Why It Matters: The use of ballot initiatives like Proposition 127 to ban hunting circumvents the legislative and regulatory process that provides the opportunity for input by professionals, for revisions, and considerations of broader impacts within the Colorado’s overall science-based management plan. These initiatives can allow wildlife management decisions to be made based on emotion rather than scientific principles and defeating this ballot initiative keeps the authority to manage Colorado’s wildlife in the hands of the state’s professionals where it belongs. This opposition letter, written by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and joined by scores of sporting-conservation groups, sends a strong message to the Colorado public that Proposition 127 must be defeated and the authority to manage wildlife must remain in the hands of professionals.
Highlights:
- Late last year, anti-hunting groups in Colorado filed a petition to place an initiative on the Colorado ballot this November that would prohibit large cat hunting. This initiative has been named Proposition 127 by the Colorado Secretary of State.
- Proposition 127 is the result of the Colorado legislature voting down Senate Bill 22-031 (SB22-031), which also aimed to restrict predator management, circumvent the authority of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and erode the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation strongly opposed these efforts during the 2023 legislative session and are currently working with national and in-state partners to support the campaign against the ban.
- Scores of sporting-conservation groups have publicly joined CSF in opposing Proposition 127 on a letter to Colorado’s voters designed to educate them on the facts of the issue and to keep Colorado’s wildlife management based on science and not on out-of-state funded emotion.
As reported recently, the fight against Proposition 127 is on as the election draws near—and with the statewide release of mail-in ballots beginning October 11, there’s no time to waste. This latest round of ballot box biology goes against all proven, scientific wildlife management practices, as well as CSF’s core mission.
To that end, CSF is proud to announce the publication of a letter to Colorado’s voters. This letter, which addresses the facts and corrects the record, was coordinated by CSF and has been enthusiastically joined by a coalition of dozens of state and national hunting and wildlife conservation organizations. This coalition letter sends a simple but powerful message to the Centennial State electorate: Keep wildlife management decisions in the hands of the state’s professionals, whose science-based strategies have made Colorado’s now thriving wildlife populations the envy of the world, and out of the hands of out-of-state animal rights activists who use emotion and propaganda to prey upon the public’s unfamiliarity with the topic and manipulate voters.
Please share this coalition letter with everyone you know in Colorado and tell them to vote NO on Proposition 127. Education is how we win this! And if you wish to do more, please visit Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better, the organization created by our in-state coalition to oppose this attack and make a contribution. Even five dollars helps!
CSF will continue to oppose Proposition 127 in Colorado and report on the situation.
