Prevention and Reimbursement: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Game Damage Program
Did you know that Colorado Parks and Wildlife (or the Division of Wildlife as it used to be named) has been managing compensation for damage by wildlife for more than 90 years?
Since the passage of Senate Bill 229 in 1931, what is now Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has been empowered to receive and settle claims for damages caused by animals protected by the laws of Colorado. Exactly what this entailed has changed over time, but to this day it remains an important part of what the organization does and a crucial way that CPW both meets the needs of Coloradans and builds relationships that are vital to the stewardship of our natural resources.
Who handles game damage claims?
So who identifies, navigates and manages damage claims? CPW’s dedicated District Wildlife Managers (DWMs) and Wildlife Damage Specialists.
When most Coloradans envision an employee of CPW, the image they see is one of our DWMs. This talented corps of officers are in many ways the face of the organization. They interact with a diverse group of stakeholders across the state every day, and are trained wildlife managers and commissioned officers who do everything from enforcing the law to making presentations to school children.
DWMs investigate damage claims, find ways to mitigate and stop recurrence of damage, and work with claimants to navigate the damage claim process and access damage prevention resources. Perhaps the most important thing DWMs do is build strong relationships with producers, landowners and other everyday Coloradans who assist CPW in achieving vital conservation work that would not be possible without their assistance.
Each DWM goes through a rigorous training process that includes multiple pre-hire examinations, certification through Peace Officers Standards and Training, and seven months of field work with veteran officers and specialists, including an intensive wildlife damage training course.
Damage Specialists have a more specialized role that is focused on determining cause of death for livestock, investigating and resolving all types of damage claims, and ensuring producers and landowners are fairly compensated.
CPW’s Damage Specialists are a valuable resource both for the organization’s staff and agricultural producers. They provide technical assistance and education on the different aspects of the claims process as well as various damage prevention and conflict minimization materials at the division’s disposal.
They are also important ambassadors for CPW at meetings with other agencies, the public and agricultural stakeholders.
Additionally, CPW staff involved with Game Damage includes the Game Damage team made up of the Game Damage Manager, Administrative Assistant and two Damage Technicians. They work to provide training, materials, paperwork and tracking and technical assistance to CPW damage specialists and DWMs.
I was lucky enough to join a group of DWM trainees and Damage Specialists for a recent wildlife damage training, and it opened my eyes to the realities and nuances of the work they do.
So what is damage by wildlife?
The great outdoors is one of the defining features of the Centennial State. Coloradans love their natural spaces.
We yearn for the vistas of the mountains in the west, the vastness of the plains to the east, and the babble of brooks and rushing of rivers that tie it all together.
With such diverse geography comes a certifiable clown car of different species of wildlife (more than 96,000 since CPW took the lead on conserving Colorado’s native invertebrates and rare plants) that inspire the entire gamut of human emotions. But sometimes the wildlife we respect can negatively impact landowners and agricultural producers and the products from honey to peaches to beef to corn that we count on for putting dinner on our tables.
Damage by wildlife could cover a great many things, but in regards to CPW it has been more narrowly defined in the state constitution. In a nutshell, it is damage caused by a big game animals to any of the following:
- Livestock (as defined in the state constitution)
- Personal property used in the production of raw agricultural products
- Real property, provided the damage was caused by wildlife that is being moved or is otherwise under the direct control of CPW at the time the damage occurs, or that was caused by damage prevention materials (which can include fences, pyrotechnic noise makers, nonlethal rounds and scare devices) supplied by the division
- Orchards, nurseries, crops, lawful fences and cultivated livestock forage
Who is eligible for compensation?
As already noted, to be eligible for this compensation, the damage has to fall into one of the above categories and has to have been caused by big game.
This classification of big-game animals is clearly laid out in the state constitution as “elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain goat, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lion, and all species of large mammals that may be introduced or transplanted into this state for hunting or are classified as big game by the commission.”
Claimants also have a duty to mitigate damage caused by wildlife by making reasonable efforts to avoid or minimize damage in order to be eligible. CPW staff provide technical assistance to resolve conflicts and even provide damage prevention materials such as fencing and noisemakers .
Another important requirement is providing reasonable access to hunting of big game on private property where the damage has occurred. Many Colorado landowners diversify the economics of their agricultural production through wildlife-related endeavors such as wildlife watching, hunting and guest ranch activities.
Access for hunting is important to both minimizing damage by wildlife and helping CPW maintain a healthy population of big-game species that is in line with the population objectives established by the agency’s highly trained biologists. Landowners who allow hunting access are not looking for a wildlife-free farm or ranch; they are just balancing the impacts that our collective wildlife might have on their efforts to raise food or products that Coloradans depend on.
There are also some damages that are not covered by the state of Colorado, or at least not covered under CPW’s Game Damage program. Examples include:
- Damage caused by gray wolves, which is covered by a different program within CPW
- Damage by coyotes, bobcats, dogs or nuisance species that aren’t protected under Colorado law
- Damage to motor vehicles
- Damage sustained when prevention materials have been provided by CPW, but those materials have not been properly used or maintained
What does the process look like and how do we train for it?
One of the most important parts of handling big game damage claims is understanding the laws and obligations of CPW. As such, wildlife damage training includes a deep dive into the claims process and all of the rules, regulations and statutes that govern it.
Training includes discussing the history of the program, outlining the deadlines and paperwork associated with different types of claims, and explaining the different damage prevention materials and tools available. Attendees are also given refreshers on determining causes of livestock mortality as well as the important field necropsies that contribute to those determinations.
For this year’s class we were fortunate to have a number of Wildlife Damage Specialists in attendance who were able to lend their expertise in mortality determination and field necropsies. These experts led much of this section of the class and were able to discuss depredation determinations they had been on and the different indications predators leave on livestock.
In addition to classroom portions of the training, staff spend time in the field assessing examples of damage, reviewing mitigation efforts at sites, and hearing from veteran staff on the ways they have navigated unique and challenging situations while fulfilling CPW’s obligations to the people of Colorado.
A recurrent theme throughout all of this is the importance of the game damage program and how the relationships it builds between CPW’s field staff and producers advance the stewardship of Colorado’s natural resources.
Investigating and resolving game damage claims are often some of the most challenging things DWMs and Damage Specialists are called upon to do. These professionals are meeting producers during stressful moments when their property, precious crops and livestock have been impacted by wildlife.
It is natural for communications to be tense at times when dealing with damage, liability and navigating what recourse is open to landowners and agricultural producers.
In these challenging moments, CPW’s field staff routinely rise to the moment, meeting our constituents where they are. By finding ways to fairly compensate for damage done and mitigate future damage, DWMs and Damage Specialists help agricultural producers keep producing and wildlife stay wild.
The relationships built through these interactions are vital to the management of the natural resources we hold so dear. Wildlife management is a group effort, the success of which is defined by the partnership between public organizations like CPW and private citizens. This is particularly true in regards to landowners, whose properties serve as vital habitats for the state’s varied wildlife.
Additional information about CPW’s Game Damage Program can be found here.
Each fiscal year CPW’s Game Damage Program produces an annual report on the claims from the previous year. The most recent report can be found here.
Written by Luke Perkins, a Statewide Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
