Colorado Parks and Wildlife opens applications for
2026 range riding season
Denver – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is expanding the Colorado Range Riding program and has opened Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the 2026 season through the Colorado Vendor Self Service. These RFPs will be open through February 6, 2026, with interviews occurring later that month and contracts awarded in early spring.
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In 2025, the Colorado Range Riding program contracted 11 riders and focused on northwest Colorado. With continued wolf dispersal, CPW is hoping to expand the program into the southwest and increase the number of contracted riders.
Contracted riders will start in April and attend training facilitated by CPW and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), a partner in the Colorado Range Riding program. This training was coproduced with veteran riders and livestock producers from across the west, who bring decades of experience managing wolf-livestock conflict and builds on applicant’s knowledge of:
- Wildlife track and sign,
- Best range riding practices,
- Important tools and technology,
- And livestock monitoring techniques.
Range riders contracted through the program are expected to perform their duties primarily in the county they are initially assigned, but work areas are subject to change based on need and ecological activity.
A Hybrid info session will take place on Friday January 16 at 10 a.m. Interested applicants can either join in person at the CPW Grand Junction Office in the Hunter Education Building or online.
Individuals interested in applying for range riding positions must register on the Vendor Self Service in order to download RFP documents and information.
More information about these positions and application materials can be found by going to cpw.info/3LxTIIG, clicking on” View Published Solicitations,” searching for “range rider” and clicking on the hyperlinked solicitation number.
About the Colorado Range Riding Program
The Colorado Range Riding program was established in 2025 as part of CPW and CDA collaborative effort to respond to developing producer needs. This program is the first of its kind in Colorado and builds off experience from other states, producers, agencies, and programs that have navigated wolf-livestock conflict.
Trained to support livestock producers, range riders contracted through the Colorado Range Riding program — in addition to two Non-Lethal Mitigation Specialists employed by CDA — are a crucial piece of the CPW and CDA’s conflict minimization program. By actively assessing and communicating potential for wolf-livestock conflict, range riders empower CPW and CDA to take action to reduce the predation risk to livestock herds.
“Range riders provide critical monitoring of wildlife and livestock behavior and activity to help inform effective decision making related to wolf-livestock conflict,” said Rae Nickerson, wolf damage and conflict minimization manager. “Riders improve communication between producers, between producers and agency staff, and between different sectors of CPW.”
Range riders are eyes and ears on the landscape, collecting important information for producers, wildlife managers, and biologists alike. In addition to providing human presence that can deter conflict, riders collect data that allows CPW and CDA to determine best approaches for addressing conflict through adaptive, coordinated plans.
“Range riders are often considered a nonlethal tool/approach, but I like to think of riders as pattern and information experts,” Nickerson said. “Their collection and communication of important information allows us to work with producers to find viable, reasonable, and effective responses to the risk of wolf-lifestock conflict. In terms of our program, riders are tasked with knowing the behavior and activity of livestock and wildlife and how it changes over time so they can notice a potential or existing conflict while there’s still time to take action.”
Applications for the Colorado Range Riding program positions will be open through February 6, 2026. Additional information and applications can be found through the Colorado Vendor Self Service.
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