Primary primer

Further to Claire Hydock’s letter of Jan. 10, 2022 in the Post Independent, regarding changing voter affiliation in order to vote in party primaries, a few things to remember:

First, you can change your party affiliation in minutes (as well as register to vote) at GoVote Colorado.com;

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Second, in order to vote in the June 28 primaries, you must indicate your party affiliation or that you are unaffiliated by June 6;

Third, if you register as unaffiliated, you will receive both a Republican and a Democratic primary ballot in the mail, but you can vote only one ballot or else neither will count;

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And, fourth, you can change your party affiliation back to what it was after the primaries.

Colorado adopted its semi-closed primary system by vote in 2016. Check out the Colorado Secretary of State website for more information.

Joyce Jenkins

Glenwood Springs

Thanks, Roger

On Tuesday, Jan. 11, my daughter, grandson and I stopped in Glenwood Springs on our way from Grand Junction to Denver for what turned out to be an incredible lunch experience at Local on Cooper.

This very special time in your city was due to the kindness of another Local diner named Roger Y. My 6-year-old grandson caught Roger’s attention, and he “paid it forward” by buying our lunch.

Roger recognized that my grandson is a very special boy with challenges that he and his parents live with and often feel isolated because of.

Roger’s acknowledgement deeply touched both my daughter and me. Thank you, Roger!

Donna Patton

Grand Junction

Advocate for wolf protections

The recent news that 20 wolves from Yellowstone National Park have been killed by hunters and trappers is heartbreaking evidence of the need for the Biden Department of the Interior to finally act and protect these wolves as senators, congresspeople, scientists, a former director of the USFWS, Tribal leaders and activists have been imploring them to do.

Hunters in Montana can sit just feet outside of Yellowstone National Park using bait and recorded calls to lure wolves out of the protected area to their deaths. In Montana, they can kill as many as 20 wolves each (10 by gun and 10 by trap). In Idaho, there is no limit.

The Biden Administration could have prevented this slaughter and must act before it gets worse.

In August, Dan Ashe (the former Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under President Obama) wrote a Washington Post Oped urging Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to act and issue emergency protections for gray wolves as permitted under the Endangered Species Act. Mr. Ashe outlined exactly why she should act and under what authority.

To date, President Biden and Secretary Haaland have ignored the former USFWS Director and his pleas to act. He followed up in December with a letter signed by directors of zoos and aquariums in his role as CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This also has been ignored by Biden and Haaland.

We learned last year that Secretary Haaland has twice opted out of scheduled meetings with Tribal leaders seeking to speak with her in support of re-listing gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act and engaging in Tribal consultations before any future policy decisions are made.

Secretary Haaland and President Biden owe the country better. In her role as Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Secretary Haaland is entrusted with the caretaking of our natural spaces and the species that live in them. She is not living up to that mandate.

Please join me in writing to the Department of Interior at doi.gov and ask that Secretary Haaland finally act to stop this unsustainable killing of gray wolves in the Northern Rockies before it is too late. It took our nation decades to bring these wolves back. Idaho and Montana can destroy this progress in just months if the Biden Administration continues to ignore them.

Lisa Strand

Carbondale

Zimmerman for a calmer tone

Marina Zimmerman of Arboles, Colorado, is now challenging Lauren Boebert for her seat in Congress.

Ms. Zimmerman is legit, and she has a lot of post high school education, owns a concrete company and actually cares about the issues that people of Colorado are concerned about; like forestry management, land management, drought problems, mental health issues, and she is not a Trump sycophant, who needs his “endorsement” to proceed. She is a real Republican.

The more I read about Marina Zimmerman the more I like her.

She has never said COVID was a “hoax,” or that masks infringe on a person’s liberties, or that the COVID vaccines are toxic and dangerous. Ms. Zimmerman has said every person should consult with their doctors about COVID. Basic, simple and to the point.

Right now, certain parts of America are seeing a deadly surge of new COVID cases.

I got my booster just last week, no problem, and 900,000 Americans are being vaccinated against COVID daily now.

Elect Marina Zimmerman to Congress, and this could be a start of something new and proactive for the people of Colorado, instead of this constant back biting and name calling.

Steven Gluckman

Glenwood Springs