What is the Upper Yampa Habitat Partnership Program?
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) has a program called Habitat Partnership (HPP) that helps ranchers owning at least 160 acres alleviate rangeland forage and fence damage caused by big game animals.Yampa Valley residents appointed by the Colorado Wildlife Commission run the local HPP. The committee is made up of three members from the livestock community, one sportsman, one member from the Forest Service and BLM, and one member represents the CDOW. Our committee members are:

Bill Gay - Landowner Representative
Larry Monger - Landowner representative
Nita Herold Naugle - Landowner Representative
Dennis Slunaker - Sportsman Representative
Kent Foster - U.S. Forest Service Representative
Mike Middleton - Division of Wildlife RepresentativeThe local committee tries to stay in contact with landowners in the Upper Yampa and Elk River valleys who may have conflicts with big game. HPP asks landowners to identify their specific range or fence problems and asks for their ideas that might help solve their big game conflicts. In recent years, most landowners requested fence material from HPP to help repair fences damaged by big game.
The local committee also encourages habitat projects on private and public land to improve elk habitat. These are most often investments in the range resource and may include seeding, fertilization, controlled burns, mechanical brush treatments, weed management, and stock ponds. All proposed projects must benefit wildlife. A few times each year project proposals are reviewed by the HPP committee and then ranked. Projects always have a higher chance of being approved if the landowner is willing to share some of the costs. The committee usually asks the landowner to meet with them at a regularly scheduled public meeting to explain their project. Funding is derived from 5% of the big game license revenues in the HPP area. The Upper Yampa HPP area encompases Game Management Units 14, 214, (The Elk River Drainage) 131, 231, north 1/2 of 15 (The Upper Yampa River Drainage). The average local HPP budget is $50,000.All it takes to be considered for a project is to submit a brief letter to HPP describing your big game conflict and submitting a Project Proposal Form.
A printable Form is provided in the link below. Please fill out the form and send it along with your letter to:

Upper Yampa HPP
Box 775777
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477

or contact:

mike.middleton@state.co.us