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When low water levels in the Gunnison River this fall threatened Colorado's future kokanee salmon population, the Division of Wildlife and volunteers worked together to help save it - one five gallon bucket at a time.
So, you want to be a Volunteer ...
There are many opportunities to volunteer with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.  To be a volunteer also entails responsibilities.  First, you must properly register which includes completing a Volunteer Application Form and Background Check Authorization Waiver, available online or from a volunteer coordinator.  Applications that are received without the authorization form will not be processed.  You must also attend a volunteer orientation or complete the Self-Quiz based upon the handbook.  For more information about requirements and expectations, check out the Getting Started page.

Download the Volunteer Program 2008 Annual Report (2MB). New graphic

Note: If you live in the Denver or Fort Collins area, you are required to attend an orientation before volunteering on a project (submitting the handbook quiz is not accepted in lieu of the orientation) unless otherwise approved by the Volunteer Coordinator. Volunteer orientation dates are listed in the latest edition of the Volunteer Newsletter, Call of the Wild.

Vision Statement
Volunteer Program
We seek to provide a willing, skilled and knowledgeable volunteer work force to augment the Division of Wildlife staff and programs, provide training and exposure to wildlife management, and, as a result, cultivate informed citizen support for the wildlife of Colorado.

The Volunteer Program is designed to help Division personnel accomplish their duties and to give volunteers an opportunity to participate in and learn about the management of wildlife in Colorado.  We are fortunate that there are volunteers with the interest, ability and willingness to work with us on projects of all kinds!

We also want you - the people who pay the bills and own the wildlife- to see what the Division of Wildlife does firsthand.  We hope that in working with us you can learn about wildlife and wildlife management in ways you never could from book or video.

As the public becomes more involved in managing wildlife-influencing local land-use decisions, providing input to the Wildlife Commission and even the ballot box- an understanding of the needs of wildlife and management options will promote informed decision making.