Colorado Outdoors - the Podcast for Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Earlier this year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released a new coffee table book titled “At Home in Nature: A History of Colorado’s State Parks.” It’s truly a must-have for those interested in our state’s natural and cultural heritage. Learn how this book went from a pre-COVID idea to a finished product in 2024 that is now available for sale at state park visitor centers and on cpwshop.com. Priced at $34.95, the book has been so popular in its first few months that it is already heading for a second printing. In this episode, hear from two women key in the formation of this book. Mary Taylor Young, a famed Colorado nature writer, was the primary editor and organizer of the book while contributing her own writing. The show is also joined by Margaret Taylor, CPW’s Capital Development Manager, who also contributed writing and tons of work to get the book from concept to finished product. Show host John Livingston is also joined on this episode by co-host Kara Van Hoose. Give this episode a listen to get all the behind the scenes stories and discover a few of the hidden gems you won’t find in the book’s index.

Colorado’s first rifle season will open Oct. 12 this year, and hunters across the state are getting prepared and sighting in at local ranges to get perfectly in tune to take their shot this fall. With that in mind, it’s an excellent time to learn more about Colorado’s Nontoxic Bullet Replacement Hunting Program. Following the 2023 passing of HB 23-1036, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has worked with several partners to demonstrate the effectiveness of non-lead ammunition for hunters in an effort to reduce toxic ammunition on the landscape for the benefit of people and wildlife. In this episode of the Colorado Outdoors Podcast, learn all about this program from the people key in its creation and implementation. Colorado State Representative Barbara McLachlan, who authored the bill in the state assembly, joins the show to discuss what prompted her to introduce the legislation.  Show host John Livingston is also joined by co-host Kristin Cannon, a Deputy Regional Manager for CPW who is overseeing the implementation of the program, and the two interview an incredible panel of guests that detail the impacts of lead ammunition to wild animals and the effectiveness and benefits of copper alternatives. Included on the panel are Bryan Bedrosian of Sporting Lead-Free, Leland Brown from the Non-Lead Partnership and Aaron Kindle of the National Wildlife Federation. Give this episode a listen and hear for yourself why making the switch from lead to copper might be part of your hunt plan this year.

COTREX puts information about all of Colorado’s trails in your hands, thanks to a collaborative effort by land managers at every level. More than 230 land managers have contributed to COTREX data to detail 45,076 miles of trail across Colorado. And because the information is all sourced directly from land managers, you can trust you are recreating responsibly whenever you start your journey using COTREX. Best of all, COTREX is completely free and you’ll never have to make in-app purchases to download maps or receive important alerts and safety information. Join us as we chat with CPW State Trails Program Coordinator Joe O’Brien about his love for trails and tech, what features in the app you should be putting to use and a hint at the possibilities for the future of the constantly expanding app.

Summer is here, and the high-water season for recreational paddlers has reached Colorado’s iconic rivers. While Colorado manages 43 state parks, the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area is among the most unique in that it spans across a 152-mile corridor that follows the Arkansas River from the high mountains near Leadville to Lake Pueblo. AHRA isn’t only a whitewater destination, though. It also boasts eight developed campgrounds and 19 dispersed camping areas while also offering gold-medal fishing, incredible wildlife viewing and hiking and climbing opportunities. Still, it’s the whitewater that many think of first when it comes to AHRA. It’s one of the nation’s most popular rafting and kayaking destinations and is the most commercially rafted river in the United States. Along with that many boaters and stretches of Class III to Class V rapids comes challenges for CPW staff. AHRA rangers have already responded to multiple rescue calls this year, and there has already been one kayaking fatality in early June. In this episode, hear from AHRA Manager Tom Waters and River Ranger Supervisor Jeffrey Hammond on what it takes to manage AHRA, the diversity of the rescue and recovery situations they find themselves in and the ever-present danger that comes with whitewater recreation