Money from across the country is pouring into Colorado’s fight against big cat hunting

On By Karl

Money from across the country is pouring into Colorado’s fight against big cat hunting
A new player has entered the Colorado Election arena regarding Proposition 127, which aims to ban big cat hunting.
National Park System/Courtesy photo

Towards the end of the campaign season Colorado’s November 2024 electionsA second issue committee emerged to oppose Proposition 127. banning mountain lion, bobcat and lynx hunting.

The committee filed with the Colorado Secretary of State on October 5 under the name Western Heritage Conservation Alliance.

It joins two other issue committees debating the measure: Cats Are Not Trophy127. A group of citizens petitioning to place the proposal on the ballot, and Colorado’s Wildlife Deserves Betterwhich argues against that.

As of October 28, the Western Heritage Preservation Alliance had raised $1.6 million from two donors. He spent $450,000 on advertising.

He received two grants totaling $870,937 from Building America’s Future. national political nonprofit organization One October based in Washington DC New York Times article linked the group to Republican donors behind campaign ads attacking presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

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He also received $75,000 from Safari Club International, a national hunting rights organization with more than 50,000 members. More than one part of this group also Donated to Colorado’s Wildlife Deserves Better campaign against the measure.

Western Heritage Conservation Alliance has a small digital footprint; The Google phone number is listed on the Secretary of State’s campaign finance website and is also Facebook And YouTube pages under his own name.

The Facebook page was created on October 15th and has been running a 30-second ad since October 17th. As of Monday, October 28, the page has three followers and no posts. The ad features former Colorado manager Dan Prenzlow. Parks and Wildlife and home video of a mountain lion. The YouTube page was also created on October 15th and as of Monday, it has no videos and 36 subscribers.

His registered agent and designated filing agent is a Denver-based attorney at West Group who specializes in government, politics and public policy matters.

The committee did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

Fundraising and spending around Proposition 127 It continued to grow as election day approached.

The latest campaign finance records show Cats Are Not Trophies raised $2.77 million and spent about $2.79 million. Wildlife in Colorado Deserves Better raised $1.88 million in funds and spent $1.87 million.

Large donations poured into both committees.

Cats Are Not Trophies’ largest donors include The Wild Animal Sanctuary, based in Weld County, Animal Wellness Action, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., Big Cat Rescue Corp, a Florida-based organization founded by Carol Baskin, as well as the Mountain Lion Foundation in California a non-profit organization.

Wildlife Deserves Better in Colorado’s largest donors include the Concord Fund, a conservative advocacy and grants organization based in Virginia, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization, Rocky Mountain Elk, a nonprofit based in Montana, and Coloradans are included. Colorado Chapter of Wildlife Management and Safari Club International.

Election Day is November 5.