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Committee backs bill to protect wild bison crossing into Colorado; tribes and conservationists urge safeguards
Summary
Senate Bill 53 was amended and advanced out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on a 4‑3 vote after extensive testimony from tribal leaders, conservation groups and local stakeholders calling for legal protection of wild bison that occasionally cross into Colorado from Utah’s Book Cliffs herd.
After extensive testimony from tribal leaders, conservation groups, hunters and local residents, the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee voted 4‑3 Monday to advance Senate Bill 53 to the Committee on Appropriations with amendments that extend an effective date and clarify legislative findings.
Sponsor Senator Danielson told the committee the bill aims to protect wild bison that occasionally cross into Colorado from neighboring Utah. He and supportive witnesses said the animals are culturally important to Native American tribes, ecologically valuable and have occasionally been shot without regulation because under current Colorado law these transient animals are treated as livestock rather than wildlife.
Tribal leaders and Native…
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