Colorado Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species
The BLM manages an array of diverse habitats on nearly 8.4 million acres of public land in Colorado – including habitat for over a 150 special status species. Special status species include plants and wildlife that are protected as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or are designated by the BLM as sensitive species. Many of these species have limited distributions and small population sizes, require unique or otherwise specialized habitats, and benefit from special management consideration given their vulnerability to other activities which occur on public lands. Protecting and improving the habitats of these special status species is the focus of the Threatened and Endangered Species Program.
BLM - Colorado’s Threatened and Endangered Species Program works closely with a variety of partners, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, to address recovery actions for threatened and endangered species on BLM managed lands in Colorado. The program also provides support for the implementation of proactive conservation measures for sensitive species in order to avoid the need for listing in the future. By gathering quantitative data on the range and distribution of species, and their current condition, BLM – Colorado has helped recover several species so they can be removed from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species. Over the past several years, BLM-led initiatives have contributed to Colorado hookless cactus, North Park phacelia, Brandegee’s buckwheat, and skiff milkvetch being either recommended for delisting or found to be not-warranted for listing.
Within Colorado, BLM works very closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife - especially in the implementation of the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan. Together, BLM and CPW focus on the abundance, distribution, and trends of shared species of conservation concern. BLM Colorado and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) work very closely to understand the distribution and status of species and their habitats in Colorado. Through Colorado's Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX) - an interactive online mapping tool - critical natural resources data is available for planners and decisionmakers in Colorado.
Download BLM Colorado Data