DENVER (February 14, 2024) — Westerners show strong support for conservation when given a choice about how public lands and waters should be used, according to Colorado College’s 14th Annual Conservation in the West Poll. Eighty-five percent of voters said they support creating new parks, monuments, and Tribal protected areas and an equal percentage said they supported construction of wildlife crossings for major roads that intersect migration routes. Ninety-percent said they favored requiring oil and gas companies — not the federal government — to pay for the cleanup and restoration of land after drilling.

“Across political divides, peaks and valleys, and the wide expanses of the West, people are united in wanting to ensure our lands, water, and wildlife endure for future generations. The Conservation in the West Poll is not only confirmation of this adage, but also a challenge to our leaders in state Capitols and inside the Beltway to come together and enact solutions as big as the challenges facing people, wildlife, and the environment,” said David Willms, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “The poll shows that voters are watching and united, too, in their concern that without action, our wildlife, land, water, and way of life are at risk due to climate change, over-development, and overuse.”

“Westerners have a strong connection to the region’s diverse landscapes and the outdoors. These results reaffirm why protecting public lands and waters and creating more national monuments and parks are a priority for them,” said Camilla Simon, executive director of Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO). “Among Colorado voters, 92% support protecting public lands surrounding the Dolores River Canyon. This is not only one of the most biodiverse unprotected areas of Colorado that offers unparalleled outdoor recreation opportunities, but it is also a tributary to the Colorado River, which provides water to 40 million Americans, including 1/3 of the Latino population in the United States. Protecting this watershed is critical.”

The poll, which surveyed the views of voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, found:

• 67 percent of voters are worried about the future of land, water and wildlife.
• 85 percent of voters support constructing wildlife crossing structures across major highways that intersect with known migration routes. 
• 78 percent of voters want more emphasis placed on conserving wildlife migration routes, providing highway crossings, and limiting more development to protect wildlife habitats.
• 57 percent of voters say they seek out news on nature, wildlife or recreation.
• 66 percent of voters are concerned about the effects of climate change in their respective states over the past decade.