Dear Colorado Friends, You need to have your voice heard regarding the predator management strategy for our state. Please find a letter from Big Game Forever’s Colorado chapter, followed by a sample letter, which you may use and the information on to whom you need to contact. ~Mia
On December 15 the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission will meet in Fort Collins. The top agenda item is the Piceance Basin and Upper Arkansas River Predator Management Plan. Big Game Forever supports the management strategy as we have outlined in the letter below. But there is more at stake here than these studies. The question to be asked, and answered, is whether or not the people who hunt and fish in this state are willing to support the rational science-based management practices. It is a pivotal question. The North American Model of Wildlife Management is under attack from anti-hunting and emotional environmental organizations. They do not see the success that modern ethical hunting has brought to the world. The long-term goal of anti-hunting organizations is to end hunting, period. It isn’t going to happen over night but piece by piece they intend to pick off opportunities they see they can win. This is one of them. The only way hunters can protect our freedom is to band together and show our strength. We can win this, but we have to show up. They lost in Montana with their anti-trapping initiative and they lost in Maine when they came out against bear hunting. Now it’s time to beat them in Colorado.
Feel free to use this letter as a model or use it in its entirety, copy and paste.
The Piceance Basin Predator Management & The Upper Arkansas River Predator Management Plan Commissioner: ____________________
During this December CPW Commission meeting, the CPW will be presenting the Piceance Basin Predator Management Plan and the Upper Arkansas River Predator Management Plan. Over the past eight years, habitat manipulations have been conducted in these two regions in order to stimulate recruitment of mule deer. The results of those manipulations have not increased fawn survival or increased herd populations. For over a decade there has been millions of dollars from Sportsmen Organizations, the Energy Industry, the Ag. Industry, and the CPW spent on habitat restorations for mule deer. And yet mule deer populations have failed to respond. These two scientific studies are designed to evaluate the impacts of Bears and Mt. Lions on fawn survival and mule deer recruitment. CPW has some of the best wildlife managers in the west. These scientific studies are necessary in order to develop a balanced management program to maintain stability of mule deer populations in Colorado. Public Observational Evidence from Sportsmen, Landowners, Ranchers have confirmed the decline in fawn survival over the past two decades. The argument that mule deer have not rebounded due an inadequate habitat or to energy development is not true. There is more viable habitat now for mule deer now than ever in the last 3 decades. That is due to the habitat restoration done by the above mentions entities. Sportswomen and Sportsmen of Colorado support the efforts of the CPW Northwest and Southeast Regional Offices in their scientific efforts to address the problem of fawn survival and over all mule deer recruitment. I support both, the Piceance Basin Predator Management Plan and the Upper Arkansas River Predator Plan. I ask for your favorable vote on this agenda item.
Respectfully:
__________________________________
List of Commissioners and their contact information email and phone numbers:
James Pribyl, Chair Frisco, CO james.pribyl @ state (dot) co (dot) us 303.884.9633 (C) Member at Large 7/1/2017
John Howard, Vice-Chair Boulder, CO john.howard @ state (dot) co (dot) us 303.578.0045 (C) Sportspersons 7/1/2019
Michelle Zimmerman, Secretary Breckenridge, CO michelle.zimmerman @ state (dot) co (dot) us 303.881.3087 (C) Parks / Non-Consumptive 7/1/2020 West of the Continental Divide
Robert Bray Redvale, CO robert.bray@ state (dot) co (dot) us 970.327.4779 (W) Agriculture 7/1/2020 West of the Continental Divide
Chris Castilian Denver, CO chris.castilian @ state (dot) co (dot) us 303.910.9551 (C) Parks 7/1/2019
Jeanne Horne Meeker, CO jeanne.horne @ state (dot) co (dot) us 970.878.0663 (W) Sportspersons / Outfitters 7/1/2017 West of the Continental Divide
Bill Kane Basalt, CO bill.kane @ state (dot) co (dot) us 970.925.8354 (W) Parks 7/1/2019 West of the Continental Divide
Dale Pizel Creede, CO dale.pizel @ state (dot) co (dot) us 719.850.2096 (C) Member at Large 7/1/2018
James Vigil Trinidad, CO jim.vigil @ state (dot) co (dot) us 719.845.0890 (H) Agriculture 7/1/2020
Dean Wingfield Vernon, CO dean.wingfield @ state (dot) co (dot) us 970.332.5471 (H) Agriculture 7/1/2018
Alexander Zipp Pueblo, CO alex.zipp @ state (dot) co (dot) us 719.252.5672 (C) Sportspersons 7/1/2018
The link below was obtained from CPW agenda item information. This will help you get a better idea of what has been said already.
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