Colorado Parks and Wildlife Begins Development of Book Cliffs Bison Management Plan
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has started drafting a management plan for wild bison that migrate into northwest Colorado from Utah's Book Cliffs herd, following new legislation that classifies the animals as wildlife for the first time in state history.
The planning process responds to Senate Bill 25-053, signed by Governor Jared Polis earlier this year, which establishes a dual classification for bison in Colorado as both wildlife and domestic animals. The law takes effect January 1, 2026, and will protect wild, free-ranging bison that cross into Colorado from the Book Cliffs region near Rangely and northwest of Grand Junction.
CPW announced November 7 it will conduct a habitat assessment examining food sources, water availability, potential competition with other wildlife and livestock, and interactions with free-roaming horses. The assessment will guide staff in developing population objectives and management strategies.
New Protections for Border-Crossing Bison
Before Senate Bill 25-053, Colorado classified all bison as domestic animals rather than wildlife. Wild bison entering Colorado from Utah received no legal protections and could be killed with few restrictions, according to CPW records.
The new dual classification maintains domestic bison raised commercially as livestock under Colorado Department of Agriculture authority, while designating wild, free-ranging bison as big game subject to CPW management.
The Book Cliffs bison herd was reestablished in Utah beginning in 1986 when the Ute Indian Tribe released six animals on the Hill Creek Extension of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, according to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources records. The tribe and state agencies conducted additional releases between 1986 and 2000 using bison from the National Bison Range, Henry Mountains, Crow Tribe, Shoshone/Bannock Tribe and Antelope Island.
Utah wildlife officials and the Bureau of Land Management initiated a second reintroduction directly onto public BLM land in 2009 and 2010, releasing 93 total bison from tribal and Henry Mountains herds to create a publicly-managed wild population. Recent years have seen small numbers of these animals naturally disperse eastward into remote parts of northwest Mesa County, Rio Blanco County and potentially portions of Garfield County.
Management Plan to Address Hunting and Damage Compensation
The management plan will establish a wild bison population objective within a designated management zone, develop strategies to meet population targets while preventing property damage, and determine how CPW will manage bison that migrate outside the designated area.
CPW will engage stakeholder groups, tribal and Indigenous peoples, local producers, private landowners and the general public during the planning process. The agency encourages interested parties to sign up for CPW's E-Newsletter or visit Engage CPW to stay informed about public engagement opportunities.
The planning process spans approximately 18 months through the end of 2026. CPW will open the draft plan to public comment before presenting it to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission for approval.
At its November meeting, the Parks and Wildlife Commission will vote to finalize proposed regulation changes implementing Senate Bill 25-053. The regulations include rules differentiating between wild bison as big game and domestic bison, future regulated hunting of wild bison, and compensation for damage caused by wild bison. The commission first reviewed these proposed regulations at its October 9 meeting.
The commission must make several key decisions regarding the Book Cliffs herd. Hunting regulations will establish license quotas, seasons and methods of take similar to management of elk, deer and other big game. Damage compensation mechanisms may outline procedures for compensating landowners for documented losses to fences, crops or infrastructure caused by wild bison.
Population objectives will set minimum and maximum numbers of bison to maintain in the management zone based on habitat analysis, conflict potential and ecological goals. CPW may use regulated hunting, translocation or other adaptive measures to manage populations.
Habitat Assessment to Determine Carrying Capacity
The habitat assessment will evaluate the quality and availability of native grasses and browse, water sources and overall carrying capacity of the designated management area. CPW will analyze potential conflicts with elk, deer, pronghorn and other wildlife species, as well as competition with livestock grazing on private and public allotments.
The assessment will also monitor disease transmission risks, particularly brucellosis, and evaluate range conditions for sustainable population levels. The designated management zone will likely follow the known distribution of the Book Cliffs herd in remote portions of northwest Colorado.
The Book Cliffs region encompasses approximately 1.2 million acres of rugged terrain along the Utah-Colorado border. Land ownership is fragmented among the Bureau of Land Management, State Trust lands, the Ute Tribe and private owners, requiring collaboration among multiple agencies and stakeholders.
Colorado has expanded wildlife management initiatives in recent years, including partnerships between Larimer County, CPW and state agencies to establish instream flow water rights protecting stream ecosystems. The collaborative approach recognizes that watershed and wildlife habitat health extends across ownership boundaries.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife operates as an enterprise agency funded primarily through license sales, state parks fees and registration revenues. The agency manages 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, contributing approximately $6 billion annually to Colorado's economy.