With the Small Business Saturday coming up, it’s important to the Colorado Wildlife Council to feature local businesses in our state. They are integral parts of our community and help hunters and anglers help boost Colorado’s economy. Downstream Gas is a hometown staple in Creede, Colorado that supplies locals and visitors with gasoline, hot food, cold drinks and a smile before they hit the road.
Katlin Vanaken bought Downstream Gas in 2014 and she still believes it was the best decision she ever made. The Creede community is everything to Katlin and her family. In her spare time, she’s an EMT and on the Search and Rescue team, which are both volunteer programs in addition to being President of the District Accountability Committee. Her husband is a firefighter and is the Athletic Director at Creede School District, in addition to being a fishing guide for the Ramble House for the last four years.
From the start of summer through fall, Creede is inundated with local fishing guides, hunters, anglers and visitors as they gas up and gear up to head into Colorado’s beautiful wilderness. These months are imperative for Downstream Gas and helpful for Colorado. Hunting and fishing help support more than 25,000 jobs across the state in addition to contributing over $3.25 billion annually. Hunting and fishing license fees provide most of the funding to protect and manage Colorado’s abundant and diverse wildlife populations − over 960 species. The revenue generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses supports many of our state’s wildlife management efforts, including threatened and endangered species programs, wildlife reintroductions and habitat conservation.
