Conservation

Fisher’s Peak in Trinidad will open to the public, thanks to land purchase

Published on by Cyndy

COLORADO SPRINGS INDEPENDENT

By Faith Miller

March 5, 2019

Just east of Interstate 25, a few miles north of the New Mexico border, 9,600-foot-tall Fisher’s Peak is a hidden gem in plain sight.

The Trinidad landmark has long been closed to the public. But thanks to a land purchase completed Feb. 28, the peak and the ranch it sits on will open for as-yet-undefined public use within a few years.

The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land, two nonprofit organizations focused on conservation and land access, bought Crazy French Ranch and will spend the next two years or so working with the city of Trinidad, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Great Outdoors Colorado, and Trinidad State Junior College to develop a management plan for the peak-containing property. That could include opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and education, says Matthew Moorhead, director of business development and strategic partnerships for The Nature Conservancy.  Read more.

Poll: Western Voters Soundly Reject Trumpian Conservation Ideas

Published on by Cyndy

WESTWORD

by Chris Bianchi

February 5, 2019

A Colorado College poll of Western voters found that they increasingly favor conservation efforts, with Colorado voters among the more conservation-focused in the region.

The poll asked voters in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho about a variety of issues related to conservation, wildlife, energy use and climate change, and respondents supported virtually every conservation effort by a wide margin.

For example, 73 percent of Coloradans said they’d vote to raise taxes to pay for conservation funding. Even self-identified Republicans said they’d endorse tax increases to help fund such projects — a general rebuke of the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda.  Read more.

Colorado College: 2019 Conservation in the West Poll — The 9th Annual Survey of Voters in the Rocky Mountain West

Published on by Cyndy

COYOTE GULCH

February 5, 2019

Western voters have significant concerns around water issues and the increasingly visible impact of climate change; optimism for benefits of outdoor recreation economy

The ninth annual Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll released [January 31, 2019] shows voters in the Mountain West continue to support efforts to keep public lands protected and accessible, putting them at odds with the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda.  Read more

 

 

New Poll Underscores Overwhelming Montana Support for Conserving Wildlife, Protecting Migration Corridors

Published on by Cyndy
The Outdoor Wire
Friday, February 1, 2019

New polling out Thursday from Colorado College that shows Montanans and Americans throughout the West support conservation of wildlife habitat and collaborative strategies to protect and preserve vital migration corridors. The poll also raises concerns about the Department of the Interior’s singular focus on energy development — to the exclusion of responsible stewardship of wildlife and public lands.

“This latest Conservation in the West poll confirms once more just how much Montanans love our wildlife, public lands, and clean waters, and that we want our lawmakers to work together to protect these resources for future generations. At a time when our country is so deeply divided, conservation continues to be the issue that can bring Americans together,” said Dave Chadwick, Executive Director of the Montana Wildlife Federation. “These results also show shared support, not only for wildlife stewardship in Montana, but also the growing consensus that fragmented habitat and migration corridors need collaborative solutions.”  Read more

Poll: Wyomingites strongly conservationist despite conflicts in land use, energy development

Published on by Cyndy

CASPER STAR TRIBUNE

SCOTTSBLUFF STAR HERALD

STAR HERALD ONLINE

Heather Richards

Feb 1, 2019

Among their Western neighbors, Wyomingites remain the least concerned by climate change, but most are unabashedly conservationists, valuing an outdoors economy and protections for open spaces, according to an annual poll published by Colorado College.

Just 52 percent of Wyomingites consider climate change a serious problem, up 6 percentage points from 2016, according to the poll. More than 75 percent would call themselves conservationists.  Read more

Poll: Nevadans Favor Public-Lands Conservation Over Energy Production

Published on by Cyndy

NEVADA CAPITAL NEWS

by Suzanne Potter

CARSON CITY – Almost two-thirds of Nevadans oppose the Trump administration’s emphasis on energy production over conservation on public land, according to a new poll.

Researchers for the ninth annual “Conservation in the West” poll from Colorado College surveyed 400 registered voters in eight western states, including Nevada. They found that 64 percent of Nevadans want Congress to focus on protecting air, water and land – compared with 25 percent who said more drilling and mining should be a higher priority.  Read more

PUBLIC LANDS Western voters want protection, not drilling – poll

Published on by Cyndy

Jennifer Yachnin, E&E News reporter

Western state voters want the 116th Congress to focus on ensuring clean air and water, as well as access to public lands, rather than maximizing energy production, according to a survey released today.

The results are included in the ninth annual Conservation in the West Poll conducted by Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project, which surveyed 3,200 voters across Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

“Over the history of the Conservation in the West Poll, we’ve consistently seen bipartisan support for protecting public lands and outdoor spaces,” State of the Rockies Project Director Corina McKendry said in a conference call announcing the results.  Read more