The Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Habitat Partnership Program, or HPP, is awarding grants with the goal of keeping big game animals from coming into conflict with agricultural operations.
$500,000 will go to five recipients. The funds will be used to launch improvement projects that will include the use of brush manipulation, weed control, and water development. The purpose is to decrease available habitat and forage for big game animals.
“There’s a myriad of conflicts; we have conflicts with fences being destroyed, competing with foraging resources both on both private land an on public grazing allotments, game damage issues when they get into hay that is stocked or other crop issues,” said Pat Tucker, HPP Coordinator with the Division of Wildlife.
The improvement projects not only help protect agricultural lands, but also the state’s bottom line.
“The Division of Wildlife, under state law, is financially liable for some of the damages that big game cause to property, so this helps reduce some of that,” said Tucker.
The grants are funded through big game hunting fees and matching dollars. The recipients include the White River National Forest Milk Creek Enhancement Project near Meeker and the Three Rivers Alliances Russian Olive and Tamarisk Removal Project in Yuma County.
