Letters To The Editor, Meeker, Opinion

Letter: How will landowners be impacted by filing?

This is a letter sent to the chairwoman of the Interbasin Compact Committee:
As a property owner and resident of Western Colorado for much of my 67 plus years, I would like to let you know I found your presentation in Grand Junction thought provoking. You raised interesting questions that should receive serious consideration by citizens of Western Colorado. Thank you for taking time to address the Western Colorado Joint Roundtable meeting.
Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District filed an application for finding due diligence with the District Court, Water Division No. 6, Routt County, state of Colorado, Steamboat Springs. Subsequently they published notices of their filing in the Rio Blanco Herald Times.
Yellow Jacket’s Legal Notices named the Livingston family ranch as property that would be “impacted” by their filings.
Since none of the identified projects are located on the Livingston property, I have asked the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District, the simple question; “How our property would be impacted by their filings?” The request has been made:
• In phone conversations to the president of the board and two additional board members the week of April 5.
• At a public meeting on April 17.
• In a letter sent to Yellow Jacket by our attorney on April 28.
• In numerous e-mails and phone conversation between our attorney and council for the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District.
To date YJWCD has been unable and/or unwilling to answer the question. When I asked the question, I expected a straightforward answer. Much to my surprise, the only response I have received is an invitation to meet sometime in the future with one of their board members and the lawyer that formerly represented Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District. The implication was that at the meeting I would be allowed to “ask them questions.” I find this an unsatisfactory response to what seems to me to be a straightforward and rather simple fundamental question: How our property might be impacted?
As an adjunct to their filing, the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District has applied for a grant through the Yampa, White, Green River Roundtable and the Colorado Water Conservation Board to perform a feasibility study on their projects. Our attorney advised me in a phone message on June 3 the “grant would be finalized” this week.
At this time of tight budgets and serious fiscal constraints, it seems to me irresponsible to invest additional state funds with an organization that has been unable to answer such a fundamental question regarding their plans. It is difficult for me to understand how an organization can do a credible Feasibility Study if they have not identified the potential impacts of their proposed projects.
I have previously indicated through my attorney to the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the scope of the CWCB Grant has changed throughout the grant process. This, combined with the Yellow Jacket District’s inability to accurately determine the impacts of their existing decreed projects, is a cause of great concern for landowners whose property and water rights could be detrimentally impacted by the district.
I respectfully request you withhold final signing of the grant until Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District can “organize their records,” so they can tell us as to how our property might be impacted.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Joe Livingston
Meeker

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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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4 days ago
View on Instagram |
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
5 days ago
View on Instagram |
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Cowboy Carson Klinzmann on the mound for Meeker at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction last Saturday. Meeker took on the 4A Rifle Bears, losing 11-1, and the Basalt Longhorns, losing 7-3. Read the recap online at ht1885.com.
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