No to wild horses
Dear Editor:
Summer is here, grass is growing, ground is drying, and ungulates are grazing. The White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts (Districts) continue to monitor the impacts of excess “wild” horses on the health of the range. Given the dry start to the summer, it does not look good.
Rio Blanco County has more horses today than ever before. Today there are over 1,350 “wild” horses in the County with only one Herd Management Area (HMA) where the Appropriate Management Level (AML) is 135–235. Unfortunately, there are now five times that number of horses in the County with horses expanding further and further from the HMA boundaries to find feed and water! The Districts’ and County’s Land and Natural Resources Plan and Policies support managing horses at the AML, specifically to reduce the impacts of overgrazing by excess horses.
Referencing the lack of holding facilities as one of the primary reasons they don’t conduct gathers and removals, the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program managers claim that if local people will develop local adoption opportunities, they will conduct gathers. A small group of individuals fulfilled that request and developed the Meeker Mustang Makeover with the first annual event successfully adopting six excess horses in 2019 that had been gathered from Rio Blanco County several years ago. The group committed to doing this as an annual event and growing the number of adoptions to reduce the number of horses on the range in Rio Blanco County.
With all the support and encouragement for BLM to gather more horses from Rio Blanco County for this 2020 event, it is very disappointing and frustrating that this year’s event will not have a single horse gathered from Rio Blanco County. Instead, BLM Wild Horse Program brought horses in from Wyoming and Sand Wash Basin for the trainers to work with and adopt at this fall’s event, leaving five times the number of horses on the land in Rio Blanco County to continually degrade the health of the rangelands.
The Districts worked with and supported the local BLM staff in their efforts to get permission from the national office to gather local horses for this event. The Districts specifically called on the State and national offices multiple times to communicate and coordinate efforts to ensure horses from Rio Blanco County would be used for this local event. It is unfortunate that such a great opportunity was missed due to the bureaucracy and lack of communications within the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The Districts will continue to request the removal of over 1,200 excess horses from Rio Blanco County. Please contact the District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions.
Marc Etchart
White River Conservation District President
It’s time we focus on rural Colorado
Dear Editor:
To begin, I want to thank every single person reading this for what you are doing to protect yourself, your families, and our communities as we all face a new normal that changes every day. I have the privilege to work with communities all over the Western Slope, and I know firsthand that in our rural communities, it has fallen heavily on each of us as individuals, business owners and local governments to find ways to help each other.
In early March when I decided to run for Senate District 8, the issues I believed were most pressing and that drove my decision to run were climate change, health care, affordable housing and protection of our public lands. Those early days of March seem to be a very long time ago now. The arrival of a global pandemic in Colorado changed everything. Every day brings new challenges. While those four issues remain at the center of my long-term legislative goals, the focus right now must be on keeping people safe and getting Coloradans back to work.
Many of our rural communities and businesses are on the brink, facing massive losses in revenue from tourism, ag and natural resources. A big question on the Western Slope is, where is the help for my community? Even while facing layoffs, furloughs and plummeting revenue, communities like Glenwood Springs, Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Frisco and many more are putting in place business grants, funding housing stipends for residents, and supporting non-profits to help their citizens weather the storm. Counties are also stepping up to provide rent assistance, grants, and other support.
At the federal level, funding to help smaller communities was included in the most recent stimulus package in the amount of $150 billion to be directed to each state based on population. Colorado’s allocation is $1.7 billion. Governor Polis’ recent executive order laid out the distribution of these funds. $500 million is going to education and $275 million of it shall “remain available” for local governments that did not receive direct funding in the CARES Act for the purpose of facilitating compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures.
While this is a start, to be blunt, it is not enough. Not enough to make sure critical services continue, not enough to make sure our K-12 students get a great education, and not enough to fill the three-billion-dollar budget shortfall the State is facing. What we need in our State Senator is not someone rooted in the past, beholden to special interests and blind to creative solutions from tax reform to economic development. What we need is someone with deep roots in this District, real experience on the ground and the vision to see that the crisis we face today will not be solved by looking back, but instead by looking forward.
I have spent a lifetime working hard both in and for the Western Slope. I would be honored to represent you at the Capitol so that rural Colorado has the voice we need right now and for generations to come. It is vital that we are heard.
Karl Hanlon
Candidate for Senate District 8 Seat
EDITOR’S NOTE: Karl Hanlon is a municipal and water attorney working on COVID-19 response for Western Slope communities. He lives in Carbondale, Colorado, with his wife, Sheryl, and kids. They run a non-profit to help veterans with PTSD and children with autism. Karl is running for State Senate District 8.
Experience matters
Dear Editor:
Rio Blanco voters: Ballots were received this week and citizens will be voting for the candidate they believe will do the best job as RBC Commissioner.
As you are aware, I am running for County Commissioner District 3. I have banners and yard signs displayed in both Rangely and Meeker, postcard mailers and newspaper ads have been distributed and I have visited one-on-one with many citizens in both communities by going door to door.
In one conversation I was asked what I had to offer Rio Blanco County that my opponent does not. My immediate answer was 30 plus years of experience. I have 25 years of management. 10 years of ad valorem tax appraiser and approximately two and a half years as a small business owner. Those years speak for themselves; however, life experiences have added valuable character traits. As I matured and gained knowledge, I became more trusting in who I am, my conservative beliefs and my ability to defend them. I gained experience in listening well and responding truthfully to difficult questions or issues without getting defensive or angry. I have learned to trust my instincts, compromise when needed and, to quote Paul Szeto, “You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs, and admit the possibility that you may be wrong. Intelligence doesn’t know everything. It’s the ability to challenge everything you know.”
I don’t need recognition, just the satisfaction knowing a job is well done. I know direct and honest communication is key as it offers less opportunity for doubt or misunderstanding.
I believe my work and life experiences make me the best candidate for Rio Blanco County Commissioner District 3. I would sincerely appreciate your vote.
Thank you,
Mona Avey
Candidate for RBC Commissioner 2020
