By Mark Rackay
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The Second annual Blue Mesa Reservoir Lake Trout Tournament at Blue Mesa Reservoir is in full swing and anglers have plenty of time to fish for $10,000 in prize money. The reservoir is located near Gunnison in Western Colorado.
A few weeks ago I was asked to watch my niece and nephew for the afternoon. I was thrilled and had big plans to take them for hikes, jump on the trampoline, order takeout, and other fun things only the “Cool Aunt” could provide. But what I was quickly reminded of was that I would have to com…
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
Someone once said that the only things certain in life are death and taxes. But every spring Colorado Parks and Wildlife adds another item to that list: bears emerging from hibernation.
Anglers in northern Colorado are hoping some tiny fish will mean the return of a popular catch at State Forest State Park. About 600 golden trout have been stocked into two high-elevation, backcountry lakes, in the park with the hopes that they’ll grow to catchable size in a few years.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is partnering with the Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) to hire 33 weeks of conservation service corps to repair trails impacted by wildfire damage and increased visitation in areas that are open to motorized recreation.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and Great Outdoors Colorado are collaborating to fund coalitions working to protect Colorado’s land, water, and wildlife through the Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnerships Initiative. Gov. Jared Polis signed the Executive Order creating the Initiative at the…
By Mark Rackay
As stand-up paddleboards become more and more popular, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds paddlers to wear personal floatation devices (PFDs) when using this watercraft.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s resident fishing licenses are now accessible through myColorado™, the State of Colorado’s official mobile app™. Resident anglers will purchase their fishing licenses the same way they always have and receive a printed physical license, but now they will also hav…
A pika is a critter that lives in the high country, at or above timberline. Many of us have never seen one, or thought it was something else when you did see one. I have only seen a couple in all my time in the high country, perhaps because I was looking for something much bigger and with horns.
Building on the success of the initial offering of this class in October 2020, Gunnison Gorge Anglers (GGA), the local chapter of Trout Unlimited and Fly Fishers International, partnered with Montrose Anglers to offer a class in March. Initially, the class was “overbooked” with seven partici…
Colorado Parks and Wildlife researchers have set out to evaluate how human recreation may be influencing our elk populations and created a film titled "Emblems of the West" to help tell that story.
As part of its virtual meeting last week, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission heard updates from staff on multiple topics related to wolf reintroduction planning efforts, including:
At its recent virtual meeting, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to approve a new Colorado State Wildlife Area Pass as an option to access state wildlife areas. The new pass will go on sale May 1.
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
More boats requiring decontamination because of infestations of destructive mussels entered Colorado in 2020 compared to previous years; but the statewide inspection program coordinated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife again succeeded in keeping invasive mussels out of the state’s lakes and re…
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program (CWHP) expects to release its Request for Proposals (RFP) in September 2021, with an anticipated application deadline of October 28. Applicants should note this is a change from the historic schedule where the program began in M…
By Mark Rackay
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is announcing that applications for membership in the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) for wolf reintroduction and management in Colorado are being accepted now through March 31, 2021.
The USDA Forest Service announced the investment of $285 million to fund Great American Outdoors Act projects in 2021. Of this amount, approximately $31.5M will go to the Rocky Mountain Region to fund ninety projects. This is a five-year program and similar dollar amounts are expected over t…
Special to Delta County Independent
By Mark Rackay
Special to Delta County Independent
By Colorado Parks and Wildlife
By Mark Rackay
By Joe Lewandowski
Special to Delta County Independent
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Joel L. Evans
In June of 2016, a 5-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion while playing outside of his home near Aspen, Colorado. The boy’s mother physically removed him from the grasp of the lion. The boy and his mother both suffered serious injuries but were expected to recover. Talk about a close…
I have often said that the secret to not getting lost is to stay found. It sounds like a cliché, but it should be on your mind anytime you head outdoors. It is so easy to get lost. All you need is a small distraction, and to keep moving while distracted, and presto, you’re lost. Add to this …
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
Special to Delta County Independent
By Mark Rackay
By Jeff Dean
By Mark Rackay
By Joel Evans
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Bill Harris
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
By Mark Rackay
As a young kid, growing up in the foothills west of Golden, I spent my entire free time outdoors. I was even known to spend “non-free time” outdoors, which was a source of aggravation for my father. He felt my time would have been better spent in school, and looking back, he might have been right.
I remember when the flashlight was called an “electric torch.” The torch weighed slightly less than a Buick, was made with a shiny chrome case, gave off as much light as a birthday candle, and…oh yeah, the batteries were dead.