Why It Matters: Sportspeople have always been conservation’s most dedicated advocates and its primary source of funding, and Colorado is no exception. Through the American System of Conservation Funding and its associated “user pays – public benefits” structure, this System ensures that sportspeople bear the brunt of the cost of professional wildlife management for all to enjoy. This session, Colorado’s sportspeople continued to lead the charge on conservation funding, pushing for dedicated conservation funding from the legislature across several significant bills, with mixed results.
Highlights:
- Senate Bill 26-141 (SB 141) creates an optional $5 “Collision Prevention Fee” at vehicle registration to fund wildlife crossing infrastructure, passed both chambers, and is headed to the Governor.
- SB 26-165 (SB 165) appropriates $5 million from the Species Conservation Trust Fund for native fish and wildlife conservation programs, passed both chambers, and is headed to the Governor.
- HB 26-1230 (HB 1230) which would have extended Colorado’s Conservation Easement Tax Credit program from 2031 through 2036, did not survive the 2026 legislative session.
As the 2026 Colorado legislative session draws to a close, conservation funding was a prominent theme on the docket, with three bills addressing wildlife crossings, at-risk species, and private land conservation. Two of the three measures advanced to the Governor’s desk, while one fell short of the finish line.
SB 26-141: Optional Collision Prevention Fee
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) publicly supported SB 141, sponsored by Colorado Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Dylan Roberts, which established an optional $5 Collision Prevention Fee assessed at motor vehicle registration beginning January 1, 2027. Seventy-five percent of revenue will flow into a newly created “Collision Prevention Fund”, administered by the Statewide Bridge and Tunnel Enterprise, for the design, construction, and maintenance of wildlife road crossings; the remaining twenty-five percent will be credited to the Wildlife Cash Fund and appropriated to Colorado Parks and Wildlife for wildlife connectivity and crossing-related conservation efforts. The bill passed both the House and Senate and now heads to the governor.
SB 26-165: Species Conservation Trust Fund Appropriation
SB 165, sponsored by Colorado Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Dylan Roberts and Senator Rod Pelton, appropriated $5 million from the Species Conservation Trust Fund, benefitting native species that are listed as threatened or endangered, or are likely to become candidate species, under federal law. Funding is directed toward the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program ($2,380,000), Rio Grande native fish protection and habitat improvements ($60,000), selenium management and research ($60,000), native terrestrial wildlife conservation ($1,250,000), and native aquatic wildlife conservation ($1,250,000). Notably, funds designated for native terrestrial wildlife conservation are explicitly prohibited from being used to import new wolves for reintroduction into the state. SB 165 passed both chambers and now awaits the Governor’s signature.
HB 26-1230: Conservation Easement Tax Credit Extension
CSF publicly supported HB 1230, sponsored in the Senate by Colorado Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Dylan Roberts, which would have extended Colorado’s Conservation Easement Tax Credit, a program that incentivizes private landowners to voluntarily protect their properties through permanent conservation easements. Its current expiration is at the end of income tax year 2031, while this bill would have authorized it through income tax year 2036, with an annual certificate cap of $50 million. Since 2000, the program has helped conserve over 3.5 million acres of working farms, ranches, and private lands across Colorado, protecting wildlife habitat, critical wetlands, and working agricultural lands. Despite broad bipartisan support in both chambers, the bill did not advance to the Governor’s desk before the session’s close.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation will continue to monitor and advocate for conservation funding in Colorado while working in close partnership with the Colorado Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in support of science-based wildlife management and the long-term health of the American System of Conservation Funding.