At its Oct. 22 meeting the Energy and Carbon Management Commission heard an update from Colorado Parks and Wildlife on how mitigation dollars from Senate Bill 181 have been spent in the agency’s Northeast Region, including the acquisition of the Eagle Butte State Wildlife Area in north‑eastern Weld County.

The commission was told the Eagle Butte property is roughly 632 deeded acres and contains high‑priority habitat, including mapped mule deer severe winter range and pronghorn winter concentration areas, several sharp‑tailed grouse leks and a recently active golden eagle nest in the Butte area. "We were excited to be here," said Mark Lehi, Northeast region manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, introducing the presentation.

The acquisition is the first fee‑title purchase nationally identified as being paid with SB 181 mitigation dollars, CPW officials said. "One of the goals that we have is that of the money that we receive, we try to spend about 50% on habitat improvement projects and 50% on habitat conservation," Deputy Regional Manager Shannon Schaller told the commission. CPW said the agency has received nearly $4,000,000 in mitigation funds for the Northeast Region since 2023 and has obligated or spent about $1,100,000 to date on projects.

CPW described several completed and ongoing projects paid from the mitigation fund, including cheatgrass treatments on state wildlife areas (about $43,000), a big‑game radio‑collar study for mule deer and pronghorn (about $43,000), and establishment of a mule‑deer habitat mitigation bank that restored roughly 40 acres. The agency described the Eagle Butte purchase as a conservation‑connectivity project that links to existing easements and conserved lands, including Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust easements and nearby state trust lands and Pawnee National Grasslands.

"This location checks several boxes for multiple species," said Andrew Newman, CPW energy and land use supervisor, noting the property’s mapped high‑priority habitat layers and the recent golden eagle nest. CPW said the parcel will be managed primarily for wildlife habitat, will not include parking lots or recreational facilities, and will likely have limited public access with staff present for any uses. The agency said it expects to complete a draft management plan early in 2026 and to promulgate regulations for the wildlife area in late 2026.

Commissioners asked questions about operational funding for long‑term management, outreach to neighboring landowners and the timeline for closing the acquisition. CPW said the transaction closed earlier in the month and that staff are now inventorying livestock infrastructure and drafting a management plan. The agency also said it is exploring ways to fund operations — including using seasonal contracts rather than new permanent positions — and relies on local staff to coordinate outreach to neighbors and obtain support letters for acquisitions.

Commissioners praised CPW’s work. "These are actually mitigated dollars going to mitigate use to enhance and protect high‑priority habitat for the species in question," Commissioner Ackerman said.

CPW asked for continued coordination with ECMC and with industry to identify future projects, and said staff maintain a monthly mitigation team that screens candidate projects against CPW’s statewide habitat connectivity plan and regional high‑priority habitat maps. The commission and CPW agreed to continue updates to document mitigation spending and outcomes.

The CPW presenters at the meeting were Mark Lehi (Northeast Region manager), Shannon Schaller (deputy regional manager) and Andrew Newman (energy and land use supervisor). Commissioners who questioned or commented included Commissioners Ackerman, Cross, Messner and Wright.

CPW said future mitigation projects are under review and it expects to report further spending and project details to the commission in the coming year.