Chapter 10 Issues: Nongame, Threatened and Endangered Wildlife

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primarily due to a question about the efficacy of focusing on nesting grounds when more immediate threats are occurring on wintering grounds beyond Colorado's influence, and secondarily to an attempted coordinated effort among states and land management agencies, and the possibility that state threatened classification may hamper access to private lands. FURBEARERS Proposed Action - Change the status of those furbearer-s- with closed seasons from game to nongame species. This action is under review by the Attorney General. Species Affected - Pine marten, ringtail, swift fox, hognosed skunk, eastern spotted skunk, western spotted skunk, grey fox Comments - In 1995 the Wildlife Commission adopted a new furbearer policy that closed the season on furbearer species that were not typically involved in game damage. The passage of Amendment 14 in 1996 removed traps, snares and poisons as potential tools that can be used to take the above species. In most instances, these species were most susceptible to these methods and not traditional techniques. If there is no intent to allow sport hunting for any of these species, they fit the definition of nongame more than they fit the definition of game. (Game wildlife = those wildlife species which may be lawfully hunted or taken for food, sport, or profit and which are classified as game wildlife by the commission.) ( Nongame wildlife = all native species and subspecies of wildlife which are not classified as game wildlife by rule or regulation of the commission.) RAPTORS Proposed Action - Leave the status of those raptors which are allowed to be taken from the wild for falconry as nongame. Species Affected - golden eagle (with federal permit), gyrfalcon, prairie falcon, merlin, kestrel, northern goshawk, cooper's hawk, sharp- shinned hawk, red - tailed hawk, ferruginous hawk, rough - legged hawk, swainson's hawk, red - shouldered hawk, broad - winged hawk, northern harrier Comments - The Wildlife Commission has a chapter of regulations delineating the manner of take, timing, numbers, reporting and marking requirements for raptors which may be taken from the wild for use in falconry. The issue, as noted above, is whether such species fit the definition of game or nongame wildlife. From 1970 -79 raptors were classified as game species.