The Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) Commission unanimously approved a multi-year expansion of the Public Access Program that will include up to 100,000 acres added to the program by the fall 2019 hunting season. The Public Access Program provides limited, seasonal hunting and fishing opportunities on Colorado trust land across the state.
“I congratulate the Parks and Wildlife Commission and the State Land Board for expanding access to Colorado state lands,” said Dan Gibbs, Department of Natural Resources executive director. “The expansion of the Public Access Program passed by CPW and the State Land Board earlier this month will grow the program by more than 20% to 585,000 acres over the next year.”
The vote is the first step in a multi-year effort to double the size of the Public Access Program from 480,000 acres to nearly one million acres. This is the first major expansion of the program since it began in 1993.
In August, CPW will announce the locations of the new lands enrolled in the Public Access Program for fall 2019’s hunting season. The Public Access Program currently includes 480,000 acres, the majority of which are located in Northwestern Colorado where there is prime big game hunting. CPW will enroll lands in the plains of Eastern Colorado where bird hunting and small game hunting is popular to provide a broader array of opportunities on trust lands.
Find more information here.
(Photo source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)