DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife recognizes the contributions of the state’s sportsmen and women by celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day on Sept. 22. National Hunting and Fishing Day is observed annually on the fourth Saturday of September, honoring hunters and anglers for their leadership in conserving America’s wildlife and wild places.
“Hunters and anglers were some of the earliest supporters of wildlife and habitat conservation and science-based management,” said Bob Broscheid, director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “For more than a century, sportsmen and women have recognized that unregulated use of wildlife threatens the future for many species. It’s hard to imagine now, but elk and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were both nearing extinction in the early 1900’s. Today, they are thriving thanks to the efforts of our hunters and anglers.”
As a result of the many contributions from hunters and anglers that resulted in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, in 1972 Congress established a day to honor sportsmen and women for their work in conserving America’s natural resources.
“Hunters and anglers are one of the biggest reasons Colorado enjoys such abundant wildlife,” said Jason Duetsch, statewide hunter outreach coordinator for CPW. “By helping to fund our agency’s work through hunting and fishing licenses, and spending billions of dollars on equipment each year, these conservationists from all walks of life are supporting and promoting the fair and healthy and sustainable populations of fish and wildlife for generations to come.”
In Colorado, hunters and anglers fund more than 70 percent of CPW’s wildlife management programs through the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses, habitat stamps, as well as taxes paid on hunting and fishing equipment, firearms and ammunition. This generates millions of dollars for conservation programs that benefit both game and non-game species statewide. Recent conservation efforts include reintroducing the greenback cutthroat trout, Colorado’s state fish, to its native waters, and the reintroduction and continued monitoring of black-footed ferrets on the state’s eastern plains.