Pictured: Boreal Toad Tadpole
DATE: Oct. 2, 2025
DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is proud to announce that the newly revised
2025 State Wildlife Action Plan was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to support Colorado’s biodiversity and guide the conservation of the state’s most vulnerable species and habitats.
State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP) are designed to provide a roadmap for reducing threats, enhancing habitat and increasing understanding to benefit species in need of conservation. Colorado’s SWAP was developed by experts at CPW, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), input from partners and public feedback. SWAP revisions are required every 10 years to maintain eligibility for federal State and Tribal Wildlife Grants. CPW is fortunate to also receive funding from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), the Species Conservation Trust Fund and other sources that support SWAP implementation.
The 2025 SWAP now represents the latest and most comprehensive effort to guide wildlife conservation efforts in Colorado, building on the successes and lessons learned from previous plans. Core content of the SWAP is publicly available on the
CPW State Wildlife Action Plan webpage, which includes a SWAP Species Ranking Dashboard and Species of Greatest Conservation Need & Habitats Data Hub.
“Thank you to our partners and the public who submitted feedback during the public engagement process,” said State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator Kacie Miller. “This type of collaboration helps our agency ensure that the species and other content included in the updated plan are consistent with the expectations of Colorado’s wildlife conservation community and stakeholders.”
CPW is a leader in wildlife conservation, having expanded from managing 960 species to orders of magnitude more by establishing the Invertebrate and Rare Plant Program. This program will focus on conserving Colorado's native invertebrates — which include insects, spiders and other animals without a backbone — and plants, including many wildflowers that are found nowhere else on Earth.
Colorado’s SWAP history mirrors what has occurred nationwide. CPW’s first plan was produced in 2005, with the first revision published in 2015. Each revision of the SWAP aims to build upon the previous one, incorporating new knowledge and strategies to make it more applicable and impactful. The 2015 SWAP has been considered a critical resource for understanding which species in the state are most vulnerable and the potential threats and actions associated with their conservation.
To learn more about wildlife conservation in Colorado, visit
cpw.state.co.us. Read about CPW conservation success stories on
Colorado Outdoors and subscribe to CPW’s
Conservation eNews to get monthly updates about ongoing conservation efforts around the state.
Bridget O'Rourke