in defense of wolf reintroduction

The Gazette’s editorial (Colorado — where wolves come to die, March 3) was off the mark in several ways. Describing Colorado as a place for wolves to die ignores the obvious…every wolf eventually dies. The mortality rate for reintroduced wolves is undeniably high, but is not outside expectations for reintroduced animals; none of the mortalities resulted from agency mismanagement.

Western Colorado had been recognized by academic researchers as the best remaining unoccupied wolf range in the country, and arguably in the world. Over 17 million acres of public land and large populations of elk and deer provide outstanding habitat. The wolves have resoundingly confirmed that scientific determination, having produced 4 healthy litters last spring, and more are expected soon.

The criticism of “ballot box biology” overlooks the fact that the Colorado legislature took on the authority to decide whether a species should be reintroduced…via their ballot box victories.

It’s also worth mentioning that the 1.8% vote margin approving Proposition 114 and wolf restoration was higher than President Donald Trump’s 2024 1.5% popular vote margin, which was termed a “landslide”.

It’s also worth noting both that while county level votes are irrelevant in a statewide election, 5 of the 12 counties that approved 114 are on the Western Slope.

Livestock producers are supported, not only by the state and CPW, but by the organizations that backed wolf restoration. Producers are compensated for losses, and are strongly supported with technical and material assistance.
The voters, via Proposition 114, provided the appropriate aspirational guidance that Colorado should have wolves, and relied on the expertise of CPW biologists and the Commission to determine how to restore wolves.
That’s exactly what’s happening, and absent political interference, it will be successful.

Gary Skiba

Durango

Where these bills come from

Well lookie here. Another interesting bill, HB 26-1281, referring to Homicide Criminal Offenses. In a nutshell, as long as you only kill one person, the murder is downgraded to Murder in the second degree. The only exception is if it is a cop or a child – as long as that child is under 12 years of age!

After reading the Gazette Opinion this morning, I think I have figured out where these people who keep introducing these bills are coming from. They were dropped on their heads at birth and the injuries are just now surfacing. And the people who keep electing them are backed by the cartels.

Think about it. All the gun laws that protect the criminals and make criminals out of legal gun owners making self-defense illegal. How about SB 26-097, Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity? Prostitution is a major source of cartel revenue. And now their hitmen can avoid Murder 1 by limiting their targets to only 1 target at a time!

And the icing on the cake: Get ICE out of Colorado so the cartels are safe to operate!

Billie Nigro

Colorado Springs

Honor our shared values

Growing up in Colorado Springs and now serving as a pastor here, I’ve noticed some common values most of us share. Things like keeping your word; seeing to the needs of our families, friends and neighbors; and being good stewards of the Earth.

Colorado Springs Utilities’ proposal to abandon plans to retire the expensive and dirty Ray Nixon coal plant do not reflect these values.

Over the last decade, CSU made exciting promises to close our coal fired power plants that pollute our air and hurt our health. They promised instead to invest in clean, renewable energy that is more affordable. I cheered as the Drake plant fell and look forward to growth in its place.

But now, CSU is seeking to back off those promises, pushing a bill in the legislature to allow it to keep the Nixon coal plant open longer, pumping more pollution into the air. Coal is the most expensive form of electricity generation in Colorado. That’s why every other utility in the state is staying true to their commitments to retire coal by 2030.

In 2024, the Ray Nixon coal unit emitted over 1.2 million tons of CO2, over 900 tons of NOx, and over 400 tons of SO2. That’s about the same as driving approximately 1 million gas-powered cars for an entire year.

EPA estimates that air pollution from the Nixon coal unit causes $35 million to $46 million annually in increased healthcare costs by leading to premature death, heart attacks, respiratory diseases, and other health impacts.

I’m proud that the values many of us hold dear align with the Bible’s consistent call to care for God’s creation and for our neighbors. Let’s put those values into action and stay true to our word to get off coal.

Daniel Smith

Colorado Springs

Issues with representative’s performance

Rep. Jeff Crank is a failure to his role as a legislator and a failure as a representative for us, the people of Colorado District 5. He has failed to distinguish himself in any way beyond these shortcomings in this, his first term; it should be his only and his last in office.

Crank’s sycophantic adherence to all direction and directive issued by our current president is a dereliction of duty and violation of his oath of office as he fails executing his role as our representative. He’s ceded Congress’s Power of the Purse by giving carte blanche to the administration’s inane (and illegal!) tariffs. He’s ceded Congress’s War Powers as he cheers the administration’s impulsive (and illegal!) wars upon Iran and in the Caribbean, unnecessarily placing service members—our friends and family—needlessly in harm’s way.

He lauds and applauds ICE, even as the administration flagrantly defies central Constitutional rights, American values, and basic decency, targeting both immigrants with protective and legal statuses as well as US citizens. He’s refused to leverage investigative powers over the president’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, prioritizing perceived party-loyalty over actual justice. He’s turned a blind eye to the rank, explicit corruption that colors the daily self-enriching of the president and his associates. Additionally, Crank has effected zero change in the partisan politicking that lost us our role as the home of Space Command, to great taxpayer cost.

Crank is not unique in this failure, as nearly all congressional Republicans have (seemingly) happily abdicated their Legislative duty of power to the Executive Branch. But his failure is uniquely ours as he is our representative. As Crank seems both unwilling and unable to do his elected duty, then it is our duty as voters to ensure that someone else more qualified and able do the job next term.

Pierce Gillard

Colorado Springs