Committee advances bill to permanently reauthorize Colorado Habitat Stamp program

The House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Water Committee advanced Senate Bill 49 to the Finance Committee after bill sponsors and conservation groups urged making the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp program permanent.

Representative Martinez, a sponsor of the bill, told the committee the bill would "reauthorize the Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp," and stressed the program's user-funded model: revenues come from the sale of habitat stamps associated with hunting and fishing licenses and "have resulted in the conservation of 320,000 acres, over 117,000 acres of expanded public access, and 400 miles of river access," testimony said.

The Habitat Stamp program, established in 2006, generates roughly $7.5 million annually and has supported voluntary conservation easements, access agreements and fee-title acquisitions, according to witnesses. Gaspar Perricone of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation told the committee the program is "a constituency intentionally imposed a tax upon themselves for a public benefit," and urged removal of the program's sunset provision. Tim Rass, assistant director for Parks, Wildlife and Lands at the Department of Natural Resources, said CPW used habitat-stamp dollars this year to open Collard Ranch State Wildlife Area and to help protect more than 2,000 acres in the Mount Tom Conservation Corridor.

Several conservation organizations also testified in favor. Suzanne O'Neil, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, noted statutory priorities in the program's current law include migration corridors, winter range, public access and species-of-greatest-conservation-need under the state wildlife action plan. Mikkel Anderson of Ducks Unlimited described wetlands and waterfowl habitat benefits and said the program helps leverage federal funds such as Farm Bill and North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants.

Committee members asked procedural questions about stamp purchases and uses. Witnesses said Habitat Stamps cost $12.47 and can be bought on CPW's website, and that lifetime habitat stamps are also available. A committee member incorrectly asked if the stamp supported search-and-rescue; DNR staff clarified that habitat-stamp funds do not fund search-and-rescue operations.

After testimony and no amendments, the bill sponsors moved SB 49 to the Finance Committee. The committee recorded the final vote as 13-0 in favor, sending the measure to Finance.

Votes at a glance: SB 49 moved to Finance, motion passed 13-0.

Why it matters: Supporters described the Habitat Stamp program as a user-funded conservation tool that has paid for large-scale voluntary land protections and public access projects across Colorado. Opponents were not recorded during the hearing.

Next steps: SB 49 will be considered by the Finance Committee.