Funding Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Hunters and anglers primarily fund fish and wildlife conservation programs, while park visitors support the management of recreational lands. This funding is accomplished through purchases of park passes, hunting and fishing licenses, and habitat stamps.
Although CPW became a merged agency in 2011, state statute and federal regulations require that the budgets for parks and wildlife remain separate. Annual revenue and expenditures for each budget are provided in the charts below.
Where the Funding Comes From
Licenses, Passes, Fees, and Permits
Proceeds from the sale of licenses, passes, fees, and permits make up more than half of CPW’s annual revenue.
Registrations
Revenue is collected from the annual registration of boats, off-highway vehicles, and snowmobiles.
Federal Grants
CPW’s second largest source of revenue is generated from federal grants. Of this, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (PR) and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (DJ), hunters and anglers contribute significant funding to CPW by paying federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing gear, boat fuel, archery equipment and ammunition. PR and DJ funds are apportioned annually to each state using a formula based on the land size of the state and the number of individual hunting and angling license buyers.
State and Local Government Grants
CPW receives a relatively small amount of grant funds from state and local sources (also see Severance Tax and General Fund sections below). CPW receives funding from local governments for specific projects on an ad-hoc basis, for example support for a festival at a state park. The most common form of state and local government funding support to CPW is as local partners for angling or shooting range projects through CPW’s shooting range grant programs.
Donations
Donations sources for CPW include funds from the auction and raffle of select hunting licenses and voluntary contributions received from taxpayers electing to support the Colorado Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund when filing their state income tax returns. Customers also have the option to ‘round up’ when purchasing a license or pass or make a monetary donation directly to CPW. Financial support is also provided by Friends of Colorado State Parks and through direct personal donations.
General Fund
CPW receives a small amount of revenue through state General Fund transfers each year. To maintain its enterprise status, CPW generates over 90% of its annual funding from sources other than taxes or the state’s general fund.
Severance Tax
CPW receives revenue from severance taxes, which are state taxes imposed on oil and gas extraction and development. The amount of severance tax revenue that CPW receives each year is volatile and dependent on mineral extraction in Colorado. Revenue from severance taxes support state park operations and the Aquatic Nuisance Species Program by providing funding for boat checks at Colorado reservoirs to stop the spread of nuisance species.
Sales, Interest and Other Revenue
CPW generates revenue from the sale of assets, interest earned on long term accounts, concession sales, royalty revenue, and the sale of retail products including clothing, maps and publications, and supplies (firewood, packaged food/beverages). Revenue also includes the sale of the wildlife sporting license plate, marina services, laundry and showers, and boat safety testing/certification.
CPW Partner
Colorado Lottery
When Colorado's lottery was originally established by voters, they dedicated much of the lottery proceeds to taking care of the state's beautiful places and open spaces. Over the last 36 years, the Colorado Lottery has proudly contributed more than $3.4 billion to our state – funding parks, open space conservation, wildlife habitats and much more. Lottery dollars help CPW fund projects for nongame species, and provide opportunities for Coloradoans to watch and learn about the state’s magnificent wildlife. Lottery funding is a big part of the $2 million in matching grants that have protected habitat throughout the state.
CPW Partner
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
Great Outdoors Colorado invests a portion of Colorado Lottery revenues in parks, trails, wildlife habitats, river corridors, playgrounds and open spaces in all 64 counties. Voters approved a constitutional amendment to create GOCO, which is managed by an independent board and uses no tax dollars. Half of GOCO funds, or more than $400 million to date, is dedicated to Colorado Parks and Wildlife projects. The list includes building and enhancing parks, trails and facilities; providing water for recreation, preserving natural areas, and protecting wildlife species; funding for Youth Corps crews, and support for environmental educational programs, volunteer programs and youth outreach.
Where the Money Goes
Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s expenditures are divided into sub-program areas, depending on the specific function the expenditure supports within the Division.
Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are major threats to biodiversity. Expenditures from the habitat management category comprise activities involving the overall conservation of habitats such as:
- Manipulation and enhancement of habitat.
- Monitoring and reporting on water quality.
- Identifying high priority habitats and maintaining information on their location and characteristics.
- Identifying, acquiring and maintaining water (in-stream flows, conservation pools).
- Identifying and acquiring high priority habitat through fee title, easements and leases.
- Participating in habitat improvement efforts on private lands and waters through cooperative programs.
- Providing information, advice and recommendations to land use decision makers, energy developers, and land management agencies regarding plants and wildlife, their habitat, and the impacts of development.
Conservation of high-priority habitats that support a wide variety of species such as wetlands and prairie grasslands, is also a key focus area.
Also included in Habitat Management are activities associated with the management of division-owned State Wildlife Areas (SWAs) and State Parks including developing management and stewardship plans and standards, operating, maintaining and improving physical structures on the properties, providing for public use and enjoyment of the property, maintaining real estate records, managing Payment in Lieu of Tax payments, controlling invasive species and noxious weeds, natural areas management and dam safety management and maintenance.
Species conservation includes the management of Colorado’s "non-game" species; specifically, declining, threatened, and endangered species, regardless of their importance for hunting or fishing values. The goal is to prevent additional species from declining to perilous levels, and to recover species at risk of extinction or extirpation (local disappearance). This is accomplished through research into the status, population dynamics, and habitat needs of individual species; field inventories to determine the distribution and size of populations; analyses to establish the genetic characteristics of populations; field studies to identify suitable habitat for various species; propagation and release to augment populations; reintroduction and release to augment populations; and habitat manipulation and enhancement.
The hunting recreation category focuses on fundamental wildlife management practices such as herd inventories, development of herd objectives through Herd Management Plans (HMPs), monitoring harvest PWC/GUE NORA LO levels, and conducting research to develop solutions to management issues and concerns, including wildlife disease management. It includes activities designed specifically to enhance hunter access, such as the State Trust Land Access program, and activities to maintain relations with and recognize the contributions of private landowners. It also includes measures specifically designed to increase game populations, such as habitat manipulation and predator management. Finally, it includes efforts to prevent and minimize game damage and compensate landowners for game damage.
The fishing recreation category seeks to provide a diversity of recreational fishing opportunities in Colorado’s rivers, streams and lakes, while still providing for the needs of native, non-game aquatic species. Work includes the collection of fish population data, development of management objectives by waters and watersheds, monitoring catch and harvest levels, production and stocking of fish, monitoring fish health, controlling fish disease including aquatic invasive species, and conducting research on various subjects critical to sustaining healthy and viable fisheries for diverse angling opportunities. It also includes activities to enhance angling access through the acquisition and improvement of public access to streams and lakes and programs including Fishing is Fun.
Expenditures associated with wildlife viewing aim to increase the percentage of the state’s population that participate in outdoor recreation by providing a diversity of quality wildlife viewing opportunities. This is accomplished by planning, developing, constructing and maintaining wildlife viewing facilities on State Wildlife Areas, at state parks, and on other non-CPW lands; producing viewing guides, brochures and videos; writing newspaper articles; and conducting workshops aimed specifically at improving wildlife viewing skills. This expenditure category also includes money spent on the promotion and management of the Colorado Birding Trail.
The focus of the park recreation category is to enhance and preserve parks and outdoor recreation opportunities for the public on state park lands. Specifically, the focus is maintaining and managing outdoor recreation opportunities within state parks including camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, walking, horseback riding, sightseeing, boating, fishing, hunting, swimming, water sports, and other recreational activities. This category also includes state park expenditures for maintaining public facilities, maintenance of signs, fences, roads, and structures, and public health water management activities such as testing of drinking and swim beach water.
CPW receives services from other Colorado state agencies in support of the Division’s functions. This category captures the expenditures made for those services. These includes payments made to the Office of Information Technology for accounting system (CORE) administration and modernization, computer and communications infrastructure, and standardized software applications; Department of Natural Resource Statewide costs; Risk Management; Legal Services; transactional costs with the State Treasurer; Geographic Information Systems; Dispatch Service Payments; and the Geological Survey – Avalanche Survey.
Trails recreation expenditures focus on planning, coordinating and managing state trails programs including both motorized (OHV and snowmobiles) and non-motorized (e.g., recreational hiking and biking) trails. Expenditures include the promotion of Colorado’s trail programs through multi-agency partnerships; grants distributed by CPW for trail planning, construction, and maintenance; management of statewide trail inventories, mapping and planning; professional support for the statutory Colorado Recreational Trails Committee (Section 33-11-105, C.R.S.); and development of strategies, budgets, contracts, systems, processes, guidelines, and standards for the Statewide Trails Program.
The licensing and registrations category includes funds expended for the purposes of helping to achieve harvest objectives, allocating recreational opportunities, and providing efficient service to the public with regard to the sales of various licenses and passes by the Division. Licensing functions include the processing of applications for limited licenses; conducting license drawings; distributing licenses, passes and refunds; providing license agent services; managing issuance of special licenses; IPAWS maintenance and management including reporting; license hearings administration; OHV, snowmobile and boating registrations; campground reservations; and river outfitters licensing.
The purpose of the environment and wildlife education category is to increase the public's knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of wildlife and outdoor recreation. Through education, public information and customer service, the Division works to promote a sense of stewardship and personal responsibility toward the outdoors; increase public understanding of how human actions affect wildlife and habitat; increase awareness of available consumptive and non-consumptive recreation opportunities; stress ethical and responsible use of outdoor resources; and educate decision makers, landowners and the public about the potential impacts of their actions on wildlife and habitat as well as how to minimize those impacts.
This category includes efforts such as hunter recruitment and retention efforts, hunter education, the archery in schools program, boating safety education and angler education, all aimed at the development of skills and knowledge necessary for people to participate in traditional outdoor recreation activities. Active involvement in formal education at the K-12 levels, including educator support, as well as adult education programs also play an important role in assuring an informed public are able to make the best decisions involving the future of the State’s outdoor recreation heritage. Partnerships with schools and public and private conservation education organizations are critical components. The Division’s volunteer program provides both technical expertise and labor to the valuable work of CPW.
The public information category of expenditures is directed toward assuring that the most current and accurate information about parks and outdoor recreation issues, regulations, hunting and fishing seasons, licensing and passes, and opportunities to enjoy wildlife and outdoor recreation are available to the public through a variety of internal and external media. The Division produces electronic and print media highlighting CPW, distributes informational publications and recordings related to Division activities, as well as the marketing and promotion of numerous Division products and retail sales. Also included under this category is support for the activities of the statutorily-created Colorado Wildlife Council (Section 33-4-120, C.R.S.), whose goal is to educate the general public about the benefits of wildlife, wildlife management, and wildlife-related recreational opportunities in Colorado, specifically hunting and fishing.
In order to respond to requests from hunters, anglers, landowners, park visitors and others, the Division invests significant resources in customer service at CPW offices front desks, entrance stations, visitors’ centers, service centers, hatcheries, year-round call center, as well as field contacts. Customer service involves the sale and issuance of licenses and passes, responding to a broad spectrum of requests from the public including general questions about wildlife, parks and outdoor recreation, how to handle nuisance wildlife and questions about hunting and fishing issues, and explaining statutes, regulations and CPW policies. Customer service also includes the planning and evaluation of existing service protocols and standards.
The policy and regulations category includes the development of regulations and Parks and Wildlife Commission policies, through a process based on public involvement. This includes holding public meetings, conducting surveys, and involving stakeholders in the development of proposed policies and regulations through structured processes. It also includes surveys and public attitude assessments to gain a better understanding of issues such as hunter and angler demand, public willingness to pay, CPW’s relevance to the public, stakeholder views on funding priorities, policy research and analysis, and strategic planning.
CPW receives services from other Colorado state agencies in support of the Division’s functions. This category captures the expenditures made for those services. These includes payments made to the Office of Information Technology for accounting system (CORE) administration and modernization, computer and communications infrastructure, and standardized software applications; Department of Natural Resource Statewide costs; Risk Management; Legal Services; transactional costs with the State Treasurer; Geographic Information Systems; Dispatch Service Payments; and the Geological Survey – Avalanche Survey.