This is one of five black-footed ferrets released at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area in Larimer County on Nov. 19, 2021. The black-footed ferret is the only ferret species native to North America and was twice thought to be extinct due to habitat loss, widespread poisoning of prairie dog colonies and disease. The new Species Conservation Dashboard will make it easier to track progress being made to protect more than 350 species like the black-footed ferret in Colorado.
DENVER – During his presentation on planning and implementation for Colorado’s Species of Concern at the July Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting, CPW Species Conservation Unit Supervisor David Klute presented the Species Conservation Dashboard, a new tool that will show progress being made to protect more than 350 species in Colorado through the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).
Colorado’s SWAP documents the status of knowledge about many wildlife species of conservation need, the threats to the species and habitats upon which they depend, and articulates strategies that can be employed to lessen those threats.
Tracking all of the efforts toward protecting sensitive species creates a lot of data. Prior to CPW’s Conservation Dashboard, the only way for the public to view information about the plan was to read through a PDF. The new dashboard is a way to explore the progress being made on more than 350 species and 2,500 conservation actions being taken through four different lenses. Visitors to the dashboard can filter data by:
- Individual species
- Groups of species
- Action
- Threat
Klute’s presentation included a walk-through of the dashboard and identified agency successes (e.g., black-footed ferrets, Gunnison Sage-grouse), and places where more work was needed (e.g., reptiles). You can view his presentation by going to 2:36 on Day 2 of the Commission meeting posted here.
Klute said future iterations of the dashboard would include improvements like spatial information and additional progress and project information from both CPW and conservation partners. The dashboard will be integrated into the 2025 revision of the SWAP.
Visit CPW’s website to learn more about the State Wildlife Action Plan.