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Motorboats and sailboats must have an ANS Stamp prior to launching vessels in Colorado (effective Jan 1, 2019). Boat owners are required to purchase the ANS Stamp and operators must retain proof of purchase (electronic or printed receipt) on his or her person, the motorboat or sailboat, when operating the vessel (C.R.S. 33-10.5-104.5). ​Funding contributes to prevention and management of ANS in the state. Thank you for protecting our waters and contributing to conservation in Colorado!

Motorized and trailered watercraft launching in Blue Mesa Reservoir are required to be inspected for aquatic invasive species prior to launching, and if necessary, decontaminated in accordance with procedures set by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. In addition to the mandatory inspection prior to launch, boaters are encouraged to get an exit inspection to verify the watercraft has been cleaned, drained and dried.

In 1997, the Colorado Legislature established the Colorado Noxious Weed Management Fund to provide additional financial resources for on-the-ground noxious weed management. Organized private interests, conservation districts, municipalities, and counties have been eligible to apply for assistance provided that awarded funds are used to enhance weed management efforts within the State of Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announces additional zebra mussel veligers found in the Colorado River and Government Highline Canal after increased testing. With these additional detections, both the Highline Government Canal and the Colorado River meet the criteria for being considered “positive” for zebra mussels.
See also: Colorado Parks and Wildlife announces discovery of zebra mussels in the Colorado River and the Government Highline Canal (July 16, 2024), nearly two years after the invasive species was first detected in the state. 

Explains state laws and regulations governing wildlife as pets, including what's legal and what's illegal to own, and why.

All known feral swine have been eliminated from Colorado thanks to a near 15-year state and federal partnership comprised of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services (WS), the USDA Forest Service (FS), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA). The partnership formed in the early 2000s as a task force to manage invasive feral swine, which root up crops and pastures causing billions in damage nationwide each year. Feral swine also spread disease to livestock, wildlife and humans. Ground-nesting birds and other wildlife are easy prey for feral swine. And the swine put native wildlife at risk by competing for resources and destroying habitats and ecosystems. 

You can help keep Colorado free of feral swine:

• Spread the word that in Colorado it’s illegal to possess, transport or release feral swine, wild swine species or hybrids.
• Report sightings of feral swine or transportation activities to USDA Wildlife Services at 1-866-4-USDA-WS (1-866-487-3297) or Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 303-297-1192.
• Get more information at the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program.

On Tuesday, April 24, Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the Mussel-Free Colorado Act into law in a short ceremony at the Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver. The new law provides a stable funding source of $2.4 million for Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Aquatic Nuisance Species Program for 2019 and beyond.

Invasive cheatgrass, reviled by Western ranchers and conservationists, has long since earned a reputation as a firestarter, making wildfires worse and more common. Same with climate change: It's well understood that climate warming is making western wildfires worse. But it’s not just cheatgrass anymore, or just a warming West: a new analysis finds at least seven other non-native grasses can increase wildfire risk in places across the country, some doubling or even tripling the likelihood of fires in grass-invaded areas.

The Japanese Beetle was discovered in Mesa County in the summer of 2022. The Colorado Department of Agriculture has been working in partnership with local stakeholders to eradicate the pest and prevent its spread into additional areas of Colorado.