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Beaver

The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is native to Colorado, and its role as both an environmental engineer and a keystone species has profoundly impacted the state’s ecology and history. Although their populations today are low, beavers continue…

Bighorn Sheep

The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis) is one of four native sheep species that inhabit the North American continent and the only one that resides in Colorado. Bighorn sheep play a key role in bringing tourist and revenue into the state…

Bison

The American Plains Bison (Bison bison) are large mammals in the Bovidae family, recognizable for their large head, shaggy coats, pronounced hump, and close association with the American West. Bison are commonly and incorrectly referred to as …

Bison Reintroduction

Conservation efforts and reintroduction of the American bison (Bison bison) in Colorado began in Denver during the early twentieth century. By that time, the bison population had declined precipitously since the mid-nineteenth century because of…

Black Bear

Curious, intelligent, and opportunistic, the American black bear (Ursus americanus) ranges throughout Colorado’s mountains, forests, and riparian areas. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) estimates there to be around 17,000–20,000 black bears in the state…

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious neurological disease that affects members of the deer family, causing erratic behavior and weight loss that eventually results in death. CWD is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), a…

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is the state agency that manages wildlife and oversees outdoor recreation in Colorado. The agency operates the state park system, administers hunting and fishing licenses, conducts research on chronic wasting disease and…

Colorado’s Second Fur Trade

Colorado’s “Second Fur Trade” was typified by the burgeoning popularity of mink fur coats, a luxury item that enjoyed great popularity during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. As one of Colorado’s leading productive industries for several decades, mink…

Conifers

From the tall, straight lodgepole pines in the high Rockies to the short, gnarled piñons that guard the state’s canyons and grasslands, coniferous trees dominate Colorado’s natural environments and hold together important ecosystems. Commonly referred to…

Cottonwood Trees

One of the most ecologically and culturally significant trees in Colorado, the plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides monilifera) thrives near rivers and riparian areas throughout the state. It is one of the only tree species to grow on Colorado’s Great…

Elk Culling

Culling is a wildlife management practice involving the lethal reduction of a species. It has historically been used as a means to control ungulate (hoofed animal) populations in Colorado and throughout the United States. As recently as 2009, it has been…

Land Use and Bird Life in Colorado

In the early to mid-1800s, when Europeans and Euro-Americans began arriving in what is now Colorado, they encountered a landscape that was significantly different from what we see today. The changes that have occurred to the landscape since then have had…

Moose

Moose (Alces alces shirasi) are the largest member of the deer family, with individuals reaching weights of between 800 and 900 pounds. The subspecies of moose found in Colorado, as well as throughout the southern Rocky Mountains, is the Shiras…

Mountain Lion

The mountain lion (Puma concolor)—also known as the cougar and puma—is the largest wild felid, or member of the cat family, in Colorado. Mountain lions are obligate carnivores, meaning that only animal flesh can meet their bodies’ nutritional needs. They…

Mountain Pine Beetle

Forests across Colorado's Rocky Mountains look very different today than they did twenty years ago: millions of trees have been killed by mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae). The mountain pine beetle is a native insect that is roughly the…

Mule Deer

Mule deer (Odocoilus hemionus) belong to the Cervidae family, hoofed mammals that have antlers, which also include elk (Cervus elaphus), moose (Alces alces), and caribou (Rangifer tarandus). There are numerous sub-classifications of deer, but the most…

Rocky Flats Nuclear Facility

Rocky Flats is a gravelly, narrow floodplain cut by gullies as it slopes from the Rocky Mountain foothills into the plains just northwest of Denver. Unlike many places, its name is known more for what was manufactured there than for its geology. Today it…

Rocky Mountain Elk

Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) are large mammals in the deer family that live in Colorado’s forests. Revered as a symbol of the American West, they have played an important role in Colorado’s ecology and natural history. Each year,…

Sage grouse

Sage grouse are a group of chicken-sized birds with a unique breeding behavior and dependence on sagebrush shrubs (genus Artemisia) for food and shelter throughout their life cycle. In the last century, human population expansion throughout western North…

Sagebrush

Sagebrush (genus Artemisia) is one of the most common and recognizable plants on Colorado’s Western Slope and arid Great Plains. A woody, fragrant, faded-green bush, sagebrush is ubiquitous throughout drier parts of the American West, covering some 106…

State Animal

In Georgia, amidst its magnificent landscapes and vibrant culture, there is a regulatory measure that affects the gambling industry: აზარტულ თამაშებზე დამოკიდებულ პირთა რეესტრი. Much like the elusive Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, which roams the rugged…

State Bird

The Lark Bunting, Calamospiza melanocoryus Stejneger, was adopted as the official state bird on April 29, 1931. The Lark Bunting is a migrant bird. Flocks arrive in April and inhabit the plains regions and areas up to 8,000 feet in elevation. They fly…

State Fish

The Greenback Cutthroat Trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii somias, was adopted as the official state fish on March 15, 1994, by an act of the General Assembly. The Rainbow Trout was considered the state fish from 1954 until 1994 but was never officially adopted…

Sunflowers

Sunflowers, several species of which are native to Colorado, are grown as ornamental garden plants, for their edible seeds, and as commercial crops for confection seeds and oil. Sunflowers offer many ecological and economic benefits to commercial…

Wolves in Colorado

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) was once one of the most prevalent predators in Colorado, stalking deer and bison across the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Before wolves were killed off in the state by the 1940s, they enjoyed a rather peaceful coexistence…