FAQs

SWAs are areas purchased with money from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and equipment. SWAs are purchased for a number of reasons, the primary one being to conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat needs. A secondary benefit is providing areas for wildlife-related recreation (hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching). When not in conflict with the prior purposes, SWAs also provide opportunities for other forms of recreation. Because SWAs are acquired using federal funds, if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines that a state agency has “lost control” of a property by allowing non-compatible uses, the state agency is required either to regain management control of the lands or replace such lands with lands of equal values and equal benefits as those originally acquired, or the license revenues must be restored to the State agency.

Recognizing that non-consumptive wildlife user groups wanted a path to financially support SWAs beyond purchasing a hunting and fishing license, and to help address growing SWA visitation, in 2020 an External Working Group composed of numerous stakeholders was convened to assist with the creation of a new SWA pass for non-consumptive users. In January 2021, the Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a SWA Access Pass effective in July 2021. 

For the next phase of improving SWA management, the working group began updating and cleaning-up Chapter W-9 of CPW regulations concerning wildlife properties. During this second step of the process, all of the SWAs were categorized by the type of uses the property could best support and sustain. The categories ranged from properties that were extremely important to wildlife (winter range/migrations corridors etc.) to properties important for wildlife that could sustain increased types of recreation to some degree and lastly properties that had little importance to wildlife and could support a number of different types of recreation.

Using these classifications, general provisions in Chapter W-9 were updated, followed by updates to the property-specific regulations. 

The SWA working group only focused on definitions, and prohibited activities to improve the management of State Wildlife Areas. For the definitions, the working group updated terminology associated with aircraft and water contact activities. This group also added language that defined camping, specified a camping unit, and defined a vessel.      

Prohibited activities are defined in General Provisions and these prohibitions apply on all lands, waters, and frozen surfaces of waters, rights of way, buildings, and other structures or devices owned, operated, or under administrative control of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The working group updated terminology within the prohibited activities section that is associated with certain activities to address the increase in new methods of recreation. The group focused on updating prohibitions that will positively influence wildlife and wildlife needs, and support wildlife-related recreation.