Forming Partnerships in Pursuit of Mutual Goals
Colorado is blessed with rich agricultural lands that produce the crops and livestock that sustain many rural communities and feed the world. Colorado’s 66 million acres of land include 11.5 million acres of cropland, and 24.5 million acres of private rangelands, which support more than 36,000 ranches and farms. Colorado farmers and ranchers are some of the most productive in the country:
Colorado ranks first in the country for the production of proso millet and in the top ten in approximately 20 other commodities including cattle and calves, winter wheat, market sheep and lambs, wool production & alfalfa.
While feeding the world and providing sportsperson access, Colorado’s private lands also sustain abundant populations of wildlife species from the critically endangered black-footed ferret to the state’s largest herds of bighorn sheep.
Through Colorado Parks and Wildlife partnerships with private landowners, over 2 million acres of private lands are open to public hunting.
Without private landowners' support, modern-day Colorado's remarkable wildlife abundance - and equally rich hunting and fishing opportunities - simply would not exist.
Did you know?
An estimated 95% of the critical winter range for mule deer is located on private land in Colorado.
Almost 100% of Colorado's Greater prairie chickens and ring-necked pheasants call private lands home.
The majority of
shortgrass prairie species, like burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, swift fox, pronghorn, mountain plovers and black-tailed prairie dogs, are found on private land.
Colorado’s private landowners partner with Colorado Parks and Wildlife on a myriad of research efforts through providing access, information sharing, and even financial contributions for research including studying population dynamics in species from mountain lions to elk.
