The Colorado Division of Wildlife receives BLM Director's Four Cs Award

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke, today announced the Northwest Region of the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) as a recipient of the Director’s Four Cs Award.  The Four C’s Award, recognizes individuals or groups who make extraordinary contributions to conserving our nation’s natural resources through consultation, cooperation, and communication.

 “The DOW has been a great partner in ensuring that Coloradoans have access to their public lands in Northwest Colorado,” said Clarke. “Partnerships like this between state and Federal agencies are the key to making public land management a success.”

The DOW helped the BLM improve the way it does business by:

• helping the bureau open over 60,000 acres of BLM lands, to public access, in the Little Bookcliffs north of Grand Junction;

• successfully pursuing legal means to open an historic public access route, restoring public access to key BLM recreation and hunting lands; 

• partnering with the BLM’s wildlife habitat improvement program by assisting with grants to further stretch scarce dollars; 

• helping the BLM keep the public involved in the land use planning process, such as with the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area Management Plan; 

• working closely with the Grand Junction Field Office (GJFO) on species re-introduction (most notably Bighorn Sheep) while helping to mitigate permitee concerns; 

• working with the GJFO to support Land and Water Conservation Fund acquisitions, helping to prioritize acquisitions, and working to help manage lands the BLM acquires. 

Director Clarke first recognized the special nature of the relationship between the BLM and the DOW during her June, 2003 visit to the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area.  According to Clarke, the GJFO and the Northwest Regional Office of the DOW have a seamless working partnership.

“The DOW has been an outstanding partner with the BLM Colorado Grand Junction Field Office GJFO, exemplifying the Department of Interior’s Four Cs philosophy of consultation, cooperation, and communication all in the service of conservation,” said Clarke.

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