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Monday letters: vaccinate for others, fire USPS chief, council meeting misrepresented, bear mitigation plan wrong

Vaccinate for others

I am an employee at one of your local grocery retailers. Without us, you don’t feed your family.

We all worked through the pandemic while most of you were quarantined. Most of you have been decent, caring neighbors throughout this mess, but we have all been exposed to a small group who have no regard toward anyone else, personal freedom over the rights of the rest of us.



Nearly two years into this mess and many of us are still at risk of catching this virus, because some of us will not vaccinate. I am an at-risk elder who got two shots and assumed I was OK, but recently I came down with COVID-19. This happened because some people think it is OK to put others at risk by being in my store or any public place without being vaccinated.

That is not OK. We have lost well over 700,000 Americans to this virus with no end in sight. Please think about what is best for America and your neighbors. Vaccinate or stay away from us.



Alan “AJ” Nieman

Rifle

Fire USPS chief

A force harming the Postal Service is strengthening its influence. Postmaster Louis DeJoy, former CEO of New Breed Logistics, a supply chain management company, appointed by Trump in June 2020, effectively slowed the Postal System prior to the 2020 elections.

Louis DeJoy will maintain his USPS position until we ask Biden to replace Ron Bloom from the postal board of governors so that the president and the postal board can fire DeJoy. A CBS headline says “Mail delivery slowdown: USPS to slow delivery starting October 1.” While a Forbes headline says: “Louis DeJoy’s Former Company, New Breed Logistics, May Have Overcharged Postal Service By $53 Million, Audit Found.”

I love the post office. It has performed its function of maintaining our democracy with unbiased, excellent and unfailing carrier service to every corner of the nation, not just the profitable ones. Please petition President Biden to replace Ron Bloom on the USPS board of governors and encourage the board to fire Louis DeJoy.

WhiteHouse.gov/contact.

John Hoffmann

Carbondale

Misrepresented

I attended the City Council meeting last night and was present from the beginning until the very end. Ike Fredregill’s story grossly misrepresented that event, and I’d like to correct the record.

Were we “unruly,” as he stated? Well, that depends, as it always does, on your definition. As about 200 residents (not Fredregill’s “dozens”) waited apprehensively for the second reading vote, we were admonished to leave the council chamber because its maximum capacity is 93 persons.

The irony was not lost on us, as concerns about overcrowding the chamber were enforced, in contrast to how our concerns about the real threats of overcrowding this development would inflict on our community have been dismissed. We lack an enforceable maximum capacity in West Glenwood.

Yes, our frustration and fury was palpable. We residents have presented our universal criticisms courteously, over and over, for the better part of a year, and been met with insulting sanctimony from the developer and patronizing from four of those elected to represent us. In fact, we fear for our lives if this project goes forward before the evacuation infrastructure they depend on is in place. Accepting mere promises is a betrayal of current residents in favor of hypothetical newcomers and in favor of the interests of the industries that benefit from such projects while insulated from their harms, like real estate, construction, finance and large service providers that profit from expansion. Silly us, we believed we elect people to exercise judgment and restraint on our behalf.

And Ike, “threats of recalls”? Really? We have persevered through this extended battle, employing every tool we have. Recalls, referenda, initiative processes ­— are these legal rights of the governed to challenge government actions to be construed as weapons and their mere mention to be “threats”?

When people feel that they are fighting for their lives, for their bedrock values of not only community well-being but survival, they will not meekly give in. We have not and will not concede defeat while we still have our rights as citizens, our energy and our determination.

Laurie Raymond

Glenwood Springs

Bear mitigation plan wrong approach

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has drafted a “Bear Management Plan,” the primary goal is to manage human-

bear conflicts. CPW recommends Alternative 2, which increases the harvested number of bears from 70-122 to 122-174; that’s a 74% increase at the threshold and over 40% at the top.

Given the plan data confirms the existing population is in decline or stable, this increase could have a detrimental impact and even result in an unsustainable bear population. Killing more bears isn’t effective in reducing conflict.

In 2011, CPW initiated a six-year study, led by Dr. Heather Johnson, to address human-black bear conflicts that produced reliable evidence-based data on how to mitigate conflict. The USDA described the project and results this way: “National Wildlife Research Center researchers partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to evaluate whether the use of bear-resistant trash containers in Durango, Colorado, could reduce bear-human conflicts.

“The town was divided into two treatment and two control areas for comparison. Residents in the treatment areas received bear-resistant containers free of charge, while residents in the control areas continued to use their own trash containers. Trash-related conflicts were 60% lower and compliance with local wildlife ordinances increased by 39% in the areas with bear-resistant containers.

“Researchers recommend that cities within or adjacent to bear habitat consider bear-proofing measures, such as providing residents with bear-resistant trash containers, implementing bear-proofing ordinances or regulations, and increasing the enforcement of existing regulations.”

We know what works, so why isn’t that the proposed recommendation? How about a win-win solution: Work with towns, the county and trash haulers to install bear-resistant trash containers and follow the recommendations above to mitigate conflict.

Please submit comments to CPW by Nov. 10. supporting Alternative 1 — maintain current harvest levels. Contact your local officials and let them know you support bear-resistant containers

Jacci McKenna

Eagle

 

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