Who opposes Colorado Amendment 83 (2026)
Colorado Amendment 83 (2026), formerly Initiative 302, is opposed by Governor Jared Polis, the League of Women Voters of Colorado, the editorial boards of The Denver Post and The Durango Herald, hunters and anglers, wildlife biologists, legal experts, and conservation and animal welfare groups across the state. Where a public statement is available, we link to it.
Updated · Facts and FAQ · All sources
Elected officials
Statewide
- Gov. Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado “Jared Polis: Don’t play constitutional favorites with Colorado’s outdoor activities,” Daily Camera, Oct. 17, 2026
- Phil Weiser, Attorney General of Colorado Interview with the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Oct. 9, 2026
Congress
- Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), statement provided to the No on 83 campaign, Oct. 16, 2026
- Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-2), statement provided to the No on 83 campaign, Oct. 16, 2026
- Congressman Jason Crow (CO-6), statement provided to the No on 83 campaign, Oct. 16, 2026
State Senate
- Senate President Pro Tempore Cathy Kipp
- State Senator Matt Ball
- State Senator Jeff Bridges
- State Senator Judy Amabile
- State Senator Lisa Cutter
- State Senator Janice Marchman
- State Senator Katie Wallace
- State Senator Mike Weissman
State House
- House Majority Leader Monica Duran
- State Representative Andy Boesenecker
- State Representative Kyle Brown
- State Representative Lorena Garcia
- State Representative Lori Goldstein
- State Representative Junie Joseph
- State Representative Javier Mabrey
- State Representative Karen McCormick
- State Representative Kenny Nguyen
- State Representative Amy Paschal
- State Representative Jacqueline Phillips
- State Representative Lesley Smith
- State Representative Tammy Story
- State Representative Alex Valdez
- State Representative Elizabeth Velasco
- State Representative Steph Vigil
- State Representative Jenny Willford
Local
- Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett
- Arvada Mayor Pro Tem Randy Moorman
- Boulder Councilwoman Nicole Speer
- Denver Councilman Chris Hinds
- Denver Councilman Darrell Watson
- Golden Mayor Laura Weinberg
- Westminster Mayor Claire Carmelia
Organizations and newspapers
- League of Women Voters of Colorado 2026 voter guide
- The Denver Post, Editorial Board, Sept. 24, 2026 The Denver Post
- Humane Colorado Position on Amendment 83
- The Durango Herald, Editorial Board, Oct. 7, 2026 “Our view: 14 measures, and how we’re voting”
- Daily Camera, Editorial Board, Sept. 27, 2026 Daily Camera
- The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction), Editorial Board, Oct. 15, 2026 “Voter beware”
- Durango Telegraph, ballot recommendations, Oct. 15, 2026 “Buckle up”
- Pagosa Daily Post, Editorial, Oct. 14, 2026 Pagosa Daily Post
- Voces Unidas Action Fund, Rural Latino advocacy group, Glenwood Springs 2026 ballot positions, Sept. 26, 2026
- Colorado Education Association 2026 recommendations, Sept. 22, 2026
- Denver Audubon Position on Amendment 83
Hunters, anglers and wildlife professionals
- Colorado Hunters and Anglers for Sensible Wildlife Conservation Colorado Public Radio
- Eric Washburn, 5th-generation big game hunter, Steamboat Springs Pagosa Daily Post
- Gary Skiba, Hunter, angler and wildlife biologist, Durango The Durango Herald, Sept. 28, 2026
- James Pribyl, Former Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioner Cowboy State Daily
- Science for Colorado Wildlife Science for Colorado Wildlife (Substack)
- Marc Bekoff, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder Project Coyote
- Jay Tutchton, Chair, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission (speaking for himself) KUNC / Mountain West News Bureau, Oct. 20, 2026
- Matt Barnes, Hunter and rangeland scientist, southwestern Colorado Colorado Politics, Oct. 27, 2026
- Mickey Pardo, Wildlife biologist Colorado Politics, Oct. 21, 2026
Scientists’ letters on Amendment 83
Letters from scientists on how Amendment 83 could affect bears, lead poisoning and wildlife management.
- 21 bear biologists, wildlife scientists and conservation professionals Open letter to Colorado voters, Oct. 22, 2026 (PDF)
- Michael J. Kosnett, M.D., M.P.H., Medical toxicologist, Colorado School of Public Health Letter of Oct. 9, 2026 (PDF)
- Mark A. Pokras, D.V.M., Former director, Tufts Wildlife Clinic Letter of Oct. 7, 2026 (PDF)
- Donald Smith, Ph.D., and Myra Finkelstein, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz Letter of Oct. 6, 2026 (PDF)
- Daniel Doak, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Colorado Boulder Letter of Oct. 11, 2026 (PDF)
- Elaine F. Leslie, Ph.D., Retired chief of biological resources, National Park Service, Durango Letter of Oct. 12, 2026 (PDF)
- Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado Boulder Letter (PDF)
- Summary of the lead-ammunition letters Animal Wellness Action, Oct. 13, 2026
Constitutional and legal experts
- Protect Colorado’s Constitution Colorado Public Radio
- David Kane, Protect Colorado’s Constitution Ballotpedia News
- Stop the Constitutional Power Grab Colorado Secretary of State
- Justin Marceau, Professor of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law Letter of Sept. 21, 2026
- Steven C. Silverman, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Colorado School of Law Statement, Oct. 1, 2026
- Jess Beaulieu, Attorney; Assistant Director, University of Denver Animal Law Program Analysis of Sept. 23, 2026
- Tom Cronin, Political scientist and columnist Colorado Politics, Oct. 4, 2026
- Bob Loevy, Political scientist and columnist Colorado Politics, Oct. 4, 2026
Conservation, wildlife and animal welfare groups
- Sierra Club Colorado Chapter Denver Gazette
- Defenders of Wildlife (Stefan Ekernas, vice president) The Colorado Sun, Oct. 13, 2026
- WildEarth Guardians
- Western Watersheds Project The Colorado Sun
- River Runners for Wilderness
- Wildlife for All The Colorado Sun
- Colorado Nature Action
- Keep Colorado’s Voice
- Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center KOAA News 5
- Kelly Murphy, Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center FOX21 News
- Darlene Kobobel, Runs the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center KOAA News 5
- Project Coyote Project Coyote statement
- Animal Legal Defense Fund
- Friends of Animals Friends of Animals
- Colorado Voters for Animals
- ColoradoWild
County Democratic parties
- County Democratic Parties: Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Eagle, Gunnison, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, Montezuma, Park, Pitkin, Routt, San Miguel, Summit
More members of the No on 83 coalition
Groups listed by the No on 83 coalition.
- Action for a Wild Earth
- Animal Welfare Institute
- AnimalAction Network
- Arkansas Valley Audubon Society
- Attorneys for Animals
- Boulder County Audubon Society
- Boulder Progressives
- Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary
- Butterfly Pavilion
- Center for a Humane Economy
- Center for Biological Diversity
- Colorado Bear Coalition
- Colorado Ceasefire
- Colorado Coalition Against Gun Violence
- Colorado Common Cause
- Colorado Native Bird Care & Conservancy
- EcoFlight
- Endangered Species Coalition
- Grasslands Colorado
- Indivisible Colorado
- The International Wildlife Coexistence Network
- Living Rivers Colorado Riverkeeper
- Luvin’ Arms Animal Sanctuary
- Mercy For Animals
- Moms Demand Action
- Prairie Protection Colorado
- Pro-Animal Future
- ProgressNow Colorado
- Rewilding America Now
- Roaring Fork Audubon
- Rocky Mountain Wild
- Rocky Mountain Wildlife Alliance
- Rocky Mountain Wolf Project
- San Juan Citizens Alliance
- Southern Plains Land Trust
- The Wild Animal Sanctuary
- Wild Aware
- Wild Nature Media
- Wildlife Coalition of Douglas County
- Yellow Scene
Why they oppose it
- It protects undefined “traditional methods,” which could bring back the leghold traps, bear baiting, and hound hunting that Colorado voters banned.
- The Constitution should protect fundamental rights, not lock in one way of managing wildlife.
- It could invite costly lawsuits and hand wildlife decisions to the courts.