Issue Position: Fighting for Colorado's Sportsmen

Issue Position

My wife Susan and I moved here because we were inspired by Colorado's natural environment. Today, we continue to be impressed by the commitment Coloradans have for preserving the state's land, water, and wildlife for future generations. I share that commitment and believe it is our responsibility to protect our natural resources so that our children and our grandchildren have the opportunity to enjoy those moments in the outdoors that we all know are the best part of living in this state.

I happen to take an interest in fly fishing, but whether you're standing in a river, sitting in a boat, or perched in a blind -- we're all waiting for that moment, that feeling: the catch, shot or view that makes our outdoor pursuits all worthwhile.

As your U.S. Senator, I will work for more of those moments. And I believe it is our responsibility to make the tough decisions we need to make now, so that the next generation of sportsmen has the opportunity to share those moments with their children and grandchildren.

Colorado's economy also depends on our environment. Sportsmen annually contribute nearly $1.8 billion to our state's economy and support approximately 21,000 jobs. Wildlife watching pumps another $1.2 billion and 13,000 jobs into Colorado's economy. The economic vitality of the sportsmen community demonstrates that we don't have to choose between the environment and the economy -- we can have both, and we need to have both.

With your help we have worked hard to make sure current and future sportsmen and women have the ability to enjoy the best of Colorado's hunting and fishing as well as our unique public lands by:

* Advocating for a balanced and responsible approach to energy development that minimizes the impact on our land, water and wildlife, including a cautious and slow approach to the development of Colorado's oil shale resources;

* Supporting enhanced tax incentives to make conservation easements permanent;

* Cosponsoring the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act that will provide the tools necessary to preserve fish habitat;

* Supporting the protection of access to our public lands and water resources so that sportsman can continue to fish for the Greenback Cutthroat and hunt Colorado's big game resources such as elk and deer, and cosponsoring the Hunting Heritage Protection Act, to protect access to public lands for hunters;

* Advocating for more public shooting ranges, including cosponsoring the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, which would allow states to use a greater proportion of their federal wildlife funds for public shooting ranges;

* Fighting for legislation that will help protect our precious streams and encourage the clean-up of abandoned mines, including co-sponsorship of the "Good Sam Bill" and the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act;

* Repeatedly voting to preserve the rights of Coloradans to own guns for legal purposes;

* Voting to allow sportsmen to carry firearms in national parks and bring consistency to state and federal laws and provided additional access to adjacent public lands that allow hunting;

* Supporting legislation that will funnel crucial resources towards helping our wildlife and natural resources adapt to a changing climate; and,

* Serving as a strong advocate for federal funding for programs necessary to mitigate the effects of the bark beetle infestation, including co-sponsorship and support for passage of the FLAME Act, which would set up a separate fund for fire fighting activities so that forest fire emergencies do not continue to eat up forest management funding.

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