Why Advanced Tanning Solutions Urged You to Vote NO on Prop 127
As many of you know, Advanced Tanning Solutions is passionate about providing high-quality products for tanning and taxidermy. We are a family-owned Colorado business. We care about this state’s wildlife, and we care about the traditions that keep people connected to the land. That is why we spoke out against Proposition 127 on the November 5, 2024 ballot.
We understand the intention behind it. Protecting mountain lions, also called cougars and pumas, and protecting bobcats matters. Nobody wants to see these animals harmed for no reason. But Proposition 127 was not a clean solution. It would have changed wildlife policy by ballot initiative and restricted the tools Colorado Parks and Wildlife uses to manage predators responsibly.
Science-Based Wildlife Management Already Exists in Colorado
Colorado Parks and Wildlife uses science-based methods to manage predator and prey populations, reduce conflict, and support long-term ecosystem health. The proposition would have prohibited intentionally killing, wounding, pursuing, or entrapping mountain lions and bobcats, with limited exceptions. Lynx hunting already remained illegal under state and federal law.
When you take management authority away from the agency that is built to do the work, you do not remove the problem. You remove the playbook.
Unintended Consequences Are Not a Side Note
Predator management is not only about predators. It affects deer, elk, livestock conflict, human-wildlife conflict, and the stability of the broader system. When management becomes reactive instead of planned, outcomes can get worse for the animals people say they want to protect.
Regulated Does Not Mean “Free-for-All”
This is the part that gets lost online. Mountain lion hunting in Colorado is regulated. It operates under rules, seasons, and limits. It is not a chaos button. The public debate around Proposition 127 included repeated reminders that hunting is controlled and structured, not random.
Hunting Traditions Include Responsibility and Conservation Funding
For many Coloradans, hunting is a family tradition. It is also one of the ways conservation work gets funded. License revenue and related funding streams support wildlife management budgets. Proposition 127 was projected to have financial impacts tied to licensing revenue and enforcement.
We are animal lovers and conservationists too. That is not a slogan. It is how we operate. We believe in using the animal responsibly, respecting the resource, and keeping wildlife policy grounded in real management, not viral messaging.
Our Position Then, and What Happened
We urged a NO vote because we believed Proposition 127 was the wrong mechanism for wildlife policy in Colorado.
Colorado voters ultimately rejected Proposition 127 on November 5, 2024.
Thank you for listening,
Your friends at Advanced Tanning Solutions
