People planning to visit a State Wildlife Area (SWA) over the Fourth of July holiday are reminded that all adults who enter a SWA must buy a Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp.

“We talked to a lot of people over the Memorial Day weekend who were not aware of the Habitat Stamp requirement,” said Travis Black and area manager with the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) in Lamar. “Hunters and anglers know about the stamp because it is included with their hunting and fishing license, but even they did not know that other family members between the ages of 18 and 64 are required to have a wildlife stamp when entering a state wildlife property.”

Wildlife Habitat Stamps can be bought anywhere hunting or fishing licenses are sold. They can also be purchased by calling (800) 244-5613 and over the Internet. The $10.25 annual fee covers unlimited visits onto any of the 241 SWAs in Colorado. Money from the sale of the stamps is earmarked for future protection of critical wildlife habitat.

State Wildlife Areas are properties owned or managed by the DOW for the benefit of wildlife and wildlife related recreation. “The most popular State Wildlife Areas are the ones with lake access or stream fishing,” said Black.

A few SWAs allow camping, but unlike parks or private campgrounds, the primary purpose of State Wildlife Areas is to set aside land to benefit wildlife. Although overnight use is allowed on some of the properties, the campsites are usually primitive with minimal facilities.

“The primary attraction is that people can hunt, fish or watch wildlife,” said Black. “Visitors are reminded they should try to minimize their impact to the land and pack out all of their trash for the benefit of wildlife and future generations to come.”

Visitors to SWAs are also reminded there is a fire ban in effect on all state land in Colorado until further notice.

More information is available on the Internet at:
http://wildlife.state.co.us/ShopDOW/AppsAndLicenses/HabitatStamp/ or by calling your local DOW office.