DENVER -- For eight years, Public Opinion Strategies has polled the people of Colorado to get their opinions about the outdoors and the environment for the Conservation in the West poll. They’ve seen some shifts in those opinions over that time.
“For one thing, when we’ve asked people what their concerns are, we’ve seen big increases the last few years in concerns about loss of habitat for wildlife, concerns about water quality and water supplies,” Lori Weigel told Anne Trujillo on this weekend’s Politics Unplugged. “All of those conservation issues are now eclipsing economic concerns which simply didn't happen the first year.”
Weigel says those polled believe more should be done to safeguard the Colorado River. Four in five Coloradans believes the Colorado River is at risk and nine in ten believe it is critical to the state’s economy.
“One of the things OIA works on is climate change because we’re seeing snowpack at a level much lower than what it’s been historically at a drought level,” Alex Boian of the Outdoor Industry Association said. “So water is critical not just for agriculture and our communities, but from a recreation standpoint too.”
You can see the full results of the poll on the Colorado College website.
You can also learn more about some of the issues facing the Colorado River in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California by watching the Denver7 special Colorado River: Lifeline of the West.
Politics Unplugged airs Sundays at 4:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Denver7.