VOLUNTARY

HABITAT

CONSERVATION

IN COLORADO

This page summarizes a news release from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, September 24, 2002. To see the full document at their site, click here.

This program seems to embody the principles that are presented on this site. Obviously, this program is too new to have a track record, but we should encourage other agencies to look into this approach.

The Colorado Species Conservation Partnership, which began accepting applications on September 13, is aimed at reducing the need to list species under the Endangered Species Act. The program is also intended to aid the recovery of declining species and those already classified as threatened or endangered.

"Cooperative efforts such as these are essential if we are to protect our native species and the habitat they need to survive," said state Division of Wildlife (DOW) director Russ George. "This program benefits everyone involved."

Under the program, landowners will be paid, according to their property's value, not to sell their land for development, or they may be paid to help maintain or develop habitat on their property. Any landowner, land trust or conservation organization can apply for the program, and the application process will take place twice a year, depending on available funding.

Areas targeted for the conservation program are shortgrass prairie and grasslands on the Eastern Plains, Front Range riparian habitat, which includes areas along streams, rivers and lakes, for the threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse, and land in the Gunnison Basin and other locations in southwestern Colorado that are home to the Gunnison sage grouse.

"All of these landscapes we are including in the program have species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act or have the potential to be listed, and in order to maintain those species, we need to make some serious conservation efforts," said Ken Morgan, private lands habitat program coordinator for the DOW.

"But while we're doing that, the program keeps landowners - whether it's a cattle rancher or grower or anyone else - there doing what they do best," Morgan continued. "Front Range land that is home to the Preble's meadow jumping mouse is prime for development, so property values there are going up. So it's an opportunity to protect species, as well as providing an opportunity for landowners to add economic viability to their land."

The easements will help protect a variety of species, not only those that are already at risk.

"It's more of a landscape approach than looking at it species by species," Morgan said. "And while the aim is to conserve large blocks of land, it doesn't have to be a big piece of land to qualify."

Voluntary protection efforts can improve the financial viability of an agricultural operation, and are much easier and far less expensive than trying to help a species recover.

"Conserving a species before it needs to be listed saves time and money for all of the agencies and individuals involved," said Gary Skiba, a wildlife manager with the DOW. "You usually have more options when a species is still relatively common, such as deciding which areas need to be conserved."

"Once it's listed, most habitat is automatically important, so your options are limited," added Skiba. "The listing process itself is costly and contentious, and once a species is federally listed, any actions that might affect its habitat are restricted."