This is a banner year for amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. It's been declared "The Year of the Frog," and the Western Painted Turtle was proclaimed official state reptile.

But in spite of this great publicity, Colorado's amphibians and reptiles face a perilous future fraught with environmental stumbling blocks.

Hunters and anglers interested in learning more about issues facing Colorado’s wildlife are invited to attend a public meeting Tuesday, June 3. The northeast region Sportsman’s Advisory Group will meet at 6:00 p.m. at the Division of Wildlife (DOW) Hunter Education Building at 6060 Broadway in Denver.

Representatives from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) will hold five meetings in May to discuss proposed changes to waterfowl hunting in the northeast region of the state. Potential property hunting regulation changes to affect restricted access, limited hunting through reservations, hunting hours restrictions, and mandatory check out will be discussed for the following State Wildlife Areas: Jackson Lake, Jean K. Tool, Brush, Atwood, Overland Trail, Bravo, and Red Lion. Potential regulation changes to allow waterfowl hunting from boats will be discussed for Jackson and Jumbo Reservoirs.

Birdwatchers, or "birders" as they prefer to be called these days, are heading outdoors in droves to celebrate spring and the return of migratory birds to the Centennial State.

According to the Association of Colorado Field Ornithologists, 487 species of birds have been documented in Colorado. That puts the state seventh on the list of which states have the most bird species. California (637) and Texas (632) are the top two. What makes Colorado unique is that it does not have an ocean coast line that harbors shore birds.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will host an Angler's Roundtable in Dolores, 6:30 p.m., May 5 (Monday) at the Dolores Public Library, 1002 Railroad Ave.

Aquatics staff from the DOW will discuss the status of habitat of the Upper Dolores River, present an educational video which explains the concerns over zebra mussels, and talk about other waters in southwest Colorado.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife wants to hear from people in the Four Corners region about plans to expand the Colorado Birding Trail to this part of the state. An informational meeting to explain the trail and how the public can participate in this effort is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 8 at the Durango Recreation Center, 2700 Main Ave.

Two Colorado Springs men have pled guilty to hunting without a license and illegal possession of wildlife following the investigation of an elk killed on the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument on Jan. 20.

Energy experts say Colorado's Piceance Basin is one of the largest natural gas reserves in North America. Biologists, conservationists and sportsmen value the Piceance Basin because for its incredible diversity and abundance of wildlife. As the energy industry makes a move to tap the gas resource, wildlife experts are examining ways to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts to wildlife and habitat.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will begin restocking Pastorius Reservoir after severe winter conditions caused a significant die-off of fish. The DOW recently received reports of many dead fish at the reservoir. On April 11, DOW aquatic biologists set gill nets in the small lake but no fish were found. Jim White, aquatic biologist for the DOW in Durango said it appears that all the oxygen became depleted over the winter and fish could not survive.

Two members of the Colorado Wildlife Commission will hold a public meeting at the Dolores Public Library, 6:30 p.m. on April 22. The commissioners will discuss local and state wildlife issues, and also want to hear from local residents about wildlife concerns.

Two members of the Colorado Wildlife Commission will hold a public meeting at the Fred Field Western Heritage Center, Gunnison County Fairgrounds, starting at 6:30 p.m., April 23. The commissioners will discuss local and state wildlife issues, and also want to hear from local residents about wildlife concerns.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife is looking for information about a poaching case at the Beaver Creek State Wildlife area in Fremont County. Someone entered the wildlife area, shot a deer from the roadway, and then left the dead animal.

Closures implemented by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) remain in place until May 16 for all wildlife-related recreational uses, except fishing, on public lands in the Gunnison Basin below 9,500 feet. Until the DOW ends its big-game feeding program, the closure to all human activity on public lands is being enforced by the Bureau of Land Management. These closure orders were put in place by the agencies in mid-January to protect deer, pronghorn and elk affected by severe winter conditions.

Outdoor enthusiasts who purchase a Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp are beginning to see a return on their investment. The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) announced today that more than 19,000 acres have been set aside for wildlife and wildlife-related recreation since the DOW started selling Habitat Stamps two years ago.

The deer feeding operation in the Gunnison Basin is continuing; but Colorado Division of Wildlife managers expect that the program should end by mid April. As of the end of March, the DOW was feeding about 9,100 deer at 114 sites in the Gunnison area. Earlier in the month the number of deer being fed peaked at about 9,500 at 131 feeding sites. Even though temperatures are slowly warming and south-facing hillsides are starting to be exposed, a thick crust of snow two-feet deep still covers much of the basin.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has scheduled two public meetings next week to present big game hunting license numbers for the San Luis Valley for 2008. The first meeting is 6 p.m., Monday, April 7 at the Monte Vista Co-op; the second meeting is 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 9 at the Community Center in Creede.

The charges are related to the following Colorado statutes:

CRS 33-6-117(1)(a) Willful destruction of wildlife/big game

.. it is unlawful for a person to hunt or take, or to solicit another person to hunt or take, wildlife and detach or remove, with the intent to abandon the carcass or body, only the head, hide, claws, teeth, antlers, horns, internal organs, or feathers or any or all of such parts; to abandon the carcass or body of such wildlife; or to take and abandon wildlife.

Bainbridge Island, Washington - The top names in Fly Fishing have joined forces together to put togther a world-class fly fishing outfit as a fundraiser for Trout Unlimited-Alaska to help with their efforts protecting the Bristol Bay watershed.

MEETING SET TO DISCUSS GUNNISON AREA DEER, ELK LICENSE NUMBERS

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will hold a public meeting to discuss deer and elk hunting license numbers for the 2008 hunting season for the Gunnison Basin on March 28 at the Holiday Inn Express in Gunnison.

STALKER LAKE MAINTENANCE HIT’S A SNAG

The Colorado Division of Wildlife would like residents to know that it recently lowered the water level on Stalker Lake for required maintenance of the dam. A section of concrete on the face of the dam had started to break up allowing the wave action to erode away the dirt embankment.