From water conservation to big cat hunting, two statewide initiatives dealing with scientific enterprises are on the ballot this November.
Proposition JJ and Proposition 127 are initiatives on the ballot facing a yea or nay approval vote at the state level.
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Proposition JJ
If passed, Proposition JJ will put sports betting tax revenue above voter-approved limits toward water conservation and protection. Such revenue is currently refunded to casinos.
In 2019, Proposition DD was approved, legalizing sports betting and giving the state power to divert up to $27.2 million of revenue to water projects.
The Colorado Water Conservation Board, an almost fully self-funded water information resource, focuses both on projects and funding pertaining to the Colorado Water Plan, a framework focused on water conservation and water development that was adopted in January 2023.
The Colorado Water Plan focuses on four goals: creating and fostering water projects to provide vibrant communities thriving watersheds, including environment and and recreation; watershed health and wildfire protection; robust agriculture, including livestock, farming, orchards and ranching; and resilient planning, focusing on climate extremes.
According to the executive summary of the Colorado Water Plan, the average temperature in Colorado could rise by over 4.2 degrees by 2050, placing an increased demand on water resources. Over 80% of Colorado residents rely on forested watersheds for drinking water, and 19 states, along with Mexico, receive water from Colorado headwaters.
“If no action is taken, municipalities risk having shortages by 2050 of up to 740,000 acre-feet statewide during dry times, and existing shortage risks for agriculture, recreation and the environment will increase,” the report reads.
Proposition 127
Proposition 127, if passed, would make hunting bobcats, lynx and mountain lions illegal in Colorado.
In 2022-23, 502 mountain lions were killed by hunters, according to a harvest report by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. There are currently no bag and possession limits on hunting bobcats — the season of which starts Dec. 1 and ends Feb. 28, 2025. The state-endangered lynx are federally classified as threatened and are therefore illegal to hunt.
The proposition seeks to ban hunting on mountain lions and bobcats year-round and prevent lynx from ever being hunted.
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“The measure restricts the ability of wildlife management experts at CPW to make science-based decisions to achieve the state’s ecological objectives, which include preserving biodiversity, ensuring sustainable ecosystems and protecting endangered species,” the 2024 State Ballot Information Booklet provided as an argument against Proposition 127.
Another argument against Proposition 127 from the Mule Deer Foundation states that without regulated hunting, the mule deer population could be threatened.
The ballot information booklet’s argument for 127 reads, “Big cats provide valuable ecological contributions, and Colorado should protect them rather than allowing them to be hunted.”
This is not the first time ecology has been on the ballot; in 2020, Proposition 114 narrowly passed by way of 50.91% approval, allowing wolf reintroduction into lands west of the Continental Divide in Colorado by the end of 2023.
In 1992, by way of a 69.7% approval vote, hunting black bears was prohibited between March 1 and Sept. 1 of all calendar years and was also prohibited using bait or dogs at any time. In 1996, Amendment 14 was passed to ban legal traps, poisons and snares.
Reach Allie Seibel at science@collegian.com or on Twitter @allie_seibel_.
