Surls Art

10/24/2026

Coloradans:

Do you enjoy skiing, backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing, watching wildlife, or any of the many activities that make Colorado's outdoor heritage so special?

Proposed Amendment 83 would establish a constitutional right to hunt, fish, and take wildlife using "traditional methods," while declaring hunting and fishing the preferred means of managing wildlife populations.

But what happens when those constitutionally protected interests conflict with other outdoor activities? Could an area currently reserved for hiking or wildlife watching face a legal challenge because hunting isn't allowed there?

Colorado's outdoor heritage is much bigger than hunting and fishing, and our wildlife is valued for far more than those pursuits.

Preferences are individual decisions, not constitutional amendments.

10/22/2026

The Colorado constitution wasn't created to lock in certain activities, sports, or traditions to forever be the preferred way of managing an issue.

We also don't use the constitution to give preferential treatment to one group over the rest of Coloradans.

Tomorrow on the Wildlife Wire, Mark and Sam dive into proposed amendment 83 again to point out the many flaws with the language and discuss how one fringe subset of the hunting community is trying to get all hunters to fight their fight.

10/20/2026

Coloradans: Vote NO on Amendment 83

This amendment has no right to be in our constitution. In fact, the CO Constitution has been amended 176 times in 150 years. ZERO times has it been amended to protect a sport or hobby.

Hunting and fishing are going nowhere, with or without this amendment.

10/19/2026

I can't crumble up a digital image and rub it in the dirt, so the best I can do is to add layers to soften things up a bit.

10/10/2026

10/08/2026

Listen to the latest episode of the Wildlife Wire tomorrow!

Hear Steve Winter and Sharon Guynup discuss their latest book, Big Cats, and hear the stories behind the stories like the one about his most famous shot, "Hollywood Cat."

They also discuss the positive impacts their photos and journalism have made for both wild and caged cats.

Photo Credit: Steve Winter

09/24/2026

In August, my brother, Allen Surls stopped a few times to photograph bison. I told him that he’d get his fill of them soon enough.

But every once in a while even I have to stop and pick up the camera. Happy this was one of those times.

09/23/2026

It was incredible to have the spotlight turned on coyotes in such a positive way. I’m forever grateful for the work First Gentleman Marlon Reis and acclaimed author and Project Coyote ambassador, Dan Flores, do.

09/19/2026

Gary Skiba is a lifelong hunter and angler, retired Colorado wildlife biologist, former Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioner, and former staff lead on Colorado’s early wolf-management planning. In this episode, he joins Mark to discuss why he opposes Amendment 83, the 2026 proposal to establish a constitutional right to hunt and fish in Colorado.

The conversation examines language in the amendment including “traditional methods,” “preferred means,” and requirements tied to “sound scientific wildlife conservation and management.” Skiba discusses his concerns about how those provisions could be interpreted, potential litigation and local-control questions, and how a constitutional right could affect future decisions by CPW staff and commissioners.

Mark and Gary also discuss the respective roles of biological science, social science, and public values in wildlife policy; Colorado's citizen-initiative process; wolf restoration under Proposition 114; Proposition 127; Colorado's previous voter-approved restrictions on bear hunting and trapping; and the broader relationship between hunters, nonhunters, wildlife agencies, and the voting public.

Streaming on all major platforms.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wildlife-wire/id1788951406?i=1000790479748y

08/28/2026

Kicking off this season of the Wildlife Wire, Mark and Sam sit down with National Geographic photographer, explorer, author, and conservationist Joel Sartore- Photo Ark, founder of the National Geographic Photo Ark.

For more than two decades, Joel has traveled the world photographing more than 17,000 species as part of an ambitious effort to document biodiversity and inspire people to protect wildlife and the habitats they depend on. We talk with Joel about the stories behind some of the Photo Ark’s most unforgettable animals, how the project grew from a Nebraska zoo into a global conservation movement, the role photography can play in changing how people see wildlife, and why protecting biodiversity ultimately means protecting ourselves.

Joel also discusses the newly released 20th Anniversary Edition of The Photo Ark: Animals of Earth and the new Photo Ark: Animals of Earth exhibit at the National Geographic Museum of Exploration in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about Joel, explore the Photo Ark, and see his books and photography at www.joelsartore.com.