Do you care about the future of open space, parks, and trails in Adams County? Share your opinion and ideas .

Sign up to receive the latest news about the Colorado Parks and Wildlife via the CPW Insider. Choose topics geared to your interests and receive current information about them—in your inbox! Be among the first to know about classes and clinics and other activities that will get you up, out, and about!

Get Outdoors! 

• Upcoming Events
• Get Out and Hunt
• Get Out and Go Fishin'
• Get Out and Watch Wildlife
• Recruitment and Retention Summit  

Upcoming Events 

• Wildlife Viewing Tours. Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays (holidays excepted), Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, CO.
  

• Reel Family Fun. Select Saturdays and Sundays from May through October. This fun and interactive class is designed to educate parents on fundamental fishing basics to share with their kids while youngsters learn the basics through fun, kid friendly activities. More information!
  

• Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. There are still openings for the RMBO's 2012 summer bird camps.  Deadline for sign up is June 1, so register now.
  

• Wildlife Photography Workshop. May 22 through May 29, pro photographers Cathy and Gordan Illg show you how to make the most of your wildlife encounters and photo sessions. Limited seating for this popular workshop, so sign up now!
  

• Fly Fishing Clinic. May 28. An introduction to fly-fishing clinic just outside the town of Bailey, Colo. on May 28th. Twenty adult beginners (Sixteen years and older) will spend half the day in classroom instruction, followed by hands-on application at a nearby river and ponds. Find out more!
  

• Night of Fishing: June 1, all night (park close to park open). Spend the night fishing on the Aurora Reservoir! Park pass and raffle entries are included in the event registration. Dinner will be catered by Famous Dave's BBQ. Register online or at the Aurora Reservoir Park Office. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Crystal Yusten at 303-690-1286 or cyusten@auroragov.org.
  

• 2012 Fly Fishing Film Tour. Doors open at 5:30pm, June 1. Fly fishing's most celebrated annual event, and the largest event of its kind. With footage from across the globe, a party atmosphere, an anglers dream silent auction, and audience giveaways, it is not to be missed! 
  

• Wellington 2nd Annual Fishing Contest. June 2, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. Join Wellington's Annual Fishing Contest to benefit Spirit of the Poudre 4-H club. A Colorado Fishing License is not required to participate. Find out more!
  

• Brush Outdoor Skills Day. June 2, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This all-day event offers a taste of wildlife recreation for young and old alike. This year's event will include opportunities for participants to try their hand at shooting clay targets with shotguns, as well as archery, fishing (fly and spin cast) and wildlife viewing. Get more information!
  

• Hooks and Arrows. June 3, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Come join Colorado Parks & Wildlife and its partners for a morning of outdoor recreation, education and fun! You and your family can learn archery and fish with experts from CPW at beautiful Golden Gate Canyon State Park. No experience necessary, no equipment needed! Join the fun!
  

• Fly Fishing 101 Seminar. 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at 711 Independent Avenue Hunter Education bldg. Grand Junction, CO. Registration required. To register please call 970-255-6100. Brought to you by Grand Valley Anglers and The Western Colorado Trout Unlimited Club. This is a free seminar to help you learn about fly fishing basics from learning equipment to casting.
  

• Two Buttes Outdoor Adventure. June 8 through June 10, Youth from southeast Colorado can experience an amazing weekend of free outdoor learning at Two Buttes State Wildlife Area. Outdoor skills and educational workshops will be offered throughout the weekend. Everyone is invited!
  

• Evergreen Outdoor Skills Day. June 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Come join Colorado Parks & Wildlife and its partners for a day of free outdoor recreation, education and fun! You and your family can try your hand at shooting, fishing, and learn about Colorado Wildlife. No experience necessary, no equipment needed! Free lunch included RSVP now!
  

• Poudre Rendezvous Outdoor Skills Day. June 9, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This fun and educational event offers families a safe and comprehensive opportunity to try out the activities that drive our wildlife heritage. Opportunities at the event include archery, spin casting, fly fishing, and shooting clays. Interested in learning more? Read the full event details.
  

• Family Outdoor Day at Haxtun Gun Club. June 22 through June 24. Youth ages 10-17 are invited, along with their families, to campout at the Haxtun Gun Club. Meals will be provided along with shooting sports, fishing, archery, basic survival skills and compass & GPS classes. Visit the great outdoors and spend time as a family enjoying outdoor activities.
  

• High Plains Drifters Kids Day. June 23. A special High Plains Drifters Fly Fishing Clinic offering hands-on fly fishing instruction. Kids will learn the basics of fly fishing at a stocked pond. Class is limited to 30 children ages 6-16. Advanced registration is required.
  

• Fly Fishing Day Camp. July 30 through August 4, application deadline is June 30. Camp takes place around the Fort Collins area. $30 for six full days. Held by Rocky Mountain Flycasters. See the details.
  

• 3-D Archery Shoot. August 4-5, from 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Come join us at the Pronghorn Natural Area (north of the Aurora Reservoir) for a day of shooting. The event costs $10 for an entire day of shooting for adults, and $5 per day for children under 18 years of age. More than 18 targets will be available, including bears, alligators, buffalo, rabbits, deer, and more. Registration will take place on location the day of the event, no pre-registration is required. If you have any questions, please contact Crystal Yusten at 303-690-1286 or cyusten@auroragov.org.
  

• Night of Fishing. August 31, all night (park close to park open). Spend the night fishing on the Aurora Reservoir! Park pass and raffle entries are included in the event registration. Dinner will be catered by Famous Dave's BBQ. Register online or at the Aurora Reservoir Park Office. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Crystal Yusten at 303-690-1286 or cyusten@auroragov.org.
  

• Fall Fishing Classic. October 6, from 5:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. Come out to the Aurora Reservoir for an all species tournament. The Grand Prize for Biggest Fish is $3,000, with $300 prizes for the biggest of each species. Park pass and raffle entries are included in the event registration. Lunch will be catered by Famous Dave's BBQ. Register online or at the Aurora Reservoir Park Office. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Crystal Yusten at 303-690-1286 or cyusten@auroragov.org.
  

• Night of Fishing. October 26, all night (park close to park open). Spend the night fishing on the Aurora Reservoir! Park pass and raffle entries are included in the event registration. Dinner will be catered by Famous Dave's BBQ. Register online or at the Aurora Reservoir Park Office. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Crystal Yusten at 303-690-1286 or cyusten@auroragov.org.

Find more events in the Colorado outdoors; browse the CPW Get Outdoors! Events Calendar.

And, for get-out-and-about family adventures and wish-you-were-here moments at any time of year, check out the Colorado Birding Trail. Updated guides are now available for printing, or you can pick up copies at a Colorado Welcome Center or a Colorado Parks and Wildlife office.

And, Colorado State Parks offer a multitude of outdoor events and activities ranging from guided nature walks to a Junior Ranger Program. Look at their events calendar for opportunities close to where you live!

Explore the possibilities; explore Colorado; explore your heritage!

• Sign-up for a Hunter Education course
• Buy a license—small game, turkey, waterfowl and more
• Hunting opportunities for youth and women
• Audit Elk Hunting University—or take for "credit"
• Sign-up for a seminar or clinic
• Watch a quick guide to Colorado game species

Get Out and Go Fishin'

There's probably a good fishin' hole a short walk from home, or an easy bike-ride away. Pack up the family and a picnic lunch and head up to one of our spectacular mountain reservoirs; or, maybe, a cool, clear mountain lake will be your destination.

Get started today.

• Buy a fishing license (Are you younger than 16? Then you don't need a license! It's the best deal in town!)
• Sign-up for a CPW fishing clinic (Check with your local fishing clubs and sporting goods retailers, too. Many offer fishing clinics and instruction.)
• Watch fishing videos
• Find a near-by spot to take the family fishing or a "hot spot" to drop a line
• Get fishing tips and links to fishing resources
• See how sport fish are reared and stocked—visit a CPW hatchery

Get Out and Watch Wildlife

Watching wildlife—whether in the backyard, at the park, or anywhere for that matter—opens doors to learning and lifelong enjoyment of, and appreciation for, the world around us.

Kids, especially, can't seem to get enough of learning about wildlife. And adults get to see the world once again through a child's eyes.

So, stop reading this and start watching. Outdoors! 

• Get wildlife viewing tips and read the Wildlife Watching issue of Colorado's Wildlife Company
• Find one of over 200 of the best places to watch wildlife in Colorado
• Attend a wildlife festival
• Read interesting, short articles about Colorado wildlife and watch some videos

Recruitment and Retention Summit

The theme for the Summit was “inspiring new generations of hunters and anglers.” The Summit opened with remarks from Tom Remington, Director of the DOW, and Mike King, Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources. View the full Summit Program here: 2011 Recruitment and Retention Summit Program.

Speakers touched on the importance of increasing hunting and fishing participation. Sportsmen fund nearly all wildlife management efforts in Colorado and contribute about $1.8 billion to Colorado’s economy each year.

The core of the Summit focused on presentations on current recruitment and retention efforts, national research on what works, best practices for planning outreach events, and access issues. Plenty of informal one-on-one discussions sparked new ideas and paved the way for a network of people willing to work on the problem together.

Downloadable presentations:

• Taking Action, DOW Recruitment and Retention Efforts
• Hunting and Fishing Recruitment and Retention Lessons Learned – Responsive Management
• Pathways to Fishing
• Best Practices, How to Plan an Outreach Event
• Framework for Recruitment and Retention Efforts, A Continuum of Participation
• Colorado Youth Outdoors

The Summit produced a network of organizations with the common goal of increasing hunter and angler participation. Our hope is that the discussions started during the Summit can continue, that lasting, effective partnerships will form, and that more people will join the discussion. For comments or questions, email Lori Morgan.