State Trust Lands in Colorado currently total nearly 3 million surface acres. The federal government endowed the lands to Colorado in 1876, the year the Centennial State officially joined the union.
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| Duck Creek State Trust Land is closed to public access from September 1-30. Cattle on the property were recently exposed to anthrax; they have now been vaccinated but remain quarantined on the property. Carcasses of cattle that died from the disease have been disposed of per standard protocols. The site has been cleaned, and monitoring of the cattle continues through the quarantine period. Please call the Brush Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office at 970-842-6300 if you have questions about the property, or call the State Veterinarian’s Office at 303-239-4161 if you have questions about anthrax. |
The Public Access Program is a lease arrangement between the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the State Land Board which began in 1993. The Public Access Program allows public access to specific State Trust Lands and has opened up to the public over half a million acres of lands which had no public access previously. Most recently, the State Land Board and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife entered a 7 year lease in 2006 to allow public use of approximately 550,000 acres of State Trust Lands with wildlife values for wildlife-related recreation.
Through this lease agreement, these lands are available to the public for a specified time during the year for hunting, fishing and other wildlife-related activities. The State Trust Lands leased for this program are not open year-round because they are also leased to other users during the year. The lands may have several lease activities occurring on them during the year which includes farming, livestock grazing, mining and logging.
Several tracts provide or improve access to adjacent State Wildlife Areas as well as Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands.
The public is reminded to respect the rights of other users and lessees on State Trust Lands and to abide by state rules so the lands can remain open for future wildlife recreation. State Trust Lands not leased for this program are not open for public access.
Most of these leased State Trust Lands are not accessible by motor vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) or snowmobiles, and there are restrictions on camping, parking and off-road driving. Hunters should consult the State Trust Lands brochure for rules and property-specific information. Parcels are open only from September 1 through the end of February, unless otherwise stated in the brochure.
State Land Board website