Editor’s Note: This is a regular monthly column from Colorado Parks and Wildlife about wildlife issues in the Falcon area by a career wildlife officer.
Aaron Berscheid is a district wildlife officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Aaron covers the “wild” side of Northeast El Paso County, including Black Forest, Falcon, Peyton and Calhan. He also covers some of Elbert County, north of U.S. Highway 24 and south of State Highway 86, including the towns of Elbert, Kiowa, Ramah, Simla, Matheson and a small portion of the Limon area.
CPW’s Rookie Sportsperson Program
“Touching the grass”
By Aaron Berscheid
District Wildlife Manager, CPW
There are always moments that bring me back to why I do this job.
They are moments that remind me why I enjoy taking care of the wilds that I grew up immersed in.
Often, these moments involve connecting with the next generation of stewards of our fine Colorado landscapes.
It is easy to get caught up in the rat race these days. Politics here; urban/wildlife interface there. Sometimes, it’s hard to see over the wall and remember that we are a part of this ecosystem, and not just an observer.
I pursued this career because I wanted to be actively involved in managing wildlife and the wild landscapes they call home. It’s what I love most — meeting people, putting hands on wild animals, shaping their habitat. I call it “touching the grass” when I’m out in the field, literally, getting mud on my boots.
It does not always feel like I can be out there doing that. I do a lot of work that keeps me staring at my computer screen.
This last weekend, however, was a good weekend because I really got to touch the grass.
The moment came during the climactic fall hunt for the participants in CPW’s Rookie Sportsperson Program (RSP).
In 2015, CPW launched the RSP in the Colorado Springs area to find families and individuals who are novices to outdoor sports and who want to get into the hunting lifestyle.
Typically, they feel stuck on the sidelines because they’ve had no one to show them the ropes. The RSP pairs these folks with wildlife officers like me. Then we spend a year serving as their mentors in all things outdoors: hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and more.
For example, mentors don’t just teach them about hunting. We provide them access to rifles, give them firearms instruction and even take them to the shooting range to improve their skills with rifle shooting.
The work culminates in a big game hunt in the fall. It’s the part of the RSP program I enjoy the most because I grew up hunting and fishing, and I enjoy introducing newcomers to these sports.
Sometimes, I can’t believe I get to hunt and fish as part of my profession. And the RSP fall hunt is one of those annual events when I really think about how lucky I am.
So this past weekend, I took out a family from our RSP program on their first hunt. It’s how we get these RSP participants off the sidelines and into the game of actively participating in wildlife management.
It’s powerful stuff if you love the outdoors and wildlife and feel as passionate about it as I do.
It’s gratifying to me to see all the lessons we’ve taught our RSP participants put to use.
And I get great satisfaction when they thank me for helping them achieve their goals through RSP.
For example, a common theme I hear from prospective RSP participants is that they want to feel connected to the food they eat. It is so simple to go to the grocery store or restaurant for food. But what is the connection?
Where does the meat we buy come from? Can we be self-sufficient when we need to be? How do we, as urbanites, connect to the natural world and become a part of the ecosystem; at least how do we understand it?
Let me ask you: When was the last time you connected with the food you eat or participated in wildlife management?
(Swerving to avoid a pronghorn or Woodmen Road is not wildlife management! Nor is securing your garbage cans from bears. Or braking hard as a deer skips across Black Forest Road!)
But hunting plays a critical role in wildlife management. CPW relies heavily on hunters to manage wildlife through the calculated consumptive use of wildlife resources. The makeup of herds (total females, males and young) and herd size are managed through hunting licenses. The sale of those hunting licenses also funds the vast majority of the management of all wild animals in the state of Colorado. This has been the case since the end of market hunting and the adoption of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
The RSP participants aren’t just learning to hunt. They are touching the grass with me and other CPW staff as we try to keep healthy, balanced herds of wildlife on the landscape. And they are learning where their food comes from and providing extremely healthy food for themselves and their families.
And I always enjoy seeing the pride they feel in bringing their food from the field to the table.
If you are interested in becoming an active participant in the management of the wild animals in this state, and are interested in taking a step toward a true connection with nature and where your food comes from, maybe it is time to take the leap. Touch grass. A new class of participants is selected every year for the Rookie Sportsperson Program and you can be a part of that. We are looking for people with minimal or no experience with hunting or fishing and a desire to learn.
If this interests you or you would just like some more information than I can provide in a monthly column, please contact me. I will be happy to answer any and all questions you may have.
To see the smile on a kid’s face after harvesting a deer that will feed his family was priceless. No matter how many times I head to the field on my personal hunts, it will never be as great as teaching the next generation of sportspersons/wildlife managers.
In the coming months, I’ll share more stories as I write about wildlife issues in our community. Got a question, problem or column idea? Please email me at aaron.berscheid@state.co.us or call me at 719-227-5231.
I might even answer your question in a future installment of “Wildlife Matters.”
