Colorado Wildlife Photographers Slam Petition Requiring Annual Permit

Driving into the Rocky Mountains.

A citizen petition submitted to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) that would require photographers to pay an annual fee to operate commercially in the state has been slammed as “enraging” and “unenforceable”.

The petition is sponsored by one Patt Dorsey and it argues that wildlife photographers are profiting from a publicly managed resource without contributing financially to its conservation, unlike hunters and anglers who pay license fees.

Dorsey proposes that individual Colorado residents should pay a fee of $35, non-residents should pay $100 per year, while photo businesses should pay $250 per year. This permit fee would apply regardless of whether wildlife was photographed on public land, private land, or CPW-managed land, on the grounds that Colorado wildlife belongs to the public, not the landowner.

The proposal would cover anyone selling prints or digital files, licensing pictures to publications or advertisers, people shooting stock photography, and monetized social media content where wildlife is the primary draw. It would even cover wildlife painters. The permit would not apply to personal, non-commercial photography.

“Colorado’s wildlife is a public resource, managed by CPW on behalf of all Colorado citizens and funded by sportsmen and women through license fees, habitat stamps, and federal excise taxes,” the petition concludes. “Wildlife photographers and wildlife artists who commercially benefit from that publicly managed resource, currently do so without any corresponding financial contribution to wildlife conservation.”

The CPW is currently open to public comments on the petition. Public comments are not limited to Colorado residents.

Anger

The petition has caught the ire of local Colorado photographers. Kristin Mae Photography says on X that she is “enraged by this money grab,” and is urging photographers to send a comment to the CPW.

“As a small business owner and photographer who already pays quarterly municipal, city, and state taxes… on top of the cost of doing business, i.e., gas mileage, permit fees, entry fees to wildlife areas, parking fees, tax license fees, and whatever other costs it takes to plan a photography trip, I am honestly disgusted by this petition,” Mae writes.

Annette Siegel took this photo of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. She tells PetaPixel that as a non-Colorado resident, she would have to pay $100 to $250 per year.

On Threads, photographer Matt Payne writes that he has also submitted a comment opposing the petition. “Not because I’m against conservation funding, I’m not, but because this proposal treats photography like a harvest activity when it isn’t one, and it’s unenforceable in any practical sense,” he says.

Meanwhile, a Facebook post about the petition attracted ridicule. “Will wildlife be doing photo shoots at scheduled times orrrr?” jokes Ryan Shoots Raws.

“As someone who has successfully litigated film permitting regimes like this, it seems the petitioners forgot to read the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” adds Benjamin Burr.

Others questioned how the permit would be enforceable, particularly for those who travel from out of state.

Colorado is one of the premier wildlife photography destinations in the United States, boasting diverse bird species and large mammals. The Rocky Mountains provide a stunning backdrop.

Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.