BOARD02292

• Board Meeting Date: 3/29/1999
• Description: Directors' Reports
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Robert Shoemaker, a Democrat, will serve as a representative of agriculture from District 4 for a term .
expiring March I, 2002. As a former state representative from 1975 to 1988 and again from 1993 to
1994, Robert Shoemaker sponsored water and land trade legislation. Shoemaker is currently a rancher
and has spent 54 years ranching and farming in Colorado.

Rick Enstrom will serve as a representative of sportsmen from District 5, as an Unaffiliated, effective
March I, 1999 to March 1,2003. Enstrom owns and operates Enstrom Candies of Denver and is a
member of the Colorado Wildlife Federation. He served as a Mesa County Commissioner from 1978-
1982.

ELK HARVEST: The overall elk harvest in 1998 was about 51,500, the third largest take in DOW
history.

The number of elk in Colorado has been grown over time to become the largest in North America. The
large population has become a threat to habitat in some areas and there are an increasing number of
conflicts with private landowners and livestock. To address this problem, the Wildlife Commission
approved a regulation change in January 1998 allowing either-sex elk licenses in many areas on the West
Slope to be sold over the counter rather than through the limited license drawing.

On the other hand, deer harvest numbers dropped in 1998. Hunters harvested about 40,500 deer, the
fewest taken since 1975. The Wildlife Commission voted in January to limit all deer licenses for the
1 999hunting season. The decision to limit deer licenses is intended to help achieve the goals of
improving harvest success rates for those who do draw licenses, and also to reduce hunter crowding,
which may increase the number of bucks that survive the hunting season.

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WILDLIFE SURVEY: According to a statewide poll, Coloradans believe wildlife is important to their
lives and believe more should be done to protect habitat and restore native species. The poll, conducted
last month by Ciruli Associates of Denver, surveyed 700 residents from throughout the state. The margin
of error was plus or minus 3.7 percent.

The survey showed that three out of four Coloradans say wildlife is of "above average importance" to
their quality of life. Enforcement of wildlife laws, habitat protection, youth education and protecting and
restoring endangered and threatened species were listed as "top priorities" by at least 60 percent.

The poll was conducted as part of the DOW ongoing efforts to learn how Coloradans view the agency's
performance and to help determine what the DOW's top priorities should be.

The survey also found that 82 percent of Coloradans say hunting is either a basic right or that hunting
should be permitted. That figure has remained virtually the same for the past decade. Other results:

. Colorado residents are very optimistic about the direction of the state: 69 percent say Colorado is on
the right track.

. Wildlife is important to Coloradans' quality of life. Three-quarters (76%) rated it a six or above on a
scale of one to ten in terms of importance to quality oflife. Nearly half (48%) of the public gave
wildlife an "8" or above.

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