The Trust for Public Land (TPL) reports that 26 conservation measures supported by TPL in the 2020 election were approved by voters, amounting to nearly $3.7 billion in funding for land conservation, parks, climate resiliency and habitat. Four of these ballot measures were located in the Rocky Mountain region in Colorado and Montana.
In Colorado, three separate ballot issues were approved by voters:
Ballot Issue 1A in Adams County permanently extended the existing Open Space Sales Tax (a 1/4% sales tax benefitting open space programs such as parks, open space and trails). Since its approval in 1999, the existing sales tax has been used to invest more than $212 million in parks and open space across Adams County.
Ballot Issue 7A was approved by voters within the Colorado River Water Conservation District (Colorado River District), a 15-county West Slope regional district, to create a new property tax to maintain river water levels for fish, wildlife and recreation and to protect water supplies for farmers and ranchers as well as drinking water for Western Slope communities.
Measure 2A in the City and County of Denver was approved to increase sales tax by 1/4% to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution and adapt to climate change. The dedicated funding should also maximize investments in communities of color, under resourced communities and communities most vulnerable to climate change.
Montana voters approved Initiative I-190 which legalized recreational marijuana and created a sales tax which will fund land conservation and other Montana special revenue accounts.