We Are Proud to Endorse Prop 137
Like many people in Eagle County, I spend much of my free time outside enjoying our surrounding public lands and open space. Whether I am mountain biking, trail running, backcountry skiing, or backpacking, these experiences are a big part of why I call this valley home. Through my work with the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance, I also see how much collaboration, funding, and work it takes to care for the places we enjoy.
Our trails, parks, rivers, wildlife habitat, and open spaces contribute to our health, our local economy, and our connection to this community. They require ongoing investment to remain healthy and accessible. That is why I am supporting Proposition 137.
Prop 137 would direct revenue from the existing state sales tax on sporting goods and equipment toward conservation, wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, and outdoor recreation. It would not increase the sales tax rate or the tax you pay when purchasing equipment. State estimates project approximately $175 million in its first year, including about $83 million for Great Outdoors Colorado, known as GOCO, and another $83 million for wildfire mitigation, forest management, and watershed projects.
We already know what investment through GOCO can accomplish here. Over more than three decades, GOCO has invested more than $40 million in Eagle County recreation, parks, wildlife, land acquisition, and conservation projects. Its support has helped conserve more than 6,000 acres, including places such as Brush Creek Valley Ranch and Open Space in Eagle, Eagle River Preserve in Edwards, and recently Nottingham Ranch.
These investments are woven into our everyday lives, even when we do not recognize where the funding came from. GOCO has supported recreation projects such as multiple sections of the Eagle Valley Trail, the Eagle Bike Park, Sylvan Lake management and amenities, and much more. These projects give residents places to exercise, explore, recreate, gather, and connect with their community.
At the VVMTA, we see this impact directly through our Trails and Stewardship Crew. A $300,000 GOCO grant, awarded in partnership with Eagle County, is helping expand our capacity to maintain trails and address recreation impacts on public lands. That investment puts more people on the ground doing the work our community and land managers need.
The economic case for caring for these lands is substantial. The Colorado Sun reported in 2022 that the White River National Forest was the country’s busiest national forest, supporting more than 22,000 jobs and generating nearly $1.6 billion in economic impact for surrounding communities. That same reporting found its annual federal budget had fallen from more than $30 million in the late 2000s to about $18 million. Investing in stewardship helps protect both the landscapes we love and the livelihoods that depend on them.
Caring for trails and conserved lands requires ongoing maintenance, habitat protection, and thoughtful recreation management. For decades, federal resources have struggled to keep pace, and our towns, county, partner organizations, volunteers, and donors have stepped up to fill gaps. Their contributions are substantial, but our rivers, forests, wildlife habitat, and trails cross community boundaries and benefit people throughout Colorado. Our local communities cannot do this alone. We need support from across Colorado to care for the places we all share. I personally enjoy trails and public lands throughout Colorado, not just here in Eagle County, and I believe we share a responsibility to care for them wherever they are.
Prop 137 does not guarantee funding for any project or program in Eagle County. It would expand the funding available through statewide programs, creating more opportunities for our county, local governments, and organizations working on conservation, water, stewardship, and outdoor access to compete for support. Additional grants could help local dollars go further and support work that otherwise would remain unfunded.
These grants are incredibly competitive. In 2024, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Outdoor Equity Grant Program received funding requests totaling more than seven times the amount available. This program has previously supported local organizations including SOS Outreach, The Cycle Effect, and Mountain Pride, helping young people and families overcome barriers and connect with the outdoors. Prop 137 could provide approximately $4.4 million in additional annual funding, creating more opportunities for programs like these across Colorado.
There is a financial tradeoff voters should understand. Although Prop 137 does not raise tax rates, it would reduce TABOR refunds when state revenue exceeds the constitutional limit. When there is insufficient surplus, the investment competes with other state budget priorities.
I also appreciate that Prop 137 leaves room to adjust when the state budget is tight. Beginning in its second year, it includes a safeguard to reduce conservation funding if necessary to protect certain family tax credits. Because it changes state law rather than the constitution, lawmakers can change the law to reduce or pause this funding during difficult budget years to prioritize essential services. The full projected funding is not guaranteed every year, but I believe that flexibility makes sense and is responsible.
I believe this investment is worth the tradeoff. Our public lands support local jobs, our health and well-being, provide clean water, wildlife habitat, and give all of us places to recreate and connect to nature and to our community. Maintaining trails, restoring watersheds, and reducing wildfire risk helps protect those benefits, and the responsibility extends beyond what individual towns, counties, and nonprofits can fund alone. Our community has demonstrated what collaboration and investment can accomplish, and Prop 137 offers an opportunity to build on that work. Please join me in voting yes on Prop 137.
