CPW to get new thermal drone to manage wildlife here

June 14, 2023 Shannon Lukens

By Shannon Lukens. (Picture of an antelope in Irish Canyon in Moffat County.)

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been granted $11,500 to purchase a new thermal drone. It’s to help better manage wildlife in the northwest region of Colorado. The money comes from a grant from GOCO, which is Great Outdoors Colorado.

Press release from GOCO – Great Outdoors Colorado; June 14, 2023.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 14, 2023

GOCO board awards $11,500 grant to CPW to purchase new thermal drone to stay on the forefront of wildlife management

DENVER – Today the Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) board awarded an $11,500 grant to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to deploy a drone to better manage wildlife and protect natural resources in the northwest region of the state.

The grant is part of GOCO’s CPW Director’s Innovation Fund (DIF), a partnership between GOCO and CPW to create a funding source for one-time, innovative projects that would not otherwise receive funding from either organization. CPW receives half of GOCO’s funding each year for statewide programs, wildlife, and state parks through an annual investment proposal, however many innovative, small-dollar projects fall outside current funding parameters.

Funding will help CPW purchase and deploy an unmanned aerial system (UAS), or drone, with zooming thermal and standard cameras on board. Staff will conduct various projects on State Wildlife Areas, conduct flights for wildlife management purposes and natural resource protection, and assist officers with law enforcement cases and local search and rescue. CPW’s use of dynamic tools, technology, and other resources allows staff to perform the functions of their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,600 projects in all 64 counties of Colorado without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.