Researching Colorado's Wildlife
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Research Library was created in the late 1960s to provide support to internal wildlife research sections, but it has since evolved to serve the broader information management needs of CPW staff. Library collections are focused on wildlife ecology and associated ecological information and CPW public historical records such as Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting agendas and minutes.
Researching Colorado's Wildlife
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Research Library was created in the late 1960s to provide support to internal wildlife research sections, but it has since evolved to serve the broader information management needs of CPW staff. Library collections are focused on wildlife ecology and associated ecological information and CPW public historical records such as Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting agendas and minutes.
Researching Colorado's Fish and Waters
Aquatic Toxicology Lab
The Aquatic Toxicology Lab conducts experiments that help inform decision makers and managers about pollution and water quality risks.
Fish Research Hatchery
The Fish Research Hatchery conducts scientific investigations to develop the necessary knowledge, techniques and procedures to effectively manage Colorado's aquatic wildlife.
Aquatic Research
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatic Research Section provides a combination of field and laboratory experimentation to answer statewide fisheries management questions, improve efficiency in production and management of aquatic species, and provide centralized fisheries management functions related to data management, stream habitat improvement and brood stock development.
Researching Birds and Mammals
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has two research teams that specialize in researching mammals and birds.
Bird Research
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Avian Research Section conducts original research on the ecology and management of birds and their habitats. The team focuses on addressing needs for high priority bird species in the state of Colorado.
Learn moreMammals Research
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Mammals Research section focuses on Colorado’s wild mammals and their habitats in a constantly changing and increasingly human-dominated landscape. This research helps to ensure that functional ecosystems continue to exist to benefit current and future citizens of Colorado and the nation.
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Wildlife Habitat
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is committed to researching better ways to restore and improve wildlife habitat. Many CPW researchers, biologists and managers are actively engaged as wildlife habitat restoration and improvement requires a broad knowledge base.
In terrestrial ecosystems, plant communities that are productive, diverse, and predominately native characterize healthy wildlife habitat. Plant communities of different types should occur in arrangements that satisfy the needs of wildlife for survival and reproduction throughout the year. In aquatic ecosystems, a productive food base and a variety of structures and depths that provide refuges for prey species, reproduction areas, and temperature choices characterize healthy wildlife habitat.
Restoring and improving wildlife habitat can involve:
- Removal of undesirable species
- Creating structures within streams
- Protecting soil productivity by controlling erosion
- Establishing forage species
- Using disturbances such as fire or mechanical modifications to create a favorable mosaic of habitat patch types
Wildlife Health
Colorado Parks and Wildlife have two labs that focus on researching wildlife health.
Aquatic Health Lab
The Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory provides in-house support and diagnostic services, including Bacteriology, Molecular testing, Whirling disease testing, Virology and Parasitology.
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Wildlife Health Research and Lab
The Wildlife Health Section is a group of veterinarians, researchers and technicians dedicated to diagnosing, monitoring and conducting research on diseases of free-ranging wildlife in Colorado. The Foothill Wildlife Research Facility maintains numerous species of wildlife utilized in research projects and for teaching purposes.
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Human Dimension Research
The Human Dimensions Research Program (HDRP) conducts social science research in Colorado about a variety of issues affecting state park and wildlife management. The purpose of this is to incorporate social and biophysical data into natural resource policy and decision making processes.