Outdoor Recreation

Polis: Poll Confirms Support for Conservation Agenda

Published on by Cyndy

PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE

By Eric Galatas

February 4, 2019

DENVER – Voters in Colorado and other western states continue to support conservation policies for publicly owned lands, putting them at odds with the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda, according to the ninth annual Conservation in the West Poll from Colorado College.

Gov. Jared Polis says the poll’s results show a clear mandate to keep public lands accessible for outdoor recreation, which he sees as a vital part of the Colorado way of life.

“That’s really one of the reasons that people choose to live here, why people move here, why people visit our state,” Polis says. “Over 500,000 people work in outdoor recreation and tourism that puts food on the table for their families.”  Read more

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.

Outdoors a bright spot for New Mexico

Published on by Cyndy

SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN

By Lori Weigel and Dave Metz

March 4, 2019

There is good news for New Mexicans who may be feeling like the last kid picked for the team during this economic turnaround.

In the recent Conservation in the West Poll of voters in eight Mountain West states, New Mexico voters expressed economic angst far higher than their neighbors in the region around issues like low wages, unemployment and slow growth.

Amid the economic uncertainty, there is a bright spot. An overwhelming majority in New Mexico — 84 percent — believe the outdoor economy is important to the economic future of their state. In fact, a majority say that this segment of the economy — which was defined as not only people coming to hunt, fish, camp and recreate in the state, but also those who manufacture and sell equipment for those activities — is “very important.”

Read more.

Letters to the editor

Published on by Cyndy

JACKSON HOLE NEWS & GUIDE

February 20, 2019

Celebrate public lands

Public lands in Wyoming and the West, are, by definition for everybody. These lands have been managed for multiple use by the people of our state, country and the world for more than 50 years.

A simple effort to create a day of recognition of the diverse recreational benefits of all public lands has met resistance at the Wyoming Legislative session again this year.

Other states use annual Public Lands Day events to get people outside to participate in service projects and give something back to the natural resources they utilize throughout the year.

A proposal to include multiple use in the title of the bill, and the official name of the annual day, ended up preventing the bill from advancing last year.  Read more

Poll finds support for public lands protections in the west

Published on by Cyndy

Colorado voters back clean water, wildlife habitat

CASTLE ROCK NEWS PRESS ONLINE

HIGHLANDS RANCH HERALD ONLINE

WESTMINSTER WINDOW

LITTLETON INDEPENDENT

By Shanna Fortier

February 11, 2019

Colorado residents continue to support efforts to keep public lands protected and accessible, according to the ninth annual Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll, which was released Jan. 31 and presented at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver.

The poll surveyed the views of voters in Colorado and seven other Mountain West states — Arizona, Idaho,

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — on policies impacting the use and protection of public lands. The role of public lands and the outdoor way of life continued to be of deep importance to Colorado voters, with 73 percent of Coloradans viewing themselves as “outdoor recreation enthusiasts” and 69 percent labeling themselves as “conservationists.”  Read more

 

Poll: Most Utahns Say Protecting Public Lands Is A Priority

Published on by Cyndy

UTAH PUBLIC RADIO

By Mark Richardson

February 6, 2019

Utah voters expressed strong opinions in a new poll on issues such as climate change, protecting public lands and outdoor recreation.

In the ninth annual “Conservation in the West” poll from Colorado College, two-thirds of voters polled in eight Western states identified themselves as conservationists, and strongly endorsed policies that protect land, water and wildlife.  Read more

 

 

State Of The Rockies: Western Voters Identify As “Outdoor Enthusiasts”

Published on by Cyndy

KRCC

KEUR-FM Online

By Ali Budner

The 2019 State of the Rockies report says 70 percent of western voters identify as “outdoor enthusiasts.” The annual bipartisan poll surveys how voters across the Mountain West feel about public lands, water, wildlife, and energy expansion.

“It’s not just a stereotype about the west,” said Lori Weigel of New Bridge Strategy, a Republican-leaning opinion research firm that partnered with a Democratic-leaning firm to conduct the poll. “They are embracing it.”

The State of the Rockies program is based at Colorado College in Colorado Springs and sponsors the survey.

Read more