Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is asking Coloradans to lend a hand in tracking otters.
While some are surprised to learn the animals call the state home, the population has been growing over the past 50 years, when the state began reintroducing the species. Those efforts ran from 1976 to 1991, with wildlife officials bringing 120 river otters to Colorado.
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Before that, the species had essentially vanished from the state either in 1906 or 1909, when the last otter was documented as trapped. Overtrapping and pollution were key factors in their disappearance.
Now, CPW is working with the iNaturalist app to document otter distribution across the state. The app is a popular tool for tracking wildlife and plant life, and officials hope it will help identify where breeding populations exist.
The statewide survey, called the Otter Y.E.A.R. (Yearlong Engagement & Assessment of River Otters) project, is the easiest way to better understand how reintroduction efforts have worked, and may also highlight areas that could benefit from additional releases.
“Coloradans who enjoy river otters today have that opportunity because of the vision and dedicated work 50 years ago by Division of Wildlife employees and several graduate students, along with the Pittman-Robertson dollars used to fund the effort,” said River Otter Program Manager Bob Inman in a press release. “This year’s survey will help us understand the extent of reintroduction success and any limitations to it.”
Over the past 50 years, otters were primarily released in five locations, including Cheeseman Reservoir, the Gunnison River, the Piedra River, the upper stretch of the Colorado River that runs through Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Dolores River. Similar efforts were underway in Utah at the same time, and some of Colorado’s otter population may have originated there.
Most recently, a viral video from CPW showed otters swimming in a frozen lake in Stagecoach State Park.
Those interested in helping with the statewide survey can submit locations and photos through the iNaturalist app, which is free to download. The effort will run throughout the year. CPW says they plan to share images collected as part of an "otter photo of the month" on social media.
