STAND ALONGSIDE OUR NATION’S CONSERVATION LEADERS BY
ENCOURAGING COLORADO RESIDENTS
TO VOTE NO ON PROPOSITION 127
BANNING MOUNTAIN LION HUNTING
DATE: October 17, 2024
We are reaching out today to respectfully ask for your support in opposing Colorado’s Proposition 127, which is on the ballot next month and would prohibit the hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx throughout the state. This is a serious attack on the responsible stewardship of our wildlife and natural resources, and the reasoning behind the movement is not supported by the facts or logic.
We can all be proud to join such respected conservation organizations as the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, Mule Deer Foundation, National Deer Association and Ducks Unlimited in urging voters to say “no” to Proposition 127.
Proposition 127 is just another attempt to undermine Colorado’s long-standing, carefully balanced, highly effective and scientifically directed system of wildlife management.
Supporters want you to believe the populations of mountain lions and bobcats are dwindling and in crisis. That’s simply not the case – these populations are abundant. The experts at Colorado Parks and Wildlife use the best available science in managing and conserving Colorado’s fish and wildlife resources. CPW relies on the current legal, regulated harvest by hunters and trappers to ensure population levels of mountain lions and bobcats remain in balance with the rest of the ecosystem while minimizing human-wildlife conflicts.
When it comes to lynx, there already are existing state and federal regulations prohibiting their harvest, as part of the state’s lynx restoration efforts. Colorado’s sportsmen and women make a concerted effort to make sure bobcat hunting and trapping do not negatively impact lynx.
This proposed ban runs counter to the science that is at the basis of wildlife management decisions. The populations of mountain lions and bobcats are not biologically threatened.
If Proposition 127 passes, the populations of mountain lions and bobcats would not be able to be managed with regulated and responsible hunting and trapping, leading to unintended effects on the health and well-being of the state’s elk and deer populations. It would rob the people of the great state of Colorado of their way of life, cultural identity and outdoor heritage, and potentially put people in danger as the risk of encounters with mountain lions and bobcats grows.
Here are what some of our longstanding partners have to say about the threats from Proposition 127:
Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation: “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.”
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation: “RMEF maintains that state agencies, such as CPW, manage wildlife in line with the North American Wildlife Conservation Model’s main principles that wildlife belong to all Americans and need to be managed so their populations will be sustained forever.”
National Wildlife Federation: “Passage of Proposition 127 would disrupt and destroy Colorado’s very successful wildlife conservation model. Wildlife management is a science. We urge Coloradoans to support the state’s time-proven, science-based wildlife management program by voting no on Proposition 127.”
Mule Deer Foundation: “Experts at Colorado Parks & Wildlife manage Colorado’s 960 wildlife species. Implementing science-based solutions is a difficult task that requires years of experience, training, knowledge, and passion for animals. We cannot allow our state’s wildlife policy to be upended.”
We respectfully urge everyone in Colorado to vote “NO” on Proposition 127 and to help spread the word about the facts of this issue and the dangerous effects that its passage would bring to the entire state and region.
