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For decades, the Windy Gap Reservoir has decimated fish populations near the Colorado River headwaters downstream of Granby. A new channel is beginning to undo the damage.

New research shows that climate change is causing mountain lakes to rapidly lose ice cover in the winter. That can harm the Mountain West region’s water quality – and native fish.

The nearly 2,000-acre Collard Ranch property near Fairplay was acquired by the state in the spring. It opens to hunters in October, which has some people worried about the impact on migrating elk herds. According to Colorado Sun reporter Tracy Ross, there's been some pushback from people who say state regulations unfairly favor hunters and anglers over other uses in wildlife areas.

Fall means it’s hunting season for many residents in our region. One popular way to hunt and fish is to lease land from private property owners for a more one-of-a-kind experience, and technology is changing the way people find these opportunities.

The case came about because of an angler who was fishing on a part of the Arkansas River that ran through private property. The court dismissed the angler's claim, but the battle to define whether the state owns a riverbed could pit landowners against recreation enthusiasts in the future.

More than 1,500 ice anglers came to Grand County for the 35th annual Three Lakes Ice Fishing Contest. For three cold days, anglers of all ages compete to catch the most prized fish in Lake Granby, Grand Lake and Shadow Mountain Reservoir.

The U.S. Interior Department is expanding access to hunting and fishing on about 2.1 million acres of Fish and Wildlife Service land. That’s nearly the size of Yellowstone National Park. While hunters and anglers applaud the efforts, other conservation groups believe that refuges shouldn’t have hunting or angling at all.

Sales for both hunting and fishing licenses are up in Colorado this year. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, over 624,000 people applied for the big game draw this year, up from 609,000 in 2019.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has greenlighted the expansion of hunting and fishing access to more than 2.3 million acres and 147 wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries across the nation.

As the Mountain West grows and hunter numbers decline , states are finding ways to bring in more revenue to fund conservation.