Colorado’s forests, rivers, and open spaces are more than remarkable landscapes. They are connected natural systems that sustain our water, wildlife, communities, and way of life. The health of one influences the health of another, from snow-covered mountain headwaters to the cottonwood forests lining our rivers.
On November 3, Colorado voters approved Proposition 137, dedicating existing state sales tax revenue from sporting goods to conservation, wildfire risk reduction, watershed health, and outdoor recreation. The measure is expected to direct approximately $175 million annually, beginning in the 2027–28 state budget year, without increasing the state sales tax rate. It will deliver funds through existing state programs supporting land and water conservation, wildfire risk reduction, watershed health, and outdoor recreation.
This is a significant opportunity for Colorado. And now comes the important work of ensuring these investments deliver meaningful, lasting benefits for healthy habitats, birds, wildlife, and people.
Healthy Forests and Rivers Are Connected
What happens in our forests doesn’t stay in our forests.
Mountain snowpack feeds streams and rivers that sustain wetlands, riparian corridors, agricultural lands, and communities downstream. When forests experience severe wildfire, subsequent storms can carry ash, sediment, and debris into waterways, affecting water quality, aquatic habitat, and watershed function.
These connections matter tremendously for birds.
Western Tanagers depend on forest habitats, while Lewis’s Woodpeckers use open woodlands and standing dead trees for nesting and foraging. Along our rivers, Yellow Warblers nest among willows and other streamside vegetation, while Bald Eagles rely on healthy aquatic ecosystems and large trees for nesting and perching. Each species reminds us that healthy landscapes are not uniform. They are dynamic, diverse, and shaped by natural ecological processes.
As explored in our recent article, What Birds Reveal About Fire, Forests, and Resilience, science-based forest management must recognize these differences. Prescribed fire, managed wildfire, and carefully designed thinning can support forest resilience in appropriate settings, but approaches must be tailored to ecological conditions and wildlife needs.
Protecting watershed health means understanding these relationships across entire landscapes, not treating forests, rivers, and wildlife habitat as separate priorities.
Investing in Conservation and Our Connection to Nature
Proposition 137 also recognizes something Coloradans understand well: resilient natural landscapes sustain the outdoor experiences we cherish. River corridors provide essential habitat for migratory birds alongside opportunities for fishing, paddling, and birdwatching. Forests and wetlands support diverse wildlife while offering places for hiking, camping, exploring, and connecting with nature.
The measure directs funding through established programs, including Great Outdoors Colorado, Department of Natural Resources, Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. Together, these programs support wildfire risk mitigation, forest and watershed restoration and conservation projects, outdoor recreation, and opportunities for more Coloradans to experience the outdoors.
These investments could help advance conservation projects, strengthen watershed resilience, and support the outdoor recreation economies that many Colorado communities depend upon.
Conservation and outdoor recreation need not be competing values when approached thoughtfully. Both depend on functioning ecosystems, healthy watersheds, and stewardship that protects sensitive habitats while providing opportunities for people to connect with nature.
At Audubon Rockies, we see what thoughtful investment and collaboration can accomplish. Across Colorado, partnerships among landowners, restoration practitioners, agencies, conservation organizations, and local communities are helping reconnect streams to their floodplains, restore wetlands, and strengthen habitat for birds and wildlife. Proposition 137 offers an opportunity to build upon this work.
But dedicated funding is a beginning, not an ecological outcome. Success will depend on sound science, meaningful local engagement, transparent decision-making, and accountability for results. Investments must reflect the needs of individual landscapes and the people who live and work within them.
Colorado has taken an important step toward sustained conservation funding. The responsibility now is to translate that opportunity into healthier forests, functioning rivers, resilient wildlife habitat, and outdoor spaces that future generations can continue to enjoy.
When we protect Colorado’s forests and rivers, we protect the birds, communities, and ways of life that depend on them.
