Earlier this week, Colorado Conservation Voters released its 2012 Legislative Scorecard, which assesses how the conservation community’s priorities held up during the state’s most recent legislative session. 

 You should check it out for yourself—make sure not to miss these sections though, especially if you’re in Colorado: 

• The overview of the important work that took place outside of the legislative session, on a task force and through rule-making related to fracking (p.9) 
• The summar of the 2012 State of the Rockies poll results from Colorado College (p.10) 
• The “Notable Leaders” section, that includes a hat tip to those “rising stars” and the legislators who are “breaking the partisan divide.”  (p. 11) 

It was disheartening to read how many legislators sponsored bills that would have severely weakened Colorado’s environmental and public health protections. Let's be real: the only people who should be paid to take a state backwards in time are those scientists studying time travel—not our legislators. Compiling this sort of information is so important, and the scorecard is a great reminder of why watchdog groups like Colorado Conservation Voters are so valuable. They’re keeping tabs on what went down, and providing a great service to those of us who were unable to be involved in environmental advocacy at the capitol this year.

Check out the scorecard, and if you’re a Coloradan, look for your legislator— then, give him or her a call to thank them for their hard work...or to demand an explanation.