Letter to the Editor: In support of state over feds

Dear Editor:
The White River and Douglas Creek conservation districts of Rio Blanco County support the State of Colorado pushing back against the federal agencies as they develop land-use plans and consider listing the greater sage-grouse.
The land is within the state and the wildlife is the property of and managed by the state, therefore it is time the state takes back the control of our land and our wildlife issues.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been hijacked by some so-called “environmental” groups at the national level as a way to stop all activities they don’t like on public and private lands. This will continue until the states stand up and say enough is enough.
We appreciate Gov. Hickenlooper recognizing that local landowners, counties, ranchers and the energy industry in northwest Colorado can and will protect these species while continuing to utilize the land and resources.
The groups that abuse the ESA as a tool to stop production are not truly concerned with protecting the species or they would recognize and support the value of the work the locals have done to protect the species without listings. Listing a species as threatened or endangered does not put habitat conservation on the ground like the local landowners and partnerships do.
As a partner in the on-the-ground conservation efforts, the state has contributed $40 million to conservation easements. As partners, the landowners have contributed additional dollars through time and actual conservation projects such as installing miles of stock water lines to improve grazing management and deferring grazing near leks (mating areas) for the benefit of the grouse,
They have also forgone valuable property improvements and structures that could be detrimental to grouse or their habitat.
Landowners and industries will gladly work with partners to help protect the species as long as they are free to do it in the way that works for them and the grouse. While federal agencies have specialists, they don’t live on the land so they don’t know the all the aspects to truly managing the land and wildlife.
Local landowners are the ones who know the history and what the land and wildlife really need.
Leonard Thompson
President
White River Conservation District
Rio Blanco County