Colorado Parks and Wildlife works to increase dozens of citation fees

DENVER – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is working to push a bill through legislation that will allow them to raise fines for dozens of citations.

According to a release from CPW, “Wildlife, parks, and outdoor recreation fines have not been comprehensively addressed for [more than] 15 years, and some fines have remained unchanged for decades.”

The bill, if passed, will double the amount required for many fines with the hope that the higher costs will help to protect the public and Colorado’s resources.

Local CPW representative Bill Vogrin told KOAA that the citations chosen were picked after extensive research.

The bill includes measures to increase fines to the following amounts for the listed violations:

General:

• $50 (now) to $100 (new) – for a violation of a rule for which there is not an associated statutory penalty listed
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for using division property in violation of any commission rule

Luring or baiting animals:

• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for using wildlife as bait
• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for knowingly luring a bear with food or edible waste (first-time offense); $500 (old) to $1,000 (new) for a second offense, and $1,000 (old) to $2,000 (new) for a third or subsequent offense

In regards to licensing and possession of wildlife:

• $50 (now) to $100 (new) – Procuring or using multiple licenses of the same type, possessing live wildlife without a license, fishing without a license, and hunting without having obtained a hunter education certificate
• $35 for each animal – unlawfully possessing fish, mollusks, crustaceans, amphibians, or reptiles so that the fine is assessed for each animal taken or possessed at one time
• $50 (old) to $150 (new) – for refusing to allow an officer of the division or other peace officer to inspect personal identification documents, licenses, firearms, records, or wildlife
• $50 (old) to $150 (new) – for failing to void a license or carcass tag as required by the Parks and Wildlife Commission by rule
• $50 (old) to $200 (new) – for unlawfully transporting, exporting, importing, or releasing native wildlife
• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for hunting, trapping, or fishing on private property or for unlawfully posting on or otherwise indicating that public land is privately owned land
• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for failing to attempt to locate big game that has been wounded

In regards to hunting with firearms:

• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for failing to wear fluorescent pink or daylight fluorescent orange garments while hunting elk, deer, pronghorn, moose, or black bear with a firearm
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for shooting from a public road

In regards to boating and personal watercraft:

• $50 (old) to $100 (new) for using or possessing certain vessels that have not been issued a number
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for violating certain personal watercraft equipment requirements
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for violating the minimum age requirements for operating a motorboat
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for operating a vessel: That is not properly equipped, in excess of noise restrictions, above wakeless speed, in violation of any commission rule, or, with respect to personal watercraft only, between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise.
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for failing to wear a personal flotation device on water skis or similar devices, violating commission rules regarding the safe operation of water skis or similar devices, or violating commission rules prohibiting the use of single-chambered air-inflated devices on rivers or streams under certain conditions. Paddleboard users will also be required to have a “readily accessible personal floatation device.”
• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for operating a vessel in a careless or imprudent manner from $100 to $200.
• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for operating water skis or similar devices in a careless manner or operating a vessel towing water skis or a similar device in a manner as to cause the device or person on the device to collide with or strike an object or person.

In regards to snowmobiles:

• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for various snowmobile operational violations
• $100 (old) to $200 (new) – for operating a snowmobile in a careless or imprudent manner
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for a snowmobile owner who, while the owner’s snowmobile is under the owner’s control, allows another to operate the snowmobile in a careless or imprudent manner, in a manner in wanton or willful disregard for safety, or under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.

In regards to off-highway vehicles (motorcycles, dirt bikes, three-wheelers, ATVs, and dune buggies):

• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for operating an unnumbered, unregistered off-highway vehicle (OHV)
• $35 (old) to $100 (new) – for operating a nonresident-owned or -operated OHV that does not have a valid license or registration from another state or has been in this state for more than 30 days but for which a permit has not been issued.
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for operating an OHV in violation of road crossing restrictions
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for operating an OHV without obtaining and displaying an off-highway use permit

In regards to camping on state lands:

• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – for unlawful camping if the person is camping in an area located in a state park or state recreation area that is not designated for camping and adds a fine in an amount equal to 5 times the cost of a permit for a campsite if the person is camping at a campsite without having obtained a valid permit;
• $50 (old) to $100 (new) – with respect to a motor vehicle or vessel on property under the control of the division, for the following activities: Operating or parking outside of designated areas, in excess of posted speed limits; parking in a manner that impedes the normal flow of traffic; leaving a motor vehicle or vessel unattended for more than 24 hours; or operating or parking a motor vehicle without having first purchased a required pass or permit

The bill also “authorizes the commission, by rule, to allow for the possession, importation, exportation, shipment, or transportation of an aquatic nuisance species.”

• Take a look at the full billHERE
• Check out the annual report from CPW HERE

For more information on the Future Generations Act and the changes involved, click HERE and HERE.