Hunters, anglers vow to remain vigilant in defense of outdoor heritage, economy

DENVER – With the death of a bill intended to give the state of Colorado concurrent jurisdiction over national public lands, hunters and anglers bid good riddance to attempts by some lawmakers to undermine an outdoor heritage crucial to hunting, fishing, recreation, Colorado's economy and its way of life.

The Colorado House Agriculture Committee voted Monday to indefinitely postpone action on Senate Bill 39, killing the legislation for this session. Last week, the Senate rejected SB232, which would have formed a commission to study and make recommendations about the state assuming control of millions of acres now managed by the federal government.

Members of sportsmen's organizations representing thousands of Coloradans expressed gratitude to the legislators who stood up for public lands and defeated proposals that, if enacted, could have led to the loss of fish and wildlife habitat and hunting, fishing and recreation opportunities as more of the land was developed or sold to cover management costs. They noted that hunting, fishing, wildlife watching and tourism make up an important cornerstone of local economies statewide and that public lands help support Colorado's annual $13.2 billion outdoor recreationeconomy.

"Trout Unlimited represents thousands of anglers in Colorado who are frustrated and outraged by these legislative attempts to sell off our American public lands," said Aaron Kindle, Colorado field coordinator for TU's Sportsmen's Conservation Project. "We're glad that Colorado lawmakers have killed these bills—and we hope they understand that they've awakened a sleeping giant. Sportsmen won't stand by and watch as our most prized outdoor places get sold to the highest bidder."
Legislatures throughout the Rocky Mountain West have debated bills asking Congress to turn over national public lands to the states or exploring how the states could manage the lands. Many of the proposals failed as opponents pointed out the constitutional and fiscal hurdles. However, members of Congress have introduced legislation to sell public lands and are vowing to hold hearings on transferring management to the states.

"Despite strong public support for maintaining our public lands as they are, hunters and anglers recognize that we're going to have to keep fighting to make sure that our American birthright isn't sold out from under us or carved up," said Bill Dvorak, a public lands organizer with the National Wildlife Federation. "These lands are an important part of our heritage, our economy and our identity as Coloradans and Americans."

"Colorado sportsmen applaud the legislature's wisdom in rejecting these bad bills, which would have significantly and permanently diminished citizens' ability to access our public lands and waters. Colorado's backcountry forms an irreplaceable public asset, with numerous major Western rivers originating in Colorado on public lands," said Tim Brass, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers' state policy director. "Hunters and anglers – both in Colorado and across the country – value these publicly owned resources and the outdoor opportunities they provide. We must remain vigilant against any attempts to legislate their sale, transfer or seizure. "





Contacts:
Judith Kohler, National Wildlife Federation, kohlerj@nwf.org, 720-315-0855
Randy Scholfield, Trout Unlimited, rscholfield@tu.org, 720-375-3961
Katie McKalip, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, mckalip@backcountryhunters.org, 406-240-9262