Prop 137 Heads to Colorado Ballot

DENVER, Sept. 28, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Proposition 137, a major funding measure for Colorado, has officially been placed on the state’s November ballot. The initiative, led by Western Resource Advocates, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Lands, and Conservation Colorado, aims to protect water supplies, prevent severe wildfires, and conserve lands and forests without raising taxes. The campaign has received over 150 endorsements to date from wildfire experts, land trusts, water and electric utilities, Colorado-based outdoor businesses, outdoor access organizations, conservation groups, and current and former Colorado leaders.

Prop 137 would redirect money from the state’s existing sales tax on sporting goods and outdoor equipment to fund projects that safeguard drinking water supplies, reduce wildfire risk and restore forests in fire-prone watersheds, conserve working lands and ranches, improve trail and park conditions, and support the growing outdoor recreation economy. The initiative would also fund wildlife corridor and habitat restoration projects and invasive species removal, and enhance outdoor recreation opportunities and access across the state.

The campaign has received over 150 endorsements to date from wildfire experts, land trusts, water and electric utilities, Colorado-based outdoor businesses, outdoor access organizations, conservation groups, and current and former Colorado leaders. These endorsements include former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, former U.S. Senator Mark Udall, and outdoor businesses like Big Agnes, La Sportiva North America Inc., SCARPA North America, Coleman, and Aspen One, as well as conservation advocates like National Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, NRDC Action Fund, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Prop 137 would also provide crucial funding to restore forested watersheds and make them more resilient against the threat of catastrophic wildfire, helping ensure the high-quality water supply that Coloradans depend on. Denver Water, which is responsible for delivering clean water to more than one and a half million Coloradans, is responsible for the drinking water that starts as snowpack and rainfall in the mountains, which filter through forested watersheds and flow into the rivers that supply communities.

As temperatures rise and drought places increasing pressure on rivers and water supplies, and wildfires intensify, this initiative will safeguard water for all. The campaign has received over 150 endorsements to date from wildfire experts, land trusts, water and electric utilities, Colorado-based outdoor businesses, outdoor access organizations, conservation groups, and current and former Colorado leaders.

Prop 137 would enable watershed protection projects to safeguard drinking water supplies, work to reduce wildfire risk and restore forests in fire-prone watersheds, conservation protection of working lands and ranches, trail and park improvements and new state parks, wildlife corridor and habitat restoration projects and invasive species removal, support for Colorado’s growing outdoor recreation economy and gateway communities, and enhanced outdoor recreation opportunities and access across the state.

The initiative would fund existing but underfunded state programs, which are primarily housed under the Colorado State Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources, and Great Outdoors Colorado. Each program has strict reporting requirements to ensure funds are used as intended.

Prop 137 would get the state off the back foot, solving problems that threaten water, land, and communities before they become crises, and doing so without raising taxes. The initiative offers Coloradans an opportunity to proactively address challenges such as deepening drought and severe wildfire, which are growing problems and outpacing the state’s ability to keep up.

By supporting existing but underfunded grant programs, Prop 137 would enable watershed protection projects to safeguard drinking water supplies, work to reduce wildfire risk and restore forests in fire-prone watersheds, conservation protection of working lands and ranches, trail and park improvements and new state parks, wildlife corridor and habitat restoration projects and invasive species removal, support for Colorado’s growing outdoor recreation economy and gateway communities, and enhanced outdoor recreation opportunities and access across the state.

The campaign has received over 150 endorsements to date from wildfire experts, land trusts, water and electric utilities, Colorado-based outdoor businesses, outdoor access organizations, conservation groups, and current and former Colorado leaders. These endorsements include former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, former U.S. Senator Mark Udall, and outdoor businesses like Big Agnes, La Sportiva North America Inc., SCARPA North America, Coleman, and Aspen One, as well as conservation advocates like National Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, NRDC Action Fund, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Prop 137 would provide crucial funding to restore forested watersheds and make them more resilient against the threat of catastrophic wildfire, helping ensure the high-quality water supply that Coloradans depend on. Denver Water, which is responsible for delivering clean water to more than one and a half million Coloradans, is responsible for the drinking water that starts as snowpack and rainfall in the mountains, which filter through forested watersheds and flow into the rivers that supply communities.

Prop 137 would also provide crucial funding to restore forested watersheds and make them more resilient against the threat of catastrophic wildfire, helping ensure the high-quality water supply that Coloradans depend on. Denver Water, which is responsible for delivering clean water to more than one and a half million Coloradans, is responsible for the drinking water that starts as snowpack and rainfall in the mountains, which filter through forested watersheds and flow into the rivers that supply communities.

Prop 137 would provide crucial funding to restore forested watersheds and make them more resilient against the threat of catastrophic wildfire, helping ensure the high-quality water supply that Coloradans depend on.