Colorado Parks and Wildlife has awarded $24,000 in funding to seven wildlife rehabilitation centers across Colorado. The awards are provided through the Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants Program, using a portion of funds raised through the non-game check-off option on Colorado state tax returns.
Funding will support veterinary testing, construction of new and upgraded wildlife recovery enclosures, specialized food, and medical supplies. This is the fourth year of the program, which has now provided 33 grants totaling more than $76,000 in funding to facilities across the state in support of a variety of wildlife rehabilitation efforts.
“These seven grants reach across the state,” said CPW Director Dan Prenzlow. “They include investments to expand rehabilitation facilities for the long-term and funding to help keep existing facilities open to meet public demand.”
“Colorado’s diversity of wildlife species helps make our state a special place to live,” said John Gale, Chair of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants Board. “The continued success of this program helps meet a critical rehabilitation need for non-game species that other wildlife funding programs don’t support. By relying on voluntary contributions made by individual taxpayers, this unique program ensures that dedicated funding for non-game species can be efficiently invested where it’s needed most on an annual basis.”
“These grants provide much-needed funding to wildlife rehabilitators that provide assistance to distressed wildlife in Colorado,” said Jack Murphy, Wildlife Rehabilitation Board Member and Director of Urban Wildlife Rescue. “These rehabilitators are totally self-funded, so this grant is a great benefit for them and for our wildlife.”
“This year’s awards represent a mix of immediate funding needs for day-to-day operations such as food and medical care, as well as longer-term investment in new and upgraded facilities for injured wildlife,” said Jim Guthrie, Program Coordinator for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants Program. “Many of Colorado’s wildlife rehabilitation facilities operate on shoestring budgets. Individual donations are critical to their ongoing operations but Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants help wildlife rehabilitators meet growing public use for the care they provide and make investments in their facilities that might otherwise be financially impossible.”
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants program was created through House Bill 17-1250. Funding for the grant program comes primarily from the non-game tax check-off program, along with fines from non-game wildlife-based offenses and interest income. For the first $250,000 raised annually, 10 percent is allocated to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants Program, which aims to provide funding specifically for wildlife rehabilitation centers. For many rehabbers, this kind of funding fills a critical gap.
Applications for Wildlife Rehabilitation Grant Awards are due each year in early November. For more information on the grant program and application materials, please visit the Wildlife Rehabilitation Grants page.
2021 Wildlife Rehabilitation Grant Awards:
Bill Main – Colorado Springs
Medical services, food, supplies, expanded roof on raccoon enclosure
Grant Award: $1,000
N. Colorado Wildlife Center – Tallon Nightwalker
Reptile and amphibian indoor enclosures
Grant Award: $2,900
North Park Wildlife Rehabilitation – Deb McLachlan
Food, supplies, medical services
Grant Award: $4,000
Nature’s Educators, Sedalia – Emily Davenport
Flight cage materials
Grant Award: $4,000
Dove Creek – Charles Littlejohn
Raptor food
Grant Award: $2,400
Sonflower Ranch, Brighton – Keith Gunn
Food, medical supplies, operating costs
Grant Award: $8,500
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
Veterinary tests and medical supplies
Grant Award: $1,200
Travis Duncan is public information supervisor with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. If you have a question, please email him at travis.duncan@state.co.us