Lake Pueblo State Park expands with addition of wildlife land on north side

 

Map shows the approximately 800 acres of State Wildlife Area to be transferred to Lake Pueblo State Park management effective April 1.
Map courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife 

March 4, 2021 Lake Pueblo State Park expands with addition of wildlife land on north side PUEBLO, Colo.  – Lake Pueblo State Park, the most-visited state park in Colorado, is expanding by about 800 acres with the addition of land along the north shore. Beginning April 1, state park staff will take over management of property previously known as the North Wildlife Area. It has been managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Area 11 Wildlife Office as part of the 11,864 acre Lake Pueblo State Wildlife Area, which straddles the north and south shores on the west end of the lake. CPW is making the management change after reviewing public comments during the recent update of the Resource Management Plan for the park and wildlife areas. The update was required by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the lake and surrounding property. CPW manages the recreational use of the water and property under a long-term lease. “During the public input process, the public was vocal letting us know they wanted this change,” said Joe Stadterman, park manager. “It’s great to be able to make this happen.” Stadterman said the shift to park designation reflects the change in the way the public is using the property with growing emphasis on hiking and biking and other uses more common in parks than in State Wildlife Areas. The much larger South Wildlife Area will be unaffected by the change.   The new park parcel is located off of Nichols Road and extends west to the Turkey Creek drainage. As a result of the management change, visitors will no longer need a hunting or fishing license to access this property. Instead, visitors will need a valid state parks pass.   Stadterman said hunting and fishing opportunities will continue in the former wildlife area, noting hunting occurs in many state parks. But those activities will coexist with other recreation opportunities including mountain biking, wildlife watching and walking.   Because CPW doesn’t own the property, the change in management was relatively simple as opposed to restrictions on use and management of wildlife areas purchased by the agency. When CPW buys a wildlife area, it uses revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and that puts strict regulations on how the land can be used. Since CPW only leases the Lake Pueblo land, there are no such restrictions on it. In coming months, access to the property will change from an existing entrance off Nichols Road to a new entrance off North Marina Road inside the park. Plans call for construction of a new access road later this summer.