11/12/26 - Colorado Wildlife: A Ballot Win and the Work Ahead
3 days ago
1 min read
Colorado voters defeated Amendment 83 in the November 3 election—a result CWI welcomes after urging Colorado supporters to vote “No” in our September newsletter. The ballot measure would have established a constitutional right to hunt and fish certain wildlife and made hunting and fishing the preferred means of managing those populations. Its defeat leaves hunting and fishing subject to existing law; it does not ban either activity. For CWI, it is an important rejection of giving these activities added constitutional protection.
In a separate Colorado wildlife matter, CWI submitted comments to Colorado Parks and Wildlife on November 6 supporting Alternative 2 of its electronic-call proposal: prohibiting electronic call devices used to hunt furbearers on public lands statewide. Our comments called for limiting the technological advantages used to lure and kill wildlife, and for public-land decisions to reflect animal welfare and the interests of people who observe and photograph living animals. We asked for a clear definition of the lands covered, rules addressing equivalent technologies such as phone-based playback, and practical enforcement guidance near property boundaries.
The proposed restriction would leave electronic-call use on private land legal. CWI explicitly stated that supporting the public-land ban should not be read as endorsing the practice on private property. The initial comment period closed November 11, and the restriction has not been adopted. CPW tentatively plans Commission discussion in January 2027 and consideration of final regulations in March. These are distinct developments, united by CWI’s commitment to protecting living wildlife and challenging policies that prioritize killing.
