Wetlands for Wildlife Grants
Forecasted
Wetlands for Wildlife Grants support conservation organizations and land managers in restoring Colorado wetlands and riparian areas to benefit ducks, public waterfowl hunting, and at-risk wildlife.
Funder: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Due Dates (Anticipated): February 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: 2025–2026 RFA: approximately $1,241,000 total; no minimum or maximum award; requests below $25,000 discouraged
Summary: Supports wetland and riparian restoration, enhancement, and creation to benefit ducks, public waterfowl hunting, and declining or at-risk wildlife.
Key Information: Private landowners cannot apply directly; applicants must identify a CPW Project Sponsor.
Description
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) administers this voluntary, collaborative, incentive-based program to restore, enhance, and create Colorado wetlands and riparian areas. Its two primary goals are improving duck distribution and abundance and public waterfowl hunting opportunities, and addressing habitat needs of declining or at-risk species. Waterfowl priorities include fall and winter habitat on properties open to public hunting, refuges within those properties, and breeding habitat in production areas such as North Park and the San Luis Valley.
Support includes on-the-ground habitat work, planning, engineering, design, feasibility studies, and monitoring and evaluation. Beaver-related habitat improvements, including beaver dam analogs, post-assisted log structures, and pond levelers, are eligible. Long-term, whole-property and landscape-scale improvements are preferred over repeated applications for smaller projects on the same properties.
