Last Update: October 25, 2018
Your privacy is important to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Much of the specific information requested as part of the Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) application is voluntary and need not be submitted by the user of the application. Further, the information that is required to be submitted to use certain features of the COTREX application is in many instances subject to protection against general public disclosure by exceptions found in the Colorado Open Records Act.
Users of the COTREX application may choose to post personal information, comments or trip reports regarding their use of the COTREX application and by doing so voluntarily make the information provided available for public review. However, such public posting is not required as part of using the COTREX application. It is a voluntary activity that may be undertaken by users of the COTREX application.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife does not otherwise release or sell information for the purpose of a third party’s marketing program or solicitations.
No personal information is required to be submitted to use the trail maps available through the COTREX application. However, use of the personal record keeping or public reporting features of the COTREX application requires the submission of a username and email address and the creation of a user account.
As part of the creation of a user account, users of the COTREX application also have the opportunity to voluntarily provide additional information such as a photo and a short biography (including name, address, telephone numbers and other personal identifying information), but the provision of such information is in all respects up to the user, as is its public disclosure through posting, and is not otherwise required to use the COTREX application.
Each time you use the COTREX application, usage information is collected by Colorado Parks and Wildlife servers. This information includes:
This provides the COTREX application with information about how the application is used, including the number of uses, the frequency of use and duration of use. The information collected is not intended to personally identify individual users.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and its contractors use this information in an aggregated form (without personally identifying individual users) to help it develop new or more appropriate content for users of the COTREX application, or, for management and planning purposes.
The COTREX application currently uses “cookie” technology. A cookie is a string of information that the COTREX application stores on the user’s device, and that the user’s browser provides to the COTREX application each time the user returns. Colorado Parks and Wildlife uses cookies to help the COTREX application track users, their usage of the COTREX application and their COTREX application access preferences. Users who do not wish to have cookies placed on their devices should set their browser preferences to refuse cookies before accessing the COTREX application with the drawback that certain features of the COTREX application may not function properly without the aid of the cookies.
Unless the user of the COTREX application voluntarily chooses to make their information public through posting, the personal information submitted by the user of the COTREX application to Colorado Parks and Wildlife will only be publicly disclosed as required under the Colorado Open Records Act or as otherwise required by law.
Specifically, email addresses provided to the state or its agencies, such as Colorado Parks and Wildlife, for the purpose of future electronic communications, and names, addresses and telephone numbers of users of recreational services owned and operated by the state or its agencies are generally protected from public disclosure under the Colorado Open Records Act. See sections 24-72-204(2)(a)(VII) and (3)(a)(IX), Colorado Revised Statutes.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, as the owner and operator of the COTREX application, has access to all information submitted to or stored on the COTREX application, but only uses such information to communicate with users of the COTREX application regarding their use of the application or in furtherance of the development and implementation of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s other wildlife, parks and outdoor recreation programs. Colorado Parks and Wildlife only discloses information to its employees or contractors that have a need to know that information and that have otherwise agreed not to publicly disclose it.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife follows industry standard security practices and undertakes its best efforts to ensure that its computer systems and user personal information are secure. Colorado Parks and Wildlife safeguards its computer systems and the personal information you provide to it with physical, electronic and managerial procedures.
While Colorado Parks and Wildlife continuously works to protect the personal information of users of the COTREX application, it should be noted that no service is 100% secure and Colorado Parks and Wildlife cannot ensure or warrant the absolute security of any information provided as part of using the COTREX application.