Glenn Edward Rogers talks about his early life in Cripple Creek and his military service during World War II. He discusses his early career as a biologist in wildlife management for the Bureau of Land Management’s Division of Wildlife (BLM). He remembers conducting deer counts on the Western Slope in the 1940’s and controversy around doe hunting season, the number of hunting licenses issued, and range deterioration. He speaks about the Division of Wildlife’s opposition to the construction of the Crystal Dam and the Curecanti National Recreation Area, due to concerns about the effects on wildlife. He details the scarcity of game because of overhunting before the institution of game management practices. He discusses how early grazing practices enabled pinon pine and juniper to replace grasslands around Roan Creek and other areas. He talks about the introduction of elk into Northwest Colorado by the Elks Club, aerial surveys of elk herds on the Western Slope, and airplane accidents while flying low to survey wildlife. He recounts the established of a Division of Wildlife office in Western Colorado, the growth of the BLM, consolidation in the Forest Service, and the growth of bureaucracy in the Forest Service that led to fewer contacts among personnel and the public. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
*Photograph from the 1937 Colorado College yearbook.
