Colorado Parks and Wildlife awarded funding to five Fishing Is Fun (FIF) projects geared toward improving angling opportunities in the state of Colorado supported by Wildlife Sporting Plate revenues.

Image

The FIF program provides matching grants annually to local and county governments, park and recreation departments, water districts, angling organizations and others for projects to improve angling opportunities in Colorado.

“This year’s projects represent the variety of ways the Fishing Is Fun program and CPW support angling opportunities in Colorado," said CPW Grant Manager Travis Long. “Angling is a great way to get started when exploring the outdoors and CPW is dedicated to getting more people enjoying the benefits that nature provides.” 

The projects approved this year include:

Dolores River – Town of Dolores, $51,629

The Town of Dolores will improve access points to the river and enhance the river habitat on the town stretch of the river.

Gazebo Lake – Green Mountain Falls, $70,089

Grant funding will enable the town of Green Mountain Falls to replace the bathroom facility at Gazebo Lake to improve angler amenities.

Gill Trail – South Platte, $66,000

The Gill Trail project within Cheesman Canyon will improve the Gill Trail access to the popular fishing area. Current challenges of social trails and erosion will be corrected after this project is complete.

Union Reservoir – Longmont, $36,280

Underwater habitat structures will be installed to provide better cover for fish at this popular lake in Longmont.

Pioneer Lake – Town of Yuma, $15,921

An existing fishing pier providing improved access to the lake will be repaired to provide safe access for all anglers. Additionally, two more shade structures will be installed to boost the angler amenities.

About the program

For more than 35 years, FIF has supported approximately 400 projects in nearly every county in the state, improving stream and river habitats, expanding public access to angling waters, developing new angling opportunities, facilitating ADA access and more.

In 2022, anglers contributed $2.03 billion to the state’s economy through spending on fishing equipment and fishing trip-related expenses, supporting over 15,000 jobs along with conservation efforts and local economies across the state.

Additional Fishing Is Fun program details and requirements can be found on CPW's website.