Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has allocated $50,000 to bolster awareness of the Born to Be Wild specialty license plate. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project and The Endangered Species Coalition are the newest recipients of these funds, determined to drive public engagement and promote the license plate. This move aims to fuel the ongoing human-wildlife conflict mitigation efforts within the state.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis highlighted the significance of the specialty license plate in a statement, saying it empowers residents to "help support the important work happening to reduce human-wildlife conflict," as per Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The CPW Director, Jeff Davis, further emphasized the plate's role in aiding ranchers by providing funding for non-lethal conflict minimization tools, adding that these initiatives are crucial to the health of Colorado's livestock industry and rural culture. However, CPW aims not just simply increase the sale of the license plates, but to actively engage the public in the conservation efforts.
The special license plate was born from the Colorado House Bill 23-1265 in 2023, which has since raked in close to $950,000 from the sale of roughly 18,000 plates. These plates directly fund non-lethal strategies to manage conflicts with gray wolves, thus supporting CPW's implementation of the state's Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, as stated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
On the legislative side, Senator Janice Marchman, Representative Meghan Lukens, and Representative Elizabeth Velasco expressed pride and gratitude for the program's contributions towards bridging urban-rural gaps and supporting Western Slope communities. The funding facilitated the development of the Range Riders program, site assessments, and other non-lethal deterrent strategies, which Senator Marchman described as a model for collaborative problem-solving.
This year's round of funding was competed for by eight applicants, with the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project pocketing $36,300 for billboards and digital media promotions, while The Endangered Species Coalition will effectively utilize $13,700 for vehicular image wrapping. These strategies are specifically crafted to catch the public eye and enlighten them about the importance of the license plate. The expected outcome is not only to increase public awareness but also to tangibly support rural communities directly affected by the reintroduction of wolves, as affirmed by Representative Velasco in a statement to CPW.
