Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has issued emergency rules extending certain filing deadlines for charities to August 15, 2020. These rules will address the filing deadlines for charity registration renewals and solicitation campaign financial reports. They will not affect the filing deadline for new solicitation notices, which must be filed at least 15 days prior to the commencement of a solicitation campaign.
“Like the IRS, we are extending some filing deadlines for charities,” said Secretary Griswold. “This will enable charities to focus on providing vital services to Coloradans during this time of need.”
Last year, Coloradans donated over $4.6 billion to 7,321 Colorado-based charities. With the extension, charities are required to file their financial statements, Form 990s, and state financial forms to the Secretary of State’s by August 15, 2020. These extensions were granted in light of the IRS extension of certain filing deadlines, which also impacts charities and their ability to prepare documents needed for filings with the Secretary of State.
For the Notice of Temporary Adoption for the Colorado Charities Program Rules (8 CCR 1505-9), please click here. The notice includes the adopted rules, a statement of basis, and statement of justification. For an unofficial copy of the charity rules as adopted and effective on April 3, please click here.
A member of the Colorado Unified Command Group (UCG) working at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member went through daily medical screenings and was asymptomatic until April 4 when symptoms started. The staff member then contacted executive leadership and self-isolated pending testing arrangements. Test results are positive.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is conducting a full epidemiological investigation to evaluate the level of exposure in the SEOC. Staff members at the facility were notified tonight.All staff were asked to:
Evaluate whether or not they worked in the same area of the facility in the last 48 hours following public health guidance for possible exposures.
Inform supervisors if they had contact or worked near the person before transitioning to remote work following CDPHE guidelines to self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms twice daily (including measuring your temperature) for 14 days.
If staff were not in close contact with the member they will monitor symptoms daily for the next 14 days.Asymptomatic staff will report to work as previously assigned.Symptomatic staff will stay home and inform supervisors at the SEOC .
For the protection of all staff members the SEOC has a decontamination service clean the facility each evening. The decontamination has been in place for the last two weeks.This will continue.
Monday the SEOC will conduct twice daily medical screening, once in the morning and again mid-day. Daily health screenings were implemented at the beginning of March.
And, consistent with the Governor’s recommendations announced on Friday, UCG is embracing a culture of masking and supports the Colorado Mask Project. Staff are asked to wear a non-medical fabric cover over their mouth and nose when away from home.
The state today released additional COVID-19 modeling data to the public. Governor Jared Polis first provided an in-depth analysis of the data during a press conference on March 27. The state will continue to review data as it evolves to inform future policy decisions.
The modeling data was produced by an expert team that the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) assembled to assist the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in understanding the potential course of the pandemic in Colorado.
Drawing on expertise from the ColoradoSPH and the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, and the University of Colorado in Denver and Boulder, a team of volunteer experts modeled the pandemic using approaches tailored to Colorado, updating the modeling as the disease continues to spread in the state.
The team uses a fundamental approach: the SEIR model. The basics of the models are intuitive: prior to infection, individuals are susceptible (S) and once exposed (E) and infected (I) they are contagious, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic; those infected may recover and become resistant (R) or become sufficiently ill to need hospitalization and possibly critical care and to die. This standard model is thus abbreviated as the SEIR model.
Another important number in the model is the reproductive number (R0), that is, the average number of new cases generated per infected person at the beginning of the outbreak. (The Governor has referred to this number as the “R naught.”) If that number exceeds one then the infection will spread. Various figures for R0 have been reported at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic from different parts of the world, ranging from about 2 to 5. The reproductive number depends, in part, on the frequency of contacts between infected and uninfected individuals. The goal of social distancing, which we are all experiencing now, is to reduce these contacts and lower the reproductive number with a target value below one so that contagion ends. A critical question is: How much social distancing is needed to control the epidemic, and how long does it need to be in place?
The tables below provide two sets of numbers provided to CDPHE and the Governor’s Office. The numbers provided are for critical indicators and show the variation by the value of R0 at the beginning of the outbreak and the effectiveness of social distancing at reducing the contact rate, ranging from none to an 80% reduction. When these numbers were calculated, the team found that the R0 value for Colorado was likely above 3. To capture the uncertainty in R0 and the effectiveness of social distancing, estimates are provided for a range of values.
The Colorado modeling team has continued to refine its models as the data accumulate on the course of the pandemic. There are other models that provide estimates for Colorado, but those models are not as closely linked to the state’s data.
DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s on-line hunting license application site is open around-the-clock and hunters are urged not to wait until the last minute to apply for 2020 big-game licenses. Deadline to apply is April 7 at 8 p.m.
“When a high volume of people hit the site on the last day, that can cause system slowdowns and we want to ensure you have the ability to put in for the license you want,” said Rebecca Ferrell, public information and website manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “There’s no reason to wait until the last minute – get online now, spend some quality time with our videos, harvest data and other resources, and be sure your account is set up correctly.”
To apply for a limited big game license, go to cpwshop.com sign in to your account and then click on the “Go Hunting and Fishing” tab in the menu bar at the top of the page. The system is set up to guide hunters easily through the well-defined steps. Hunters must be sure to have their CID number and a valid credit card before beginning the process.
Hunters should go on line to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website as soon as possible to apply for limited big-game hunting licenses. Deadline to apply is April 7.
Please review the big game section of the CPW site for background information on Colorado’s hunting seasons and how to apply. The web pages include harvest statistics from the 2019 seasons for all big-game species, seasons and units.
You can also call CPW’s hunt planners at 303-297-1192 if you have questions. Please note that call-wait times may be lengthy as our staff is complying with current stay-at-home orders.
Although all CPW offices are closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, staff members are available to answer questions. Phone numbers and contact information are posted at all CPW offices for direct staff assistance.
Hunters are also reminded that they are required to purchase a “qualifying license” before submitting an application. You’ll be prompted to make that purchase as you start the application process.
For first-time hunters who have not completed a hunter education class, an apprentice certificate is available to those who are able to hunt with a mentor. Those who hunted last year with an apprentice license can obtain a second certificate. But previous year’s apprentice certificates will not be renewed automatically; you need to go to cpwshop.com and add a new profile before applying for a limited license.
“Everything you need to apply is at your fingertips,” Ferrell said. “So please get your application in now and get ready for the fall hunting season.”
DENVER – As the final winter frosts begin to thaw, reservoirs are opening to boating and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials are busy ramping up inspection stations for the upcoming season. Boat inspections for aquatic nuisance species (ANS) are mandatory in Colorado and required for motorized or trailered watercraft entering the state and prior to launching on most public waters within the state.
ANS boat inspections and COVID-19
Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, many local and federal waters are postponing opening to boating and ANS inspections at this time. Waters operated by CPW are continuing to open and provide recreation opportunities as weather permits. Boaters are reminded not to travel long distances to go boating or fishing while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect Colorado. Recreate at local reservoirs in compliance with the Stay-At-Home order from Gov. Jared Polis.
• Boaters are reminded to stay at least six feet away from inspection station staff at all times.
Do not congregate in groups larger than 10 individuals and practice good social distancing in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease and Prevention and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Local health orders may further limit group size; please be aware of local requirements.
Boaters should wait until the inspector calls them up to the station.
Boaters should stay in their vehicles, set the parking brake, turn their vehicles off, and remain in the vehicles unless instructed by an inspector to get out and assist with the inspection.
If you have a green seal receipt, please keep your window closed and show it to the inspector through the window glass. CPW reminds everyone to get a green seal and receipt after boating to speed up the next inspection. CPW is diligently working to keep state parks’s waters open for boating so the public can enjoy the health benefits associated with being outside. However, visitors must enjoy parks responsibly during the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s important for everyone to follow the recommendations from CDPHE for easy, everyday actions to protect yourself and those around you.
Up-to-date information about how CPW is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic is available on our website.
As waters open to boating in Colorado, aquatic nuisance species (ANS) boat inspections are underway. Keeping Colorado mussel-free depends on boaters following posted rules, purchasing an ANS stamp and undergoing mandatory inspections prior to launch.
Reminder: Get your ANS stamp
An ANS stamp is required prior to boating in Colorado. The stamp helps CPW fund ANS inspections, monitoring, education, and other activities across the state.
Colorado boat owners who operate motorboats and sailboats on lakes and reservoirs must purchase a $25 ANS stamp annually. The cost of the stamp for out-of-state motorboats and sailboats is $50. Boaters from out of state can purchase online at www.cpwshop.com.
Colorado is one of just a few states in the country that doesn’t have an infestation of adult mussels in any of its waters,” said Elizabeth Brown, invasive species program manager for CPW. “That’s directly attributable to our mandatory inspection and decontamination program that’s been in place for over a decade now.”
There have been 281 watercraft infested with zebra or quagga mussels intercepted in the state since the program’s inception. Last year, inspectors intercepted 86 infested watercraft, a huge increase from 51 in 2018 and 26 in 2017.
“CPW is very confident in the statewide inspection and decontamination system to protect our waters. However, this program relies on the compliance of the boating community,” said Reid DeWalt, Assistant Director for Aquatic, Terrestrial and Natural Resources for CPW. “Boaters need to know the rules and follow them if we are going to be effective at keeping zebra and quagga mussels out of the nation’s headwaters.”
Aquatic nuisance species, such as zebra and quagga mussels, pose a serious threat to natural resources, recreation and the water infrastructure of the state. Mussel infestations cause a variety of major problems. Because mussels consume plankton, they disrupt the food web and out-compete sport fish and native fish. Mussels clog infrastructure, including reservoir dams, outlet structures and distribution systems that carry water for irrigation, municipal and industrial uses. Mussels also infest boats and damage engines.
Mussels have caused billions of dollars in damage, especially in the upper Midwest. Nearby states where mussel infestations exist include Utah, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Invasive mussels could have devastating ecological, economic, and recreational impacts if infestations were to establish here.
“Keeping Colorado’s waters free of invasive species is critical to maintaining efficient water delivery and infrastructure systems, and providing high-quality fishing and boating opportunities for our residents and visitors,” Brown said. “The success of the ANS Program is due to the dedicated inspection and decontamination staff across the state. We are grateful to those individuals that are working on the front lines to provide recreation and protect our waters.”
A complete list of Colorado inspection sites and hours of operation, along with information about the ANS stamp, can be found on CPW’s boating page. Always check with your destination reservoir before going to verify hours of operation.
For more information on preventing harmful aquatic nuisance species in Colorado, visit www.cpw.state.co.us.
