HB-1258 Scientific Wildlife Management

[Oak]

HB-1258 was introduced yesterday.

Bill Summary

In Colorado's wildlife statutes, the legislative declaration commits the state to use hunting, trapping, and fishing as the primary methods of effecting wildlife harvests. The bill requires the parks and wildlife commission to use the best available wildlife and ecological science to adopt rules that benefit wildlife, whole ecosystem health, and all Coloradans.

 

[TOGIE]

Ffs oak I’m already having a crappy day stop piling on

 

[bayoublaster7527]

This is bad….. this is very bad. Would like to know what organizations are pushing this bill. I have a strong suspicion it is Samantha Miller and Julie Marshall from Animal Wellness Action and CATS/Prop 127.

Changes terminology from “shall use hunting, fishing, and trapping” to “may use hunting, fishing, and trapping”. This is straight out of the CATS and Wildlife For All playbook.

Best available science and whole ecosystem health are basically their dog whistles for eliminating hunting.

Every Colorado hunter should write and/or call their representatives.

 

[Sandbrew]

Not a big fan of this seemingly minor change but it is BIG deal - In law, "shall" is used to indicate a mandatory action, while "may" is used to indicate a permissive action.

 

[nrpate05]

Geez thats a slippery slope. It is written in a way that most people would say, 'this makes total sense,' but the implications of this could be huge for outdoorsman.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Contact the House Agriculture, Water, and Natural Resources Committee below and voice your opposition:

Karen McCormick
[email protected]
303-866-2780

Mandy Lindsay
[email protected]
303-866-3911

Matthew Martinez
[email protected]
303-866-2916

Tammy Story
[email protected]
303-866-2582

Ty Winter
[email protected]
303-866-2747

Matt Soper
[email protected]
303-866-2583

Meghan Lukens
[email protected]
303-866-2923

Elizabeth Velasco
[email protected]
303-866-2949

Larry Don Suckla
[email protected]
303-866-2955

Katie Stewart
[email protected]
303-866-2914

Lesley Smith
[email protected]
303-866-2578

Dusty Johnson
[email protected]
303-866-2398

Tisha Mauro
[email protected]
303-866-2968

As they always say, follow the money. Rep Tammy Story endorsed and hosted campaign fundraisers for CATS/Prop 127 proponents. The usual cabal of anti-hunting activists are pushing this. Their “best available science” dictates an end to hunting.

The real danger is it allows the anti-hunting factions in Colorado to challenge every single hunting, fishing, and trapping rule in that it violates statute by not following “best available science” and benefits whole ecosystem health and all Coloradans. They can dispute CPW science and surveys as not accurate, not recent enough, not comprehensive to the whole ecosystem, etc. This is their playbook.

 

[Big Fin]

Wow. This is really bad. To some it will be too nuanced to get their attention and raise any concerns. This will make our Fresh Tracks Weekly segment for next week.

 

[marksjeep]

Appreciate the heads up on this bill. I have seen zero email blasts from anyone on this? CRWM, DU, TU, BHA, TRCP, RMBS, RMEF? I get 87 emails a day about gun legislation. Crickets on this. I realize it was just introduced, but we need to get the message out. Anyone got Dan Gates number? That man is a media machine.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Appreciate the heads up on this bill. I have seen zero email blasts from anyone on this? CRWM, DU, TU, BHA, TRCP, RMBS, RMEF? I get 87 emails a day about gun legislation. Crickets on this. I realize it was just introduced, but we need to get the message out. Anyone got Dan Gates number? That man is a media machine.

Agreed, first I heard was Oak’s post. I think it was just introduced on Wednesday. I know some of the wildlife groups are tracking because one of the Representatives I talked to today said she just got off the phone with a sportsman’s group.

Would love to see the bigs organizations pick it up quickly. Flood the zone in committee and kill it there. Like they did the mountain lion hunting ban bill in 2022.

 

[Bluffgruff]

Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources | Colorado General Assembly

The House Agriculture, Livestock, & Water Committee generally considers matters concerning water, agriculture, wildlife, and recreation. In addition, the committee has legislative oversight responsibility for the departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

leg.colorado.gov

Another way to get their contact info

 

[elks]

It just never ends. Good luck Colorado. I hope we see this get the crap kicked out of it.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Update: HOWL for Wildlife now has an action item for this bill. Make your voice heard. Link below.

Stop HB 25-1258: Defend Colorado’s Proven Wildlife Management

HB 25-1258 proposes changing Colorado’s longstanding statutory language so that hunting and angling would merely be optional methods of managing wildlife rather than mandatory primary tools. It also requires CPW to rely on the undefined “best available science,” opening the door for politicized...

www.howlforwildlife.org

 

[CoHunter1991]

Emails sent last night. Phone calls today. Lets kill this thing.

 

[COEngineer]

BHA sent an Action Alert to members in the committee members' zip codes.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Looks like it is scheduled for natural resources committee hearing March 6.

Get your calls and emails in.

 

[Bonasababy]

Interesting. Several thoughts....

Seems so vague and without definition as to be unenforceable--but perhaps the intent is to do it that way to allow for court challenges and hope for a favorable court ruling.

From the perspective of wildlife managers I would guess they would say we always consider the best available science and we can easily define that--but "whole ecosystem health" means nothing without a detailed and clear definition. And should be worrisome.

Seems to me that this should die without much more clarity and clear definitions, and the sponsors want nothing to do with having those conversations. Might be a way to attack it..

 

[Addicting]

Wow. This is really bad. To some it will be too nuanced to get their attention and raise any concerns. This will make our Fresh Tracks Weekly segment for next week.

Yep and who’s science? Two different studies on the same thing, paid for by opposite views. Funny how they both have opposite conclusions but it’s the best available.

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Interesting. Several thoughts....

Seems so vague and without definition as to be unenforceable--but perhaps the intent is to do it that way to allow for court challenges and hope for a favorable court ruling.

From the perspective of wildlife managers I would guess they would say we always consider the best available science and we can easily define that--but "whole ecosystem health" means nothing without a detailed and clear definition. And should be worrisome.

Seems to me that this should die without much more clarity and clear definitions, and the sponsors want nothing to do with having those conversations. Might be a way to attack it..

Absolutely. The intent is to open up every hunting regulation to endless challenges that it doesn’t account for the “best available science” and “whole ecosystem health” and benefit “every Coloradan”. Some of the committee members are also skeptical of the true intent of the bill. CPW never asked for this, they have and will continue to manage wildlife based on science.

In case it wasn’t completely obvious, this bill is being pushed by the failed Prop 127 activists, actually the same individual that orchestrated the spring bear hunt ban and anti-hunting shift on the Washington commission.