Type:Article

Subject:Plague
<em>Yersinia pestis</em>
Colorado
<em>Puma concolor</em>
<em>Lynx rufus</em>
Zoonoses
Disease ecology

Description:Plague seroprevalence was estimated in populations of pumas and bobcats in the western United States. High levels of exposure in plague-endemic regions indicate the need to consider the ecology and pathobiology of plague in nondomestic felid hosts to better understand the role of these species in disease persistence and transmission. [show more]

Type:Fact Sheet

Subject:Whitewater parks

Description:With over 30 whitewater parks (WWPs) either completed or in the planning phases, Colorado is the epicenter for WWP development in the United States. Although WWPs provide economic and recreational benefits for local communities (Hagenstad et al. 2000; Loomis and McTernan 2011), they may have unintended impacts on instream biota and stream functions, particularly when the hydraulic conditions formed by the WWP are different from those naturally found in the surrounding river. The impact of WWPs on habitat connectivity and instream habitat quality have been the focus of several recent studies. Although these studies have primarily focused on fish passage and habitat, impacts to aquatic insects and sediment transport may also occur at WWPs. [show more]

Type:Text

Subject:Whitewater parks

Description:Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) statutory mission is to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the State, to provide a quality State Parks system, and to provide enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as strategic stewards of Colorado’s natural resources (C.R.S. § 33-9-101 (12) (b)). As CPW is responsible for the management and conservation of aquatic resources within the State, we are asked to review projects that may affect aquatic habitats or populations. Specifically, CPW staff is often engaged by the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to review permit applications related to the design, construction, and monitoring of whitewater parks (WWPs) regulated under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. WWP projects typically fall under the following permits:

• NWP 27 - Aquatic Habitat Restoration, Establishment, and Enhancement Activities
• IP - An individual, or standard permit, is issued when projects have more than minimal individual or cumulative impacts, are evaluated using additional environmental criteria, and involve a more comprehensive public interest review.

[show more]

Subject:Whitewater park projects

Description:A guidance document for reviewing whitewater park projects

Type:Text

Subject:White-tailed ptarmigan
<em>Lagopus leucura</em>
Endangered Species Act
Occupancy surveys

Description:In 2010, the white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura; WTPT) was petitioned to be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The petitioners cited climate change and its impacts to a species dependent on alpine habitats as the main threat to the viability of WTPT populations. Colorado supports the largest population of WTPT in the lower 48 states. Thus, if the species does become listed, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will be responsible for the bulk of the protection and management of the species, yet understanding of the species distribution and demographic parameters is limited.To develop a baseline distribution and inventory of the species, statewide occupancy surveys were conducted in 2011. These surveys will be used to respond to the petition to list the WTPT and to monitor populations as climate change and other disturbances impact the viability of the species over time. [show more]

Type:Fact Sheet

Subject:Whirling disease
Fish
Trout
<em>Myxobolus cerebralis</em>
Fact sheet

Description:Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has made whirling disease research a high priority for more than 20 years as part of the agency’s mission to conserve and perpetuate wildlife resources. When whirling disease first appeared in the state in the 1980s, CPW researchers started exhaustive projects to control the spread of whirling disease, limit the damage to fisheries and develop other solutions. The CPW work also includes cooperative investigations with researchers in other states to coordinate resources. [show more]

Type:Text

Subject:Toads

Description:A guide to locating toads

Type:Text

Subject:Wildlife

Description:Colorado is home to many incredible wildlife species. As people and wildlife continue to share space, there is a chance that you, or a family member, will have a close encounter with one of Colorado’s predators. Please take the time to speak with your children, and other loved ones, about being S.M.A.R.T [show more]

Type:Text

Subject:Water temperature
WaTSS 3.0 (water temperature summary software)

Description:Water temperature is perhaps the single most important environmental parameter for fish (Magnusen et al. 1979). As ectothermic organisms, ambient temperature drives survival (Dickerson and Vinyard 1999, Bear et al. 2007, Underwood et al. 2012, Brinkman et al. 2013), behavior(Casselman 1978, Mesing and Wicker 1986, Cook and Bergersen 1988, Rogers 1998), growth (Selong et al. 2001, Meeuwig et al. 2004, Bear et al. 2007, Ziegler et al. 2013, Brinkman et al. 2013), and other physiological processes (Brett 1979), as well as defining the range a fish can occupy (Dunham et al. 2003, de la Hoz Franco and Budy 2005. Recent concerns over changing climactic conditions on fish (Ficke et al. 2007, Rahel and Olden 2007, Wenger et al. 2011, Peterson et al. 2013, Roberts et al. 2013) and its implications for persistence of threatened or endangered species has led to a proliferation of water temperature monitoring efforts (Isaak et al. 2012, Ziegler et al. 2013b). The combination of heightened interest coupled with the availability of relatively inexpensive and durable temperature loggers has precipitated an explosion in the use of these devices that has spread to applied uses in fish management as well, beyond just monitoring water quality. From detecting timing of fry emergence that inform water management practices to predicting optimum timing to implement successful wild spawn operations, use of these devices is becoming routine. While inexpensive remote temperature loggers have been available for several decades, interpreting the resulting data has been hampered by the lack of user friendly software. The hope is that this program can serve as a developing platform to make common analyses of temperature data readily available to managers and researchers alike. [show more]

Type:Brochure

Subject:Boating

Description:Colorado lakes and reservoirs where motorboats are allowed