Help RMEF Support Colorado's Right to Hunt and Fish: Vote YES on Amendment 83

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation fully supports Colorado’s Amendment 83. Protecting the right to hunt and fish in the state constitution aligns with RMEF’s mission. Colorado hunters have been increasingly on the defensive, and the attacks are only accelerating. RMEF urges all Colorado members to vote YES on Amendment 83 and to encourage friends and family to as well.

Amendment 83 would protect the right to hunt and fish in the Colorado Constitution and keep wildlife management grounded in science and led by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). It takes current law designating hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations and elevates it to a longer-term constitutional directive. The measure maintains the authority of CPW and the legislature to set seasons, bag limits, license allocations and safety rules. It would make Colorado the 25th state in the nation to constitutionally protect these rights.

Why Amendment 83 Matters for Colorado’s Hunting and Fishing Heritage

Colorado’s wildlife is managed through a 150-year-old proven, science-driven framework funded primarily by hunters and anglers. Ballot-box threats to that system continue to grow, and Amendment 83 ensures that Colorado’s approach stays rooted in science, balance and common sense.

Colorado’s 300,000+ hunters and 950,000+ anglers generate more than $6.1 billion in annual economic activity and support over 25,000 jobs across all 64 counties. Sportsmen and women contribute 68% of CPW’s budget through licenses, tags and excise taxes. With more than 40% of Colorado’s 4 million registered voters connected to hunting or fishing, these traditions represent not just an economic engine but a broad constituency whose values and way of life deserve constitutional protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does Amendment 83 actually do?

Amendment 83 establishes a clear constitutional right for people to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife using traditional methods in Colorado. It declares hunting and fishing as the primary and preferred means of responsibly managing fish and wildlife populations, as endorsed by wildlife biologists. Constitutional protection defends against future legislative and ballot measure attacks on hunting and fishing.

Q: Will Amendment 83 change current hunting or fishing regulations?

No. All existing CPW rules, licenses, seasons and conservation practices stay the same. Amendment 83 simply protects the overall right from being eroded by future laws or ballot measures and ensures Colorado will continue science-based wildlife management.

Q: Does Amendment 83 affect wildlife conservation?

Amendment 83 keeps the hunting and fishing funding stream secure, so wildlife and wild places continue to thrive.

Steps You Can Take Today:

Visit the campaign websites to learn more and get involved: yeson83co.org and wildlifedeservebetter.com.

Pick up and display a yard sign to show your support. Find locations here: wildlifedeservebetter.com/sign-pickup-locations.

REGISTER TO VOTE AND SUMBIT YOUR BALLOT EARLY. Use this link to register online: Voter Registration - Verify Your Identification - Colorado Secretary of State

Engage on social media. Share why you hunt and fish and why Amendment 83 matters to you. Use #YesOn83 to amplify the message.

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Find a list of Colorado newspapers and media outlets at rmef.org/take-action/#/media.

Fix Our Forests Act Finally Moving in the Senate, Urge a Yes Vote

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Nine months after the House passed its version of the Fix Our Forests Act on a noteworthy bipartisan 279-141 vote, the U. S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry voted on and passed the legislation on a strongly bipartisan 18-5 vote. S.1462 is sponsored by Senators John Curtis (R-UT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT).

RMEF supports this legislation as an important set of reforms to improve habitat quality in national forests, in addition to reducing catastrophic fire risk.

This legislation does the following:

Simplify and expedite environmental reviews for forest management projects

Promote federal, state, tribal and local collaboration in forest management and strengthen tools like Good Neighbor Authority and stewardship contracting to maximize return on investment

Deter frivolous litigation that delays essential projects, including to reverse the 9th Circuit Court’s ”Cottonwood decision”

Encourage the adoption of state-of-the-art science and technologies for federal land managers

Now that the committee has passed the bill it can be taken up by the full Senate for passage. Given the bipartisan support it should have enough votes to invoke cloture and avoid being blocked by filibuster.

Clicking the Take Action button below and entering your address will generate a suggested message to your senators. Please feel free to customize the message in your own words but take action today!

Current Actions

Help RMEF Support Colorado's Right to Hunt and Fish: Vote YES on Amendment 83

Fix Our Forests Act Finally Moving in the Senate, Urge a Yes Vote