Tell the BLM to Conserve High-Priority Big Game Habitats in Colorado

Currently, the Colorado Bureau of Land Management is deciding whether to include recreation among the factors considered in the scope of its Big Game Resource Management Plan Amendment. This amendment aims to update land-use plans to conserve big game animals like elk on public lands across the state. The TRCP's latest analysis shows that 40% of the most important elk habitat in Colorado is already affected by motorized and non-motorized recreational trails, and nearly 60% of trails in Colorado are on federally managed public lands

Speak up now and encourage the BLM to utilize the latest science and consider all relevant factors in big game habitat conservation, including impacts from trail-based recreation.

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Please consider managing for responsible recreation in the Big Game Corridors RMPA

Dear [elected official],

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Hunting, fishing, and watchable wildlife contribute $5 billion in economic output each year in Colorado and support 40,000 jobs across the state, and interest in big game hunting in Colorado continues to rise. In 2021, a record-high 685,000 applications for Colorado big game hunting licenses were submitted to CPW, breaking the previous state record set in 2020 by 35,000 applications.

The TRCP’s latest analysis shows that 40% of the most important elk habitat in Colorado is already affected by trails, and according to the 2019 SCORP nearly 60% of trails in Colorado are on federal lands.
 
Outdoor recreationists of all kinds value protecting important wildlife habitats and having opportunities to view wildlife, so the need to maintain, conserve, and protect big game habitats and herds is important to the public at-large. When Colorado residents were surveyed in 2013 and 2017 to inform SCORP reports, “opportunities to view wildlife” consistently ranked second in the public’s recreation priorities, behind the desire to have local walking trails/paths. Over that time, the number of days spent using recreational trails grew 44 percent, while days spent viewing wildlife increased 105 percent.
 
The BLM can minimize impacts from year-round trail-based recreation and support stable big game herds by avoiding the highest-priority habitats when planning recreational infrastructure, or limiting motorized and non-motorized trail use during times of year when big game animals are present and limiting the density of trails in important big game habitats where time-of-use restrictions aren't practical, as proposed in Appendix A of Colorado’s Guide to Planning Trails with Wildlife in Mind.

Please include outdoor recreation in the scope of the Big Game Corridors RMP Amendment, as it is one of the most pressing conservation threats to Colorado’s big game animals such as elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn and their habitats statewide.

By utilizing the best available science and best management practices, the BLM can help conserve Colorado’s iconic big game species while continuing to support abundant recreation opportunities.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely, [Your information here]

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