DENVER — The numbers are in and they're looking good for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
First year numbers show nearly 1.5 million (1,490,954) drivers in Colorado opted in to pay for the $29 'Keep Colorado Wild' annual state park pass with their vehicle registrations. Of the passes sold, it represents 28% of the more than 4.9 million registered cars, motorcycles, RVs and light trucks in Colorado.
When it comes to money earned, it's even better. According to Justin Rutter, financial officer for CPW, the passes generated approximately $41,088,650 in revenue for the agency (January 2023-December 2023). If the trend carries into the agency's fiscal year (from July to June), early projections show a windfall of $36 million or more.
Now according to the bill that created it, SB21-259, the first $32.5 million in pass revenue would go to fund all 43 state parks. If available, the next $2.5 and $1 million respectively would go to fund search and rescue, and avalanche safety efforts. At the $36 million mark, the funding would then revert back to the parks to be used for new trails, conservation of vulnerable species/habitats, and inclusion efforts.
State park crowd numbers
Despite a solid number of passes sold, it doesn't quite make for crowded parks just yet. Preliminary crowd numbers for the 2023 calendar year show about 18.1 million visitors, which is roughly identical compared to last year.
"The visitation did not take that huge 20-30% increase that was forecast by the survey last year," said Rutter.
Rollout of the 'Keep Colorado Wild' park pass
The pass, rolled out January 2023, wasn't without its speed bumps. Certain caveats made it a bit confusing for it starting out. It essentially launched as an add-on to every vehicle registration — unless someone opted out. If someone chose to do that but then changed their mind, they would then have to pay the regular price of $80 for the pass. For those that did opt in, a printed logo on one's vehicle registration card would serve as the entry pass to all of Colorado's 43 state parks.
For comparison's sake, Montana in 2020 achieved a nearly 85% participation rate for its $9 opt-out pass. Michigan's opt-in pass, on the other hand, achieved a participation rate of 33% in 2020 at the $12 level.
Sweetwater Lake
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