A beaver no-kill bill pitched as a way to expand Colorado’s wildfire and drought mitigation efforts failed in a state legislative committee Monday, preserving current rights to hunt and trap the animals on public lands.
Hunters and trappers loudly opposed House Bill 1323, which would have made it illegal in Colorado to kill beavers for recreation on state public land or federal lands where state rules apply. Governments could still have trapped beavers for forest or wetlands management. But the House Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources committee indefinitely postponed the bill, thereby killing it for this session, in a 10-3 vote.
One of the primary backers, the Center for Biological Diversity, had called the bill “a cost-free solution to Colorado’s wildfire and drought crises by protecting our state’s beavers from being trapped and killed for recreation.” Wildlife and wildfire researchers are increasingly relying on the wetlands that beavers naturally create behind river dams and lodges to serve as beneficial fire breaks.
“I’m really disappointed the committee rejected this bill and lawmakers missed an opportunity to align Colorado’s beaver management with the state’s conservation goals,” said Samantha Miller, senior carnivore campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s just reckless to allow hobby trappers to keep killing beavers for fun on our public lands when we know these animals are essential for restoring wetlands, supporting drought resilience and reducing damage from wildfires.”
Hunting, fishing and trapping groups that opposed the bill said beaver management, including recreational taking, should be managed by scientists at Colorado Parks and Wildlife and other agencies, not politics in the legislature. They have also argued that a series of recent efforts to limit animal taking is part of a larger movement to end hunting and fishing altogether.
“It’s nice to see the legislators investigate and listen to all of the facts that were given in the committee meeting and be able to cast aside the fallacies and falsehoods that were spewed repetitively from the proponents of the measure,” said Dan Gates, of the nonprofit hunting and trapping defenders Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management. “The house committee not only made the right decision, they made the decision based upon the facts.”
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