County wildlife expert chosen for state commission

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

After a long career in public service, Bob Streeter could have chosen Easy Street for his retirement. After all, he and his wife, Karen, have more than three acres to manage northeast of Fort Collins, and they love to help care for their grandchildren.

Instead, Streeter accepted an appointment earlier this year to the Colorado Wildlife Commission, a group of nine people who decide policy on a myriad of wildlife-related topics for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

The CWC appointment is a fitting capstone for Streeter's lifelong work in wildlife management. Streeter retired in 2000 after a 28-year career with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and moved back to Fort Collins, where he and his family had lived three times before.

Streeter earned a doctorate in wildlife biology from Colorado State University. While with the USFWS, he held various positions including assistant director of refuges and wildlife. He was recognized internationally for his leadership in implementing the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. In addition, he has worked for Ducks Unlimited and Colorado Trout Unlimited.

Streeter said he was very honored to be appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to the commission post. He also noted that it's unusual for career biologists to be chosen for the CWC because so many other requirements have to be satisfied. All five wildlife districts in the state must be represented on the commission, as well as special interests that include sportsmen and outfitters, wildlife organizations, agricultural interests and county commissioners. A few CWC members, including Streeter, represent the public at large.

As a CWC member from District 3, Streeter represents Larimer, Weld, Morgan, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick and Yuma counties.

The responsibilities of the CWC are wide-ranging. They include determining seasons for fishing, hunting and trapping; minimizing the effects of uranium and coal mining on wildlife; deciding on appropriate tests for chronic wasting disease; managing whirling disease research and making policies about shooting prairie dogs. The commission also promotes "watchable wildlife" with events such as the Sandhill Crane Festival in Monte Vista.

"Communities are picking up on the economic value of wildlife," he commented.

In fact, Streeter likes to point out that wildlife generates $2.5 billion annually for Colorado. "It's not a boom and bust industry," he noted.

The mission statement of the CWC underlines its wide scope - and inherent contradictions. The CWC is directed to protect Colorado's wildlife resources, including fish. It is also mandated to provide maximum enjoyment of these resources by Colorado residents.

Inevitably, Streeter pointed out, these two mandates come into conflict with one another and it's the CWC's job to provide balance. For instance, Colorado's population is growing and most residents enjoy outdoor activities involving wildlife. As a result, stress on wildlife is also on the increase.

"We have to be careful that we don't love our land and its wildlife to death," Streeter said.

One of the big challenges in managing wildlife resources is that different people see the issues from different points of view. Also, most people love having wildlife in their back yards until problems come up - such as a mountain lion eating the family pet. Then, it's not "my wildlife" anymore and it becomes "the DOW's wildlife."

A special interest for Streeter is wildlife habitat on both public and private land. "The majority of wildlife is on private land," he points out, "so farmers and ranchers have to be major partners in managing Colorado's wildlife."

He is also enthusiastic about a relatively new project, encouraging Colorado's children to get back into nature. The DOW partners with school districts and community organizations to work toward this goal.

Even before accepting the CWC appointment, Streeter wasn't exactly sitting in his rocking chair. He has organized ambitious environmental projects in his rural Fort Collins Trapper Point neighborhood, such as erecting nesting platforms for osprey. He also led the effort to restore a weed-infested parcel in the subdivision to a healthy wetland surrounded by native grasses, wildflowers and shrubs. On his own property, he replanted his entire lot with native grasses and shrubs.

The Trapper Point projects have already borne fruit. Streeter said there was only one bird species nesting on his property when he purchased it in 1999, and now 11 species are raising their young there. Also, an osprey pair has raised young in the neighborhood for three years.

In addition to his neighborhood projects, Streeter serves on the Larimer County Open Lands Advisory Board and the South Platte Roundtable.

While Streeter is an avid outdoorsman himself, these days he's more likely to have his nose in a book or a report--preparing for the next meeting of the Colorado Wildlife Commission.