Colorado Weighs Sporting Goods Tax for Conservation

Proposition 137 would redirect existing sales tax revenue on sporting goods toward parks, wildlife and wildfire prevention.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in National Parks

Colorado Weighs Sporting Goods Tax for Conservation

Live Poll

Should Colorado dedicate existing sporting goods sales tax to conservation and wildfire prevention?

Colorado voters considered Proposition 137, one of 14 statewide ballot questions in the 2026 midterm elections, which would redirect sales tax revenue collected on sporting goods purchases to conservation. The measure would reduce taxpayer refunds when the state is above its TABOR limit.

Why it matters

Currently that revenue flows into the General Fund, and the state regularly turns down eligible wildfire mitigation and forest restoration grant requests due to a lack of funding. Supporters argue the change would fund work that drought and wildfire damage increasingly demand in Colorado.

Sporting goods subject to the tax include hunting and fishing equipment, bicycles, and skis. The money would be routed through the Colorado Water Conservation Board Construction Fund and the Wildfire Mitigation Capacity Development Fund.

The players

Ken Salazar

Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior who has been a prominent figure in Western land and water policy.

Phil Weiser

Colorado Attorney General who has served as the state's chief legal officer and is a Democrat.

The Nature Conservancy

International conservation organization that works to protect lands and waters across the globe.

Environmental Defense Fund

Nonprofit environmental advocacy organization known for science-based policy work on climate and natural resources.

The details

Proposition 137 would redirect sales tax already collected on sporting goods purchases toward conservation measures, parks and wildlife, and wildfire prevention. Former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and state Attorney General Phil Weiser support the measure, while Protect Colorado's Land, Communities and Tax Dollars opposes it.

Proposition 137 was on the ballot in the November 3, 2026 Colorado midterm elections.

Season Trajectory

Proposition 137 operates within the constraints of Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, which governs how surplus revenue is refunded to taxpayers. Its effect on refunds depends on whether the state exceeds its TABOR limit, linking a conservation funding proposal directly to the state's revenue-limit framework.

If Proposition 137 passed, sporting goods buyers would see no change at the register, since the existing tax would simply be routed differently. Taxpayers above the TABOR limit would receive smaller refunds, with single filers losing an estimated $26-$83.

The takeaway

Redirecting existing tax revenue can fund conservation without a new tax, but it comes with a trade-off in refunds for taxpayers when the state is above its TABOR limit. Readers interested in Colorado's public lands can watch how this funding would be used if voters approved it.