House Committee of Reference Report
Committee on Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources
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This is text that is removed from law. -
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February 23, 2026
After consideration on the merits, the Committee recommends the following:
HB26-1008 be amended as follows, and as so amended, be referred to the Committee on Appropriations with favorable recommendation:
Page 1, Line 1Amend printed bill, page 3, line 9, strike "stress;" and substitute "stress,
Page 1, Line 2and many communities face barriers to accessing the outdoors and the
Page 1, Line 3benefits of spending time in nature;".
Page 1, Line 4Page 3, after line 17 insert:
Page 1, Line 5"(g) Colorado has a long-standing tradition of managing public
Page 1, Line 6lands and working landscapes to support a range of compatible uses and
Page 1, Line 7affirms that coordinated outdoor recreation management can occur
Page 1, Line 8alongside conservation, agricultural operations, and other land uses in
Page 1, Line 9ways that support long-term resource stewardship and community
Page 1, Line 10values;".
Page 1, Line 11Reletter succeeding paragraphs accordingly.
Page 1, Line 12Page 3, line 25, strike "tribal nations," and substitute "Tribal
Page 1, Line 13governments,".
Page 1, Line 14Page 3, line 26, after "data;" insert "advance coordinated planning that
Page 1, Line 15recognizes that Colorado's public and private lands support multiple
Page 1, Line 16uses;".
Page 1, Line 17Page 4, after line 17 insert:
Page 1, Line 18"(l) The division of parks and wildlife engages and will continue
Page 1, Line 19to engage in formal consultation with Tribal governments, including the
Page 1, Line 20Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, which are the
Page 1, Line 21two federally recognized tribes with reservations in Colorado, when the
Page 2, Line 1division is requested to do so and when issues of importance to Tribal
Page 2, Line 2governments arise, which issues concern outdoor recreation or division
Page 2, Line 3actions on state public lands that may affect Tribal sovereignty or treaty
Page 2, Line 4rights of the Tribal governments in Colorado, including history, culture,
Page 2, Line 5and natural and cultural resources;".
Page 2, Line 6Reletter succeeding paragraphs accordingly.
Page 2, Line 7Page 5, after line 1 insert:
Page 2, Line 8"(o) Local governments are also critical partners in outdoor
Page 2, Line 9recreation planning, coordination, and management, and recreation
Page 2, Line 10impacts communities in different ways. For example, counties and
Page 2, Line 11municipalities frequently experience increased and unique demands
Page 2, Line 12related to outdoor recreation, including emergency services. It is essential
Page 2, Line 13that the state work in partnership with local governments to manage these
Page 2, Line 14impacts and advance locally driven visions for outdoor recreation.".
Page 2, Line 15Reletter succeeding paragraphs accordingly.
Page 2, Line 16Page 5, line 5, after "landowners," insert "including private landowners
Page 2, Line 17adjacent to outdoor recreation development,".
Page 2, Line 18Page 5, line 25, after "local" insert "government".
Page 2, Line 19Page 6, line 9, strike "recognizes the" and substitute "recognizes that 36%
Page 2, Line 20of Colorado is federal public land and a significant amount of recreation
Page 2, Line 21in Colorado occurs on federal public lands; therefore, there is a".
Page 2, Line 22Page 6, line 12, strike "agencies." and substitute "agencies, without
Page 2, Line 23expenditures from the wildlife cash fund created in section 33-1-112
Page 2, Line 24(1)(a), Colorado Revised Statutes.".
Page 2, Line 25Page 6, line 13, after "add" insert "(1.5),".
Page 2, Line 26Page 6, line 14, after "(2.7)," insert "(2.9),".
Page 2, Line 27Page 6, after line 17 insert:
Page 2, Line 28"(1.5) "Accessible experiences" means outdoor recreation
Page 2, Line 29opportunities that lower barriers to participation and
Page 2, Line 30enjoyment, such as by meeting the needs of disproportionately
Page 2, Line 31impacted communities, geographically diverse or
Page 3, Line 1underrepresented communities, or people experiencing
Page 3, Line 2disabilities, with the goal of enabling everyone to explore the
Page 3, Line 3outdoors and be part of the larger community regardless of
Page 3, Line 4mobility or other limitations.".
Page 3, Line 5Page 6, strike lines 18 through 23 and substitute:
Page 3, Line 6"(2.5) "Colorado's outdoors strategy" means "Colorado's
Page 3, Line 7Outdoors Strategy: A collaborative vision for conservation,
Page 3, Line 8outdoor recreation, and climate resilience (2025)", prepared, in
Page 3, Line 9collaboration with a broad range of partners, by the
Page 3, Line 10department, the division, great outdoors Colorado, the outdoor
Page 3, Line 11recreation industry office, the office of climate preparedness,
Page 3, Line 12and the governor's office, and any subsequent updates.".
Page 3, Line 13Page 6, after line 26 insert:
Page 3, Line 14"(2.9) "Exceptional and sustainable outdoor recreation"
Page 3, Line 15means the broad range of nature- and place-based experiences
Page 3, Line 16that are enjoyed by a diversity of people and that provide
Page 3, Line 17high-quality, inclusive, and accessible experiences for present
Page 3, Line 18and future generations while respecting the long-term
Page 3, Line 19ecological integrity of the natural resources, wildlife
Page 3, Line 20populations, working lands, and communities upon which those
Page 3, Line 21experiences depend.".
Page 3, Line 22Page 7, line 23, before "recreation" insert "exceptional and
Page 3, Line 23sustainable outdoor".
Page 3, Line 24Page 8, line 1, after "local" insert "government".
Page 3, Line 25Page 8, line 4, after "recreation" insert "and recreation provider".
Page 3, Line 26Page 8, line 17, after "wildlife," insert "agricultural,".
Page 3, Line 27Page 9, line 2, after "local" insert "government".
Page 3, Line 28Page 9, line 5, after "recreation" insert "and recreation provider".
Page 3, Line 29Page 9, line 6, before "agricultural" insert "stakeholders
Page 3, Line 30representing a disproportionately impacted community, as
Page 3, Line 31defined in section 24-4-109 (2)(b)(II),".
Page 3, Line 32
Page 4, Line 1Page 9, line 13, strike "access" and substitute "access, agricultural
Page 4, Line 2working lands,".
Page 4, Line 3Page 9, line 18, after "conservation," insert "agriculture,".
Page 4, Line 4Page 10, line 10, after "for" insert "exceptional and sustainable".
Page 4, Line 5Page 10, line 17, strike "and".
Page 4, Line 6Page 10, strike line 23 and substitute "property rights, agricultural
Page 4, Line 7operations on working lands, wildlife, and natural resources;
Page 4, Line 8and
Page 4, Line 9(c) In carrying out the duties described in this subsection
Page 4, Line 10(5), apply an integrated approach that considers outdoor
Page 4, Line 11recreation access, visitor use management, conservation,
Page 4, Line 12wildlife habitat, working lands, and long-term resource
Page 4, Line 13stewardship so that these uses, taken together, best meet
Page 4, Line 14present and future needs without permanent impairment of the
Page 4, Line 15productivity or health of the state's natural resources, to the
Page 4, Line 16extent practicable and consistent with state law.".
Page 4, Line 17Page 11, line 1, after "planning," insert "strategic financial
Page 4, Line 18investment,".
Page 4, Line 19Page 11, line 4, after "federal" insert "government".
Page 4, Line 20Page 11, line 19, after "local" insert "government".
Page 4, Line 21Page 11, line 21, after "recreation" insert "and recreation
Page 4, Line 22provider".
Page 4, Line 23Page 12, line 16, strike the second "and".
Page 4, Line 24Page 12, line 20, strike "division." and substitute "division; and
Page 4, Line 25(I) Consider available funding sources to enable
Page 4, Line 26strategic investments to advance conservation, recreation, and
Page 4, Line 27climate-resilience efforts within the division.".
Page 4, Line 28Page 13, line 4, strike "or".
Page 4, Line 29Page 13, line 6, strike "jurisdiction." and substitute "jurisdiction; or
Page 4, Line 30(c) Alters or diminishes the division's existing statutory
Page 4, Line 31responsibilities to perpetuate the wildlife resources of the state
Page 5, Line 1and to manage and improve the state parks system. The
Page 5, Line 2authority set forth in this section complements the division's
Page 5, Line 3mission and existing obligations;
Page 5, Line 4(d) Supersedes, abrogates, or impairs the right to divert
Page 5, Line 5water and apply water to beneficial uses in accordance with
Page 5, Line 6section 6 of article XVI of the state constitution, compacts
Page 5, Line 7entered into by the state, articles 80 to 92 of title 37, or state
Page 5, Line 8court determinations with respect to the determination and
Page 5, Line 9administration of water rights. A person shall not construe,
Page 5, Line 10enforce, or apply this section to cause or result in material
Page 5, Line 11injury to water rights; or
Page 5, Line 12(e) Requires, mandates, or otherwise compels a public or
Page 5, Line 13private landowner to provide access to land for recreational
Page 5, Line 14purposes or alters existing state laws governing property
Page 5, Line 15rights, easements, or landowner liability.".