Colorado Outdoors - the Podcast for Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Earlier this year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released a new coffee table book titled “At Home in Nature: A History of Colorado’s State Parks.” It’s truly a must-have for those interested in our state’s natural and cultural heritage.Learn how this book went from a pre-COVID idea to a finished product in 2024 that is now available for sale at state park visitor centers and on cpwshop.com. Priced at $34.95, the book has been so popular in its first few months that it is already heading for a second printing.In this episode, hear from two women key in the formation of this book. Mary Taylor Young, a famed Colorado nature writer, was the primary editor and organizer of the book while contributing her own writing. The show is also joined by Margaret Taylor, CPW’s Capital Development Manager, who also contributed writing and tons of work to get the book from concept to finished product.Show host John Livingston is also joined on this episode by co-host Kara Van Hoose. Give this episode a listen to get all the behind the scenes stories and discover a few of the hidden gems you won’t find in the book’s index.

COTREX puts information about all of Colorado’s trails in your hands, thanks to a collaborative effort by land managers at every level.More than 230 land managers have contributed to COTREX data to detail 45,076 miles of trail across Colorado. And because the information is all sourced directly from land managers, you can trust you are recreating responsibly whenever you start your journey using COTREX.Best of all, COTREX is completely free and you’ll never have to make in-app purchases to download maps or receive important alerts and safety information.Join us as we chat with CPW State Trails Program Coordinator Joe O’Brien about his love for trails and tech, what features in the app you should be putting to use and a hint at the possibilities for the future of the constantly expanding app.

In this episode, recorded from the Partners in the Outdoors Conference at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, we hear from a few partner organizations in attendance and what the theme “We are Better Together,” means to them.First, we talked with Partners Conference organizer Shalana Gray about the two-year effort to reimagine and rebuild the Partners Conference. We learned how sessions were developed and looked ahead to continued growth of the event moving forward.Then, we chat with Topher Downham from the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks about his collaborative work in increasing opportunities for the disabled community to engage in the outdoors through various adaptive programs, including at Colorado State Parks.We also sat down with Bianka Martinez, an ambassador with Hunters of Color, and learned how her attendance at the 2021 Partners Conference led to new opportunities to engage in the hunting community and what she is doing now to connect others with the outdoors in multiple ways.We wrap up the show with a powerful spoken word poetry segment from Franklin Cruz, who closed the conference Wednesday afternoon by delivering the poem.

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On May 1, 2023, Jeff Davis was appointed to the position of Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife by Governor Jared Polis. He came to CPW from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, where he had served since 2000 in various roles including most recently as Director of Conservation.Jeff came to CPW with extensive experience working with leadership, legislators, Tribal Nations, the hunting and fishing community and conservation groups.Join us for a conversation about what led Director Davis to Colorado, what has driven his passion for conservation work and all the key issues facing CPW, from wolf reintroduction and the implementation of the Keep Colorado Wild pass to how we balance recreation and the needs of wildlife.

Starting on Jan. 1, 2023, Colorado residents can get a $29 Keep Colorado Wild Pass during their annual vehicle registration through the Division of Motor Vehicles.As Coloradans, we treasure our outdoor lifestyle and state’s beauty. This new state park pass gives all Coloradans an easy way to invest in Colorado’s outdoors, wildlife and local communities in a meaningful way. Your contribution shows you care about Colorado and want to keep our landscapes healthy for current and future generations. Money raised will be used to protect wildlife habitats, search and rescue programs, avalanche safety, local outdoor community projects and more. 

No matter the season, Highline Lake State Park is a diverse and welcome retreat. Park Manager Alan Martinez joins us on this podcast to discuss the state park thta is an oasis in the desert. Connected to miles of trails and close to communities, the park makes an ideal base camp for exploring the Grand Junction area. Whether passing through on mountain bikes, or as an end destination, the park welcomes campers, anglers, families and groups.

Some terms naturally go together like "Colorado Parks and Wildlife" and "world-class fishing."Few would ever add to that list the term “Superfund sites.”That's because Colorado Parks and Wildlife's 42 parks are recreation meccas. Its 350 wildlife areas boast some of the finest wildlife and aquatic habitat in the state. And even in the United States.But they weren’t always so pristine. In fact, CPW's aquatic biologists and research scientists have played a key role in transforming rivers and wetlands dangerously polluted by decades of mining and milling into prime fish habitat by restoring the waterways to their historic unspoiled conditions.They are erasing the dark legacy of gold mining and restoring gold medal fisheries that are known by anglers worldwide and home to threatened or endangered species.And here to talk about the work that took place along the Upper Arkansas River is Eric Richer, Aquatic Research Scientist and Paul Foutz, Senior Aquatic Biologist for CPW’s Southeast Region.