The bipartisan poll surveyed the views of Latino voters in eight Mountain West states (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) on pressing issues involving public lands, waters, wildfires, and pollution.

When asked about the levels of seriousness about different conservation and natural resource management issues, Latinos believe low water levels in rivers (77%), loss of habitat for fish and wildlife (65%), and loss of natural areas (59%) are extremely or very serious issues.

“This year’s poll comes at a critical juncture as the direct impacts of climate change are felt most intensely by Latino communities already facing environmental challenges,” said Maite Arce, President and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. “From prolonged droughts and devastating wildfires to the decline in fish and wildlife, Latinos in the West are experiencing firsthand the consequences of environmental degradation. Latino, Black, and Indigenous voters in the West have a profound connection to the land, sharing common goals of protecting public lands, ensuring access to nature, maintaining clean water for both human and wildlife use, and preserving habitats for fish and game.”

The data reflects the importance Latinos place on access to public lands and national monuments. 91% shared that they think that existing national monument designations for some public lands protected over the last decade should be kept in place. Even though many communities in the West are experiencing rapid population growth and higher housing prices, increasing the need to build more housing, 85% of Latinos prefer the building of housing within or close to existing communities near jobs, roads, and transit as opposed to selling some limited areas of national public lands to develop housing on natural areas. And 77% prefer their Member of Congress to place more emphasis on ensuring we prioritize air quality, clean water, and wildlife habitat while providing opportunities to visit and recreate on our national public lands than on producing more domestic energy by maximizing the amount of national public lands available for responsible oil and gas drilling and mining.

As climate change disrupts weather and rainfall patterns, water availability is a major concern for Latinos in the West. Sixty-nine percent believe inadequate water supplies are an extremely or very serious issue; 70% consider pollution of rivers, lakes, and streams to be an extremely or very serious issue; and 77% support the United States government taking action to ensure the reliability of water supplies threatened by climate change, making them the most concerned demographic group.

“While nature is often hailed as the ‘great equalizer,’ access to its benefits should be equally shared among all Americans,” said Vanessa Muñoz, Hispanic Access Foundation Waterways Program Manager. “Latinos tend to live in nature-deprived areas, where there are fewer trees to clean the air and provide shade, fewer wetlands to purify water and support fish populations, fewer protected landscapes for wildlife, and fewer trails for family outdoor activities.”

Latino voters in the West are supporting of initiatives proactive nature-based solutions to protect their natural resources and their communities:

• 91% support Promoting nature-based solutions to improve water quality, such as conserving forests and lands along rivers, lakes, and streams, rather than solely relying on man-made infrastructure.
• 90% support allowing trained fire teams to use controlled burns to remove growth in forests that could fuel wildfires when and where it is safe to do so.
• 86% prefer decisions about public lands, water, and wildlife be made by career professionals such as rangers, scientists, and firefighters rather than newly appointed officials who come from other industries.
• 68% view uncontrollable wildfires that threaten homes and property as an extremely or very serious issue.
• 55% believe that air pollution and smog are extremely or very serious issues.
• 84% support the government taking action to reduce carbon pollution that contributes to climate change.
• 64% believe climate change is an extremely or very serious problem.
• 61% oppose giving state government control over national public lands, such as national forests, national monuments, and national wildlife refuges.
• 77% prefer that leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining.
• 66% oppose reducing protections for some of the rare plants and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

This is the fifteenth consecutive year Colorado College gauged the public’s sentiment on public lands and conservation issues. The 2025 Colorado College Conservation in the West Poll is a bipartisan survey conducted by Republican pollster Lori Weigel of New Bridge Strategy and Democratic pollster Dave Metz of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz Associates. The survey is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

“At this pivotal moment of policy shifts and debates on conservation, it's crucial to amplify the voices of those most impacted,” said Arce. “These results reinforce the need to elevate Latino voices in policy discussions and ensure they have a seat at the table when decisions about our land, water, and wildlife are made.”

The poll surveyed at least 400 registered voters in each of eight Western states (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV,
NM, UT, and WY) for a total 3,316-voter sample. The survey was conducted between January 3-17, 2024, and the effective margin of error is +2.46% at the 95% confidence interval for the total sample; and at most +4.9% for each state. The full survey and individual state surveys are available on the State of the Rockies Project website.