No water storage
in roadless areas
Colorado’s national forest roadless areas should be off limits to new water storage projects in order to safeguard the future of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation in our state. I urge Gov. Ritter to back the proposal prohibiting water storage in roadless areas — and to support a strong roadless rule for management of these public lands.
Colorado’s roadless areas provide large blocks of exceptional habitat for big-game species and help sustain more elk and mule deer than any other state in the country.  These areas also offer the most pristine waterways where wild trout — dependent on clean water, stable stream flows and consistent lake levels — can thrive. Our Colorado backcountry has some of the finest wild trout fishing in the world. Sportsmen and others who care about the outdoors want it to stay this way.
Roadless areas are also big business. Hunters and anglers annually contribute more than $1 billion to Colorado’s economy. Much of this business comes to the Western Slope. Conscientious backcountry management can maintain strong economic engines in rural communities and continue to supply stable jobs associated with hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.
Water storage projects are important to our farms, ranches and communities and are an appropriate use of our public lands. Rather than pursuing these projects in the backcountry, however, existing facilities should be expanded and rehabilitated in areas that already are developed. Not only the most cost-effective option, this also will conserve valuable backcountry.
Gov. Ritter must implement a strong roadless rule that isn’t full of loopholes and exceptions. The rule must conserve the important fish and wildlife habitat on Colorado’s roadless areas for future generations to enjoy.
FORREST ORSWELL
Theodore Roosevelt
Conservation Partnership
Fort Collins
Liberals are working against those who are successful
The Democrats and liberals have made the working class in this nation and the world hate those who have been financially successful. We see it every day in the news.
Those rich people aren’t paying their fair share. Those rich people are greedy and  able to get around the law. Those rich people have gotten rich on the backs of workers.
Computer hackers in Russia are heroes for stealing rich Americans’ money. And the most absurd, which made me write this letter: If the homes close to the fire on the Redlands weren’t owned by rich people, the fire department wouldn’t have shown up. It is sad it has come to this.
We are letting them lead us down the path to class warfare. The greediest of all are the politicians themselves. They got us into this mess and blame everyone else. It’s all a smokescreen to cover up what they have done to us. Don’t let them influence us to hate each other. In America, there will always be rich and poor. The beauty is you can be whatever you want.
SCOTT HOWARD
Grand Junction

Drop in natural-gas price
is due to increased supply
The natural gas price continues to drop. The price recently dropped the most it had in 19 months, after a government report showed an unexpected increase in U.S. stockpiles.
Natural gas for April delivery fell to $3.94 per million BTUs. Perhaps this falling price  is the real reason for dramatically reduced drilling activity in our fair state.
KYLE J. HUNKE
Grand Junction

Global warming zealots
lack common sense
These days I never cease to be amazed at how quickly and readily many people of our supposedly educated society accept ideas such as “disastrous global warming,” the theory that has been promoted by Al Gore.
Many of these zealots are members of our local, state and federal governments, our leaders who are all too ready to apply their solution to this “problem.” Most of these solutions are based upon money to solve the perceived problem, usually in the form of a tax, fine or other penalty of some sort.
Does anyone remember that, according to our older science and history books, many years ago and long before my time, much of the northern part of this country was covered by a glacier that some experts estimated was a mile thick? Yes, as far south as Indiana and Ohio. My point is “global warming” has been happening for thousands of years, is cyclical, and is part of nature.
Yes, I am in favor of reducing pollution, reducing or eliminating our dependency on fossil fuels, etc. But let us apply some common sense (a rare commodity today) to the approach and not get caught up in wild social-reform schemes and ideas. I encourage you to think about it.
PETE ROSS
Montrose

This entry was posted on Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 6:36 am and is filed under Printed letters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.