This commentary is by Courtney Rogers, a Boulder County resident who works in land conservation and serves on The Nature Conservancy’s 13ers Advisory Council, and Billy Hoffmann, a Denver resident with experience in Front Range wildfire mitigation who is pursuing a master’s in the environment at CU Boulder, where he researches policy and wildfire management.
The Marshall Fire changed everything. Seeing smoke engulf the late-December sky while nearby neighborhoods burned made it painfully clear that catastrophic wildfires are no longer confined by seasons or geography. They are happening right here in our backyard, and Boulder and surrounding communities face a constant threat.
The massive Aspen Acres fires this summer and other fires along the Front Range served as stark reminders of how vulnerable our foothills, homes and water supplies remain. The trifecta of a historically low winter snowpack, blistering summer heat and relentless statewide drought has put Colorado in a place we’ve never seen before. Clearly our climate is changing fast, and we are falling farther behind.
That’s why voting “yes” on Proposition 137 matters this November.
Our community has a long history of stepping up for the environment, from establishing the “Blue Line” in 1959 to passing a local sales tax for open space in 1967. But today’s climate crisis requires an updated approach.
The impacts of aridification are evident all around us. Dry soils absorb sparse snowpack before it reaches streams and reservoirs, lowering rivers and accelerating runoff before fire season begins.
The fiscal impacts of that shift are less apparent to most people. Colorado currently faces a massive $4.2 billion forest management backlog and an annual shortfall of up to $200 million for key wildfire projects. Not enough of the work we need to do to protect our communities — and our firefighters — is getting done. And waiting to react until another ridge catches fire costs exponentially more in lives, homes and public funds — none of which we can afford to lose.
Prop 137 will secure around $175 million every year dedicated to proactive forest restoration, watershed protection and wildfire risk reduction across Colorado. Notably, it does that without raising taxes or making life more expensive. Instead, it simply channels a slice of state sales tax revenue already collected on sports and outdoor equipment toward these vital programs. It’s a direct link: the gear we buy to hike, bike, climb and camp directly funds the care and protection of the places we love.
Land managers will use these funds for targeted fuel-reduction projects, including strategic forest thinning, brush clearing and prescribed burns. These efforts create defensive buffers for firefighters and protect headwaters supplying municipal drinking water.
The benefits should be obvious to a community so connected to the outdoors. No one wants to choke down wildfire smoke on their daily run or bike ride, see their favorite trout stream close because the water is too warm and silty, or lose access to trails and climbing routes due to wildfires or lingering burn scars that ultimately impact our watersheds. As pioneers of environmental activism and the outdoor lifestyle, Boulder voters should see passing Prop 137 as an easy choice.
The measure focuses on removing small, dead or unhealthy trees near the wildland-urban interface, not commercial logging. This fire-prevention work saves millions in future disaster recovery costs.
Research shows every $1 invested in proactive mitigation saves $7 in long-term disaster recovery. Meanwhile, state taxpayers shoulder a $266 million bill for wildfire response this year alone. We need proactive solutions rather than scrambling for money after disasters.
We’re already in a crisis, and it calls for a dedicated, long-term commitment to protecting Colorado’s rapidly changing landscapes. Prop 137 will provide that while also protecting the state budget. Because it’s a statutory measure, state lawmakers keep the flexibility to adjust funding during lean economic years to ensure core needs like schools and health care stay fully funded.
That balance is why the measure has earned backing from a broad coalition of state and local leaders and more than 50 conservation organizations, including Conservation Colorado, Western Resource Advocates, American Rivers, The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land. We stand with them.
Boulder’s tradition of leadership calls for stepping up to today’s challenges to safeguard our water, forests and communities. Voting “yes” on Proposition 137 is a practical step to protect Colorado.
