Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to Meet in Grand Junction
OutdoorHub 05.06.13
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will finalize 2013 big-game hunting license numbers when it travels to Grand Junction for its May meeting on Thursday, May 9. In addition, the Commission will consider an emergency regulation to protect a population of stocked tiger muskies in Harvey Gap Reservoir north of Rifle.
The meeting will be held at the Doubletree Hotel located at 743 Horizon Drive in Grand Junction, beginning at 8:30 a.m. A full agenda and meeting details are available online at http://wildlife.state.co.us/ParksWildlifeCommission/Archives/2013Calendar/Pages/May2013.aspx.
Thursday’s agenda includes official Commission action to set the number of limited hunting licenses for deer, elk, pronghorn, moose and black bear for the upcoming 2013 fall big-game seasons. The Commission will also consider an emergency regulation to prohibit the use of spearfishing, archery or gigs for the take of northern pike at Harvey Gap Reservoir. Fishery managers plan to introduce a number of 22-to-24-inch tiger muskies into Harvey Gap to assist in balancing the northern pike population. As sterile fish, tiger muskies are also expected to grow rapidly and create fishing opportunity in the future. However, unlike northern pike, tiger muskies can’t reproduce so they pose less risk to endangered fish populations in the Upper Colorado River basin. To protect the newly introduced fish, methods that target larger fish such as spearfishing, archery fishing and gigging will be suspended at Harvey Gap if the measure is approved.
The Commission will also include staff presentations regarding proposed changes for the 2013-2014 migratory bird hunting seasons, proposed changes to the regulations for sanctuaries and commercial wildlife parks, as well as standard monthly updates on financial, legal and regional issues. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 5:15 p.m.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission sets regulations and policies for Colorado’s state parks and wildlife programs. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meets monthly and travels to communities around the state to facilitate public participation in its processes. The commission is scheduled to travel to Walden, Gunnison, Trinidad, Montrose, Lamar and Pueblo later this year.
Members of the public who are unable to attend Parks and Wildlife Commission meetings or workshops can listen to the proceedings online. To access the live audio feed during the meeting, click on the “listen to live audio” link at the bottom of the commission webpage at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/ParksWildlifeCommission/Pages/Commission.aspx.
