A new survey of voters in the West found overwhelming support for conservation on public lands—and for the agencies that manage these areas.
A bipartisan team of researchers led Colorado College's annual "Conservation in the West" poll of about 3,300 voters in eight western states: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The poll was conducted by phone in January before inauguration day.
Overall, respondents made up of roughly equal thirds of registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents, expressed strong priority for conservation measures on public lands. They want the president to keep national monument designations in place and are in favor of making oil and gas companies pay for their own cleanup.
“What this poll is showing is that voters are generally happy with the way that public lands are being managed,” said Dave Metz of FM3 Research who worked on the survey. “They would much rather continue to preserve something that they see as so critical to their quality of life, as opposed to see a radically different direction.”
Support for federal agencies
The release of the survey comes just days after the Trump administration abruptly fired about 3,400 U.S. Forest Service employees and 1,000 others with the National Park Service.
Responses show Western voters generally are fans of the federal agencies that manage public lands. The National Park Service got the highest marks with an 86% approval rating, followed by the Forest Service, while the Environmental Protection Agency received the lowest score among the five agencies mentioned, with 61% support.
Plus, three-quarters of voters – including two out of three supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement – said they’re against cutting funding to those agencies.
“When the public thinks about the role that these agencies play and the level of resources that should be invested in their work, they are strongly supportive of maintaining the commitment that the country has shown to protecting its forests, its parks, its fish and wildlife,” Metz said.
Conservation over energy
72% of respondents said they prefer their elected officials emphasize clean water, wildlife and recreation on public lands, while under a quarter said they should put more focus on maximizing public lands for energy development.
Lori Weigel, the principal of New Bridge Strategy who also worked on the survey, said the team has been asking this question for the past six years.
“This is the widest margin to date that we've seen respondents telling us that they prefer the emphasis be placed on those sort of conservation aspects and recreation aspects of national public lands,” she said.
The preference held across the political aisle, but MAGA supporters were more torn with 51% prioritizing conservation and recreation and 44% choosing instead to boost oil and gas production. President Donald Trump said he plans to “unleash American energy,” including on federal lands and waters.
“Part of their day-to-day lives”
Metz said what makes Western voters unique is how many visit public lands themselves. Nine out of ten respondents said they visited national parks, forests, monuments, wildlife refuges or other public lands at least once a year.
“[It] really makes it something that is not just an abstract concept for voters in the West,” he said. “It's something that is a part of their day-to-day lives, and it's a central part of what they enjoy about living in the West.”
However, they have concerns, namely about climate change. 77% of respondents called it a serious problem, up from 55% in 2011. Yet, this sentiment varied. Younger people and voters of color expressed higher levels of concern or viewed their community as less prepared for the effects of climate change.
