CPW Commission Meeting Aug 21-22 2025 Pueblo

[COEngineer]

The topics were not of great concern or interest to many of us, but the discussion and decisions made by the Commission are of great concern.

1. A petition to allow limited spear fishing in lakes in CO was discussed and even though several of the commissioners admitted they had no experience or expertise on spear fishing, they roundly denied the petition on a 7-1 vote. Rather than asking questions of staff, commissioners brought up arguments that I assume had already been considered and were deemed inconsequential by staff. This disdain for the experts' opinion and work is dismaying, to say the least.

2. There was a petition brought by a group from out-of-state to ban live bait fish in CO. CPW Staff (the experts) recommended denying the petition and provided a detailed response to each point brought up in the petition. The petition was discussed at length (over an hour) with several concerning statements from commissioners (listen hear:

), but was finally, correctly, denied on a 7-1 vote.

Please, if you can, attend future CPW meetings and/or sign-up to provide testimony. Emails to the Commissioners are also valuable (emails sent to: [email protected] are provided to all Commissioners).

 

[bayoublaster7527]

This point cannot be overstated. As sportsmen and women in Colorado, we must continue to stay engaged with the Commission. The anti-hunting groups see the recent appointments as an opportunity and if you watch public comment, they consistently show up beating the drum for bans on trapping, lion hunting, and bear hunting. The CATS/Prop 127 folks currently have a citizens petition in to enact a statewide fur ban, very similar to the November ballot initiative that failed in Denver. We need to show up in support of CPW agency recommendations and science-based wildlife management writ large.