Congratulations to Wildlife for All and the Colorado coalition that helped defeat Amendment 83.
The proposal would have established a constitutional right to hunt and fish and designated those activities as the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations. Although it retained state regulatory authority, opponents were concerned that these constitutional provisions could make future wildlife protections harder to adopt or defend in court. Its defeat leaves hunting and fishing legal under existing law and preserves the current framework for shaping wildlife policy through science, public participation, and agency expertise.
Building a Coalition Across Perspectives
Wildlife for All and its partners helped bring together conservation organizations, community advocates, scientists, elected officials and hunters who shared concerns about the amendment’s implications. Participants did not need to agree on every hunting or wildlife issue to share concerns about this amendment. Their work demonstrates the value of building relationships across different perspectives and helping voters consider the consequences of a constitutional change that could affect the future of wildlife management.
MLF’s History of Advocacy in Colorado
For the Mountain Lion Foundation, this outcome connects to years of participation in Colorado wildlife policy. We supported Senate Bill 31 in 2022, and the Cats Aren’t Trophies campaign for Proposition 127 in 2024, both aimed at ending recreational hunting of wild cats, with specified exceptions. We have also brought mountain lion research to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, advocating for management that recognizes the species’ ecological importance.
Proposition 127 did not pass. But the effort expanded public discussion, mobilized advocates and strengthened relationships among people committed to protecting Colorado’s wildlife. Amendment 83 was a separate campaign and asked voters a different question. The credit for its defeat belongs to the voters and the organizations and individuals who worked to oppose it. We applaud Wildlife for All and its coalition partners for their dedication and effective advocacy.
The Value of Sustained Advocacy
These outcomes reveal something essential about conservation: progress develops across many efforts and many years. Legislative testimony, conversations with neighbors, scientific presentations, volunteer recruitment, and election campaigns all help build public understanding and the capacity for future action. A setback can leave behind an informed community and stronger partnerships that make subsequent progress possible.
Looking Ahead
Colorado’s rejection of Amendment 83 leaves existing hunting and fishing laws in place and preserves the current framework for considering future wildlife policy, including assurances for protecting mountain lions. The work ahead involves protecting habitat, maintaining healthy populations, reducing conflict, and engaging people who bring different experiences and values to these questions.
We congratulate Wildlife for All and its partners for their sustained work. Their persistence reinforces a lesson at the heart of our mission: sustained advocacy works. When people stay engaged, build broad coalitions and turn their concern for wildlife into action, lasting change becomes possible.
