Hey y’all! Moving right along through our ballot breakdown, and this next measure hits close to home for anyone who loves Colorado’s beautiful outdoors. I’m looking at Proposition 137, which deals with diverting our existing sporting goods sales tax directly into wildfire prevention and land conservation. For me, this is a firm, definite YES.
Look, let’s be completely transparent here. I am 65 years old, and I have never seen a dime of refund money from this specific pool of outdoor sales taxes. It appears to me that the powers that be always find a way to spend our tax dollars anyway, and half the time it is completely unknown what they are actually using it for!
Proposition 137 changes that game by adding accountability. It is NOT a new tax and it won’t raise prices at the cash register when you buy outdoor gear. Instead, it takes the $175 million the state already collects on sporting goods sales and legally locks it down into a dedicated fund.
That money will go directly to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), the State Forest Service, and watershed protection programs to actively fight droughts and stop devastating wildfires before they reach our neighborhoods.
Yes, it means our TABOR refund checks might be slightly smaller in booming years (by about $26 to $83). But since that money usually vanishes into general government spending pools anyway, I would much rather see it legally forced into protecting our drinking water, clearing dry brush, and keeping our communities safe from wildfires.
It’s time to stop waiting for the next disaster to strike. Let’s force our tax dollars to do some real, visible good. Look past the commercial noise, protect our water and lands, and do your homework!
To read the exact funding breakdown, the environmental text, and the financial audits yourself, check out these official resources:
Official Colorado Blue Book:Colorado General Assembly Blue Book Portal
Non-Partisan Breakdown:Colorado Newsline 2026 Voter Guide
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