An annual bipartisan poll addressing conservation issues across the American West released its findings on Wednesday – highlighting serious concerns among voters across both sides of the political aisle.
Amidst a systemic dismantling of environmental regulatory agencies, their rules, and staff by the Trump administration, the results of the latest Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll show that voter attitudes are fundamentally shifting as pressures on public lands and water grow.
Data pollster Lori Weigel with the Republican-led arm of the survey, New Bridge Strategy, said that support for preservation rivals that for other big-ticket voter priorities – like the state of the economy, healthcare, and education.
“Conservation is clearly right in that mix of important issues and in fact, it has increased.” Weigel said.
The bipartisan poll has been surveying Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming over the past 16 years.
Regardless of political party affiliation, voters overwhelmingly endorsed conservation over maximizing energy development – something President Donald Trump promised voters he would do.
“As you've heard me say many times, we have more liquid gold under our feet than any nation on Earth,” Trump said in a 2025 joint session of Congress. “Now I fully authorize the most talented team ever assembled to go and get it. It’s called… Drill, baby drill.”
Venezuela currently holds the largest crude oil reserves, with an estimated 303 billion barrels. The United States, with more than 83 billion, places eighth globally.
However, the U.S. oil industry has steadily increased over the past decade and is now pulling more fossil fuels from the ground than ever before.
Forecasts from the U.S. Energy Information Administration predict the country will continue to produce historic levels of crude oil in 2026, still leading the globe in production on the heels of historic output in 2025.
Just last November alone, New Mexico produced 2,325,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Though, the conservation poll findings suggest voters would prefer a vastly different approach – as nearly three-quarters of New Mexicans surveyed said they want their elected officials to place emphasis on both public lands conservation and recreation over energy production.
Almost as strong, 72% of New Mexico voters also oppose selling some national public lands for oil and gas development.
Generally, pollsters said big picture poll results show that Black and Latino communities are a crucial voter bloc when it comes to outdoor conservation and recreation.
“Conservation is not simply about a policy issue,” said Maite Arce, President and CEO of the Hispanic Access Foundation in reaction to the results. “It's about our identity and our heritage and our way of life.”
Other highlighted findings from the pollsters include:
- 85% of New Mexico voters said that the rollback of laws that protect land, water, and wildlife is a serious problem.
- 87% of New Mexico voters said funding cuts to public lands are a serious problem.
- 72% of the overrespondents oppose fast-tracking oil, gas and mining projects on national public lands by reducing environmental reviews and local public input.
- 73% of New Mexico voters prefer expanding renewable energy over fossil fuel extraction.
- 92% of New Mexico voters said existing national monument designations should be kept in place.
In 2026, New Mexico is up for several noteworthy election races in November – including seats in the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and governor. All state House seats are also up for grabs.
The poll consists of information gathered from over 3400 interviews conducted via phone and internet calls from Jan. 2–18.
The margin of error is just under 2.5%.
