Colorado Parks and Wildlife
WHAT: RMGA MEMBERS MEETING – Colorado Parks and Wildlife
WHEN: February 10, 2020 -- 6:00 pm – Networking, 6:30 pm – Short Meeting, 6:45 pm – Program – Colorado Parks and Wildlife
WHERE: Colorado Parks and Wildlife North Denver Office Complex, Hunter Education Building, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216.
PROGRAM: Tony Gurzick, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Creative Services and Marketing Section Manager. Tony, a biologist, is a frequent presenter at statewide and regional Tourism Conferences.
Also in attendance will be Debbie Lininger, Marketing Director, Creative Services and Marketing, Department of Natural Resources. Debbie is also known to those who have attended the Governor’s Tourism Conference.
RMGA Membership Meeting Review
Membership Meeting – Colorado Parks & Wildlife
February 10, 2020
President Sherry Moon opened the membership meeting – only 12 attended – snowing heavily.
Sherry reminded us that there will be a new Members Only password coming soon.
Also a reminder of the February 21, 2020 Civic Center Tour for the legislators. Sherry plans a walk thru on Wednesday, February 19th – weather permitting, if not then on Thursday.
There will be FAMs of East and West Clear Creek County – East in March, West in May. Forms are on the website.
March’s program is not yet confirmed.
Before we started the program several of us had the opportunity to visit the shooting range – all hunters must take a gun safety course before being able to purchase a hunting license. 4-H clubs, scouts, etc. can also use the range to learn about gun safety.
Tom Jensen then introduced Debbie Lininger, Marketing Specialist, with Colorado parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Tony Gurzick, Creative Services and Marketing Section Manager with CPW. Tony is also a biologist.
The CPW is funded primarily by state parks passes and hunting and fishing licenses. CPW doesn’t receive general tax dollars. Other sources of funding include Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) and Federal Excise Taxes placed on firearms and fishing equipment. Don’t forget, you must take a hunter safety course in order to get a hunting license. Hunting’s primary purpose is for food.
Tony was asked what state park is the most popular – he named three that are very popular, Pueblo (fishing), Cherry Creek and Chatfield State Parks. Tony also explained that the Army Corps of Engineers or the Bureau of Reclamation actually is responsible for the water and the land at many state parks. CPW manages the parks. If you purchase an annual pass, you can go to any park at any time during the year.
Contact each individual state regarding use of motor coaches within the park and the cost of a commercial bus pass.
Tony’s PowerPoint presentation started with naming Colorado’s state bird – the Lark Bunting. The Lark Bunting is a very small bird, a type of sparrow that is only visible on short grass prairies, not usually seen around urban areas. The Lark Bunting summers in Colorado; winters in the south. He also played the song of the Lark Bunting.
Next was the Pronghorn – which is not really an antelope. More visible on the plains and in the Parks of Colorado – North, Middle and South Parks as well as the San Luis Valley. The Pronghorn is the fastest land animal in North America – can do bursts up to 60 mph and 40-45 for longer periods. This speed is because long ago (1 million years) it was the prime target of large cats like cheetahs and needed the speed to escape. The male is distinguished by its horn and the black cheek patch – the female has smaller horns and no cheek patch. All have a white rump patch that the animal will display if they sense danger – warning all the others.
There are three species of prairie dogs in Colorado. Black-tailed, Gunnison and white- tailed. Prairie dogs are common l in Colorado. However, they are susceptible to plague. If plague hits a colony, most of the prairie dogs will die. No food and disease are their worst enemies.
Ferrets are the most endangered mammal in Colorado. Their primary food is will eat prairie dogs – they like to invade the burrows of prairie dogs. They have been taken into captivity and now there are quite a few introduced on private property, thanks to cooperation from landowners. All threatened species are under protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ferrets are part of the weasel family and depend on prairie dogs for food.
The burrowing owl is another species that likes to live in prairie dog burrows. Though they don’t eat prairie dogs – the owls are too small - their usual diet is mice and voles – both of which are quite small. They are diurnal – active both day and night – and they live out in the open and are about 8” tall.
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are related to the sheep family but need to be kept separate from domestic sheep – diseases go from domestic to wild, decimating the population. Their average life span is 12-15 years. Big horn sheep were almost hunted to extinction as were elk in the late 1800s. Now there are more big horn sheep and elk in Colorado than anywhere else in the world.
Definitions:
There are three types of animals:
Carnivores – eat meat
Omnivores – eat meat and veggies
Herbivores – eat only veggies
Horns – male and female – made of keratin (like fingernails, horses’ hooves).
Antlers – male only (except for caribou) made of bone – fall off every year and are regrown each spring. As they grow, they may end weighing up to 10# - they have skin on them as they grow, called velvet. The bone is white; however it becomes stained as it is rubbed off. Size of antlers does not indicate age. Antlers in velvet cannot be sold.
Elk antlers are used for mating to attract the females – some cultures in the world use the velvet as an aphrodisiac. The females choose their mate – bulls may spar to attract the females but the winner of the fight may not get the girl.
As an aside – there are no Dahl sheep in Colorado – probably a Rocky Mountain goat. Also, grizzly bears were historically a prairie species as well as the elk.
Mule deer are very common in Colorado. They have big ears that resemble mule ears – hence the name. They have antlers – males only. Chronic wasting disease affects all members of the deer family. It is a prion disease that creates brain lesions – it’s related to mad cow disease and is always fatal. Experts do not think it can pass to humans. The disease seems to live in the soil and it is not known how it gets into the animals.
Moose – their antlers may grow ¾”/day! Moose were reintroduced in the 1970s. They may or may not have been native to Colorado. Currently the population is doing well.
Tony noted that all the large animals named so far can be hunted. Tony also gave us a ‘rule of thumb” to know when we’re too close. If you can’t cover them with your thumb at arm’s length visually, you’re too close.
Rocky Mountain Goats – have a square face and beard, also have short horns. Probably not really native to Colorado – you may see them on Mount Evans and other areas in Colorado.
Bears – there are two species that are native to Colorado – grizzly (which are no longer in Colorado) and black bear (the black bear may be many colors. Bears feed 20 hours/day to prepare for hibernation, eating up to 20,000 calories/day).
If you have a bear encounter – back away slowly, give it some space, speak in a calm voice. They rarely attack – may do a bluff charge and stop short of you. They may smell food and go into your campsite or tent – this is fairly common. Do not play dead – they like roadkill and will eat something that they think is dead – fight back.
Mountain lions – solitary animals – 150-200#. Often the tail is as long as the body. Deer are their primary prey. They may go after porcupines. If you encounter a mountain lion, make yourself look as big as possible. Raise your hands, Open your jacket to make yourself look bigger, speak in a firm voice. If attacked, fight back.
Mountain lions, cougars, puma, catamount, panthers are all the same species. Bobcats and lynx are similar – bobcats have tufts on their ears and short tails. Lynx also have ear tufts and may be more visible above 10,000’ and upper elevations.
Red fox is pretty common – distinctive white tip on its tail. Grey fox and kit fox are both smaller.
Weasels, river otters, skunks and ferrets are all from the same family. They do not hibernate.
Ptarmigan – looks like rocks – they all year. In winter they change to white to blend in. They eat seeds off willow and may actually gain weight in winter.
Pika – are really a member of the rabbit family, not a rodent. They are active in winter, live above timberline in rock piles. They store grass in these log rock piles so they have food for the winter.
Both ptarmigan and pika may be dropping in numbers. CPW is monitoring populations.
Yellow-bellied marmot – sounds like a Pika, often called a “pig”. Marmots hibernate up to 200 days/year. In the summer their heartbeat goes to 180-200 beats/minute. While hibernating their heartbeat goes to 30 beats/minute. They live in higher elevations – 10,000’ and above.
Wildlife belongs to the people of Colorado, not the landowner. People must have landowner’s permission to hunt. There is no need to post; no need to put up fence or signs.
Tony also reminded us all of the crane migration in Monte Vista during March 6-8. Expect more than 30,000 cranes in the San Luis Valley.
We ended there because of the weather. We’ll have to do this again and get to the fish.
Written by Nancy Brueggeman