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Colorado^s moose conservation efforts will receive more support as a result of the Colorado Chapter of the Safari Club International generating $10,925 from this year^s moose license raffle, and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep bringing in $7,500 at the moose license auction.
Each year, the moose auction and raffle offers hunters another way to obtain hunting licenses and an opportunity to contribute additional revenue for education, research and habitat improvements for Colorado^s moose.
"Big game auctions and raffles are a great way for everyone to have a chance at the desired licenses," said John Ellenberger, the Division of Wildlife^s state big game manager.
Two moose licenses are made available each year through the raffle and auction, which are in addition to the licenses drawn from the Division^s limited licensing process.
The Foundation for North American Wild Sheep also offers a Colorado bighorn sheep and a Rocky Mountain goat license for auction at their annual convention in Reno, Nevada. Another local organization, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society handles the annual raffle for the bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat licenses.
Ten percent of the money generated from big game raffles and auctions goes to the organization that hosted the event and the remainder goes toward conservation efforts for each species.
Don Foster, president of the Colorado Chapter of Safari Club International from Colorado Springs, on Friday issued a check for $9,832.50 for Colorado^s moose, which is the Division^s share of the proceeds from the moose license raffle.
"This year we sold nearly 400 raffle tickets for the moose license," Foster said. "Since we began hosting the raffle, the Division has used the money to help study moose," he said.
The money generated by the various auctions and raffles can only be used for research, education and habitat improvements for the respective species. Each year, project proposals are solicited from the Division as well as the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other private and governmental organizations.
"A project advisory committee reviews proposals for each species and then decides which ones to fund from the money collected from each year^s auctions and raffles," Ellenberger said.
In the past, funds generated from the moose auction and raffle have gone toward supporting a research project evaluating the impact of moose browsing on willows in North Park, an area inhabited by more than 400 moose.
"There is concern about the impact moose are having on the willows in that area," Ellenberger said.
Other agencies, including the Forest Service, Colorado State University and the Rocky Mountain National Park are also contributing to the moose habitat study.
Because 80 to 90 percent of the moose^s diet consists of willows -- the research is focusing on that particular plant species, Ellenberger said. "We^re trying to determine the existing conditions and to what degree the moose have affected the willows," he said.
The moose auction and raffle is a great way to support such projects and to learn more about the habitat needs for Colorado^s moose population, Ellenberger said.
Hunters who win the big game licenses are limited to the same season dates as other hunters who obtain licenses for the same species, but they can hunt in as many of those seasons as they want.
This season, there will be more hunting opportunities for moose, with units 66 and 76 opening near Creede, along with a slight increase in the number of licenses issued for moose, Ellenberger said.
As a result of the state losing 36 moose that were illegally shot in Colorado during 1998, license numbers for 1999 are substantially lower than they could have been.
This season, 87 licenses will be issued to hunters, compared to 79 last year.
So far this decade, sheep, goat and moose licenses from the auctions and raffles have contributed more than $800,000 to help protect Colorado^s big game and their habitats. In addition, with other matching funds from both public and private sources the total amount generated for auctions and raffles is nearly $1.25 million.
Uploaded: 8/1/1999
Uploaded: 8/1/1999