Colorado Outdoors - the Podcast for Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Summer is in full swing, and anglers across Colorado are looking for opportunities to set a hook into the mouth of a fish across the state’s incredible array of lakes, rivers and small streams. But with the state facing a historic drought, there is a lot for anglers to keep in mind. In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors podcast, we sit down with CPW Assistant Director Matt Nicholl, who oversees...

In this episode of the podcast, CPW Digital Media Specialist Forrest Czarnecki returns as a guest host to bring listeners into the field for a CPW mentored turkey hunt near Pagosa Springs. Czarnecki pairs up with CPW volunteer Bob Blauert and his novice hunter to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at the turkey hunting seminar and a real hunt from the opening morning of the 2026 spring turkey...

Deep into Colorado’s pheasant season, Corners for Conservation properties provide healthy winter habitat and welcome the next generation of hunters. Wading through a tangle of chest-high grasses on a cold morning. Pheasants flushing underfoot, cackling on the wing as they break for the horizon. Gold and pink light waxing across the sky at sunrise. Scanning the little green county road signs, looki...

To kick off the first episode of Season 3, host John Livingston sits down with CPW Wildlife Damage Specialist Max Morton, who assisted the agency in standing up the range rider program in 2025. Range riders are eyes and ears on the landscape, collecting important information for livestock producers, wildlife managers, and biologists alike. In addition to providing human presence that can deter wol...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is currently in the middle of big-game rifle hunting seasons, and the Colorado Outdoors Podcast returns this month for a wide-ranging chat with CPW Big Game Manager Andy Holland. A passionate big-game hunter, Holland shares some of his hunting success stories and some of his strategy for applying for big-game hunting licenses not only in Colorado but also out of state....

Colorado Parks and Wildlife now has the authority to study and conserve the state’s native invertebrates and rare plants in a comprehensive manner, which has strengthened Colorado’s ability to protect biodiversity. In 2024, Colorado passed House Bill 24-1117 which placed the management of invertebrates and rare plants under CPW’s wildlife umbrella. The bill defined rare plants to mean a plant spec...

In 2024, Colorado passed House Bill 24-1117 which placed the management of invertebrates and rare plants under CPW’s wildlife umbrella. In the next two episodes, we are going to dive more into CPW’s management of invertebrates and rare plants by talking with the experts now on CPW’s team to make sure the state has a cohesive plan to manage our ecosystems. While Colorado may have been behind some o...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife owns and operates the largest inventory of dams in the state of Colorado. The water impounded is used for purposes such as downstream irrigation, fisheries management and aquatic operations, and a multitude of recreational activities including fishing, boating and swimming. CPW manages more than 120 dams across the state and has spent more than $126 million in the last...

In April 2024, Colorado’s 2024-25 Long Appropriations Bill opened the door for a new Colorado Parks and Wildlife statewide K-9 program. The new statewide K-9 program will have a lead K-9 Supervisor and five K-9 handlers assigned to the new statewide unit. This comes on the heels of the success of CPW's previous pilot program in which CPW utilized three dogs. K-9 officers aid CPW wildlife managers...

Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently concluded a 10-year monitoring of lynx in the Southwest Region of CPW. In this episode, learn more about how CPW monitors the elusive population of wildcats. Wildlife Research Scientist Jake Ivan joins the show to talk about key findings from the 10 years of monitoring including issues related to habitat and coexistence with other wildlife species. Jake also di...

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...

Colorado’s first rifle season will open Oct. 12 this year, and hunters across the state are getting prepared and sighting in at local ranges to get perfectly in tune to take their shot this fall. With that in mind, it’s an excellent time to learn more about Colorado’s Nontoxic Bullet Replacement Hunting Program. Following the 2023 passing of HB 23-1036, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has worked with...

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...

Summer is here, and the high-water season for recreational paddlers has reached Colorado’s iconic rivers. While Colorado manages 43 state parks, the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is among the most unique in that it spans across a 152-mile corridor that follows the Arkansas River from the high mountains near Leadville to Lake Pueblo. AHRA isn’t only a whitewater destination, though. It also b...

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 develo...

In this episode, go behind the scenes with CPW staff from the capture team in Oregon and the release team back in Colorado as 10 gray wolves were translocated to the state in December 2023. While the Colorado gray wolf reintroduction story could take up multiple podcasts, we narrowed our focus in this episode to take listeners behind the scenes and into the minds of our staff and give you their pe...

CPW Hunter Outreach Coordinator Bryan Posthumus joins the show to discuss the 2023 hunting seasons, CPW's novice hunt program opportunities and how his work fosters the next generation of hunters who help fund CPW's conservation mission.

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 hunti...

Every year, bears attracted to human food sources damage property, vehicles and even homes. Bears don’t know they’re doing anything wrong. They’re just following their super-sensitive noses to the most calories they can find. Bears that find food around homes, campgrounds and communities often lose their natural wariness of people. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is charged with protecting and preserv...

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...

NoCo PLACES 2050 is a broader effort by eight agencies collaborating on ways to address the challenges of high visitation and a growing population in northern Colorado’s foothills and mountains. This collaboration is committed to sustainable solutions, equitable actions, and beneficial land management practices for the long-term conservation of public lands in Colorado and the quality of the visit...

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 wel...

Rattlesnakes have a lot of misconceptions or folklore surrounding them because they are often perceived as mysterious and are generally misunderstood. Colorado Parks and Wildlife species conservation coordinator Tina Jackson has spent the last 20 years learning about snakes, and she shared her knowledge of rattlesnakes in this Colorado Outdoors podcast.

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,...