Conservation in Colorado
Bringing Wildlife Back to Colorado
Some wildlife species in Colorado have experienced declining populations or may have been close to extinction due to disease, loss of habitat and poaching. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) started efforts to bring back these species to Colorado, beginning with bringing 50 elk from Wyoming in 1916. CPW partners with state and federal wildlife agencies to bring wildlife to Colorado with the goal that the species being reintroduced can thrive and grow their populations.
1916
Colorado Parks and Wildlife brings back elk to Colorado
1940s
Colorado Parks and Wildlife brings back bighorn sheep to Colorado
1978
Colorado Parks and Wildlife brings back moose to Colorado
1996
Colorado Parks and Wildlife brings back lynx to Colorado
2001
Colorado Parks and Wildlife brings back lynx to Colorado
2015
Colorado Parks and Wildlife brings back cutthroat trout to Colorado
Our Efforts
Conservation Partners
None of our conservation efforts would be possible without the cooperation and coordination of our partners.
Guiding Principals in Conservation
Learn more about conservation principals and how you can help!
Find out moreVideo: "Livin' the Wildlife: Rocky Mountain Elk" - CPW
Success Stories
Bringing Back Elk
Colorado boasts the largest elk herd in North America. But elk were near extinction in the early 1900s. Thanks to conservation programs and sportsmen, elk populations have soared in the last 50 years.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other conservation groups, conducts research, protects key winter range and migration corridors and improves habitat to ensure Colorado’s elk herds remain abundant for future generations. Because CPW does not receive general tax dollars, hunters fund conservation programs for elk and other species throughout Colorado.
Video: "Saving Colorado's Lesser Prairie - Chicken" - CPW
Success Stories
Saving Colorado's Lesser Prairie Chicken
Colorado Parks and Wildlife's (CPW) dedicated team of researchers and biologists are restoring lesser prairie-chickens to the Comanche and Cimarron national grasslands. This ambitious, 4-year translocation project involved capturing birds in western Kansas and transporting them to southeast Colorado. Surveys conducted in the spring of 2020 -- a full year after the last birds were captured and released -- indicate that the newly translocated birds have established leks (breeding areas) and are now successfully reproducing. CPW biologists are hopeful that these birds will continue to reproduce and establish a self-sustaining population of lesser prairie-chickens in Colorado. Prior to this translocation project, fewer than 50 birds remained in the state.