. The area was treated to kill the non-native grass and the planting process started. Planting in areas like Coalbed Canyon, however, can be frustrating because of dry weather conditions.
Seeds planted in the fall of 2015 and 2016 received adequate moisture, sprouted and became established. But extremely dry and hot weather followed the fall planting of 2017 and seeds did not do well in 2018. Consequently, those areas are being seeded again.
Wet conditions last spring were favorable for getting seeds to take hold, Balzer said.
CPW plants native seeds using the “no-till” method. The land is not plowed so the roots of the native existing grasses hold soil in place. New seeds are planted among the remaining vegetation.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife technician Ryan Lane holds a mixture of 30 different native seeds used to replant former farm land to benefit wildlife.
A key to reclamation efforts is CPW’s native seed warehouse in Delta that was completed in 2012. CPW and other agencies collect seeds of native plants, mostly on the Uncompahgre Plateau west of Montrose, and ship them to commercial growers in the northwest U.S. Those businesses specialize in native plant propagation and then harvest thousands of pounds of seed in amounts that cannot be collected in the wild. The seed is shipped to CPW’s climate-controlled warehouse where it is stored and distributed as needed.
“With large amounts of seed available we can take on large-scale seeding projects,” said Jim Garner, manager of the warehouse. “The warehouse allows us to provide locally adapted plant varieties to Western Slope land managers who are conducting habitat improvement projects.”
A mixture of seed from the warehouse was dropped by airplane last spring over more than 5,000 acres of the Bull Draw fire area near Nucla. That fire burned during the summer of 2018. An inspection of the area in the fall showed that native plants have started to grow.
Balzer explained that the availability of seeds of native forbs – broad-leafed flowering plants – and shrubs are especially important for reclamation efforts.
“Those weren’t readily available on the market before we had the warehouse,” he said. “They’re critical because they provide diverse food sources for all wildlife in the area. When these plants flower they attract a wide variety of insects which help to spread the plants over large areas of the landscape and restore broader habitat function.”
The planting on the 400-acre plot at Coalbed Canyon has been difficult because of wet and cold weather that hit in mid-November. That planting should be completed early in 2020 and plans are already in place to plant a 200-acre parcel next year.
Across the Western Slope, Balzer wants to stay the course of reclaiming about 1,500 acres per year. Even though that’s a small amount of acreage in a vast landscape, biologists know that their work will impact areas far beyond the individual plots.
“Getting native plants established in these areas is not easy,” Balzer said. “The process is slow and native
shrubs take many years to mature. But revisiting a successfully restored site is extremely rewarding.”
