I live in Bayfield, with a large sheep and cattle heritage, with ranchers using the allotments in our mountains north of us each summer. We are always aware of wildfires, especially after having to evacuate our new home in 2002 with the big Missionary Ridge Fire that threatened our home in the Forest Lakes subdivision, the largest residential area in La Plata County.
Without the allotments for these animals, wildfires would destroy our public lands, making them burned out blackness that no one would enjoy using for many years. A drive along CR 501 to Vallecito Lake today shows scars left from this massive wildfire. In my lifetime, I'll probably never see tall pine trees in this area again, only blackened dead trees that remain.
I hope your group will visit some of the areas that have suffered a great loss to wildfires, not only for the natural setting once enjoyed before fires, but to talk with the families and businesses that depend on tourism for a livelihood.
Our valley heritage with ranchers is over 100 years old, still operating all these years with the foresight of knowing these animals eat wild grasses and brush that can spread fires rapidly in times of drought. The sharp hooves of sheep penetrate the soil, allowing rains to soak into the soil instead of runoff that creates erosion. Their manure is high in nitrogen to help fertilize, too. Your stand on not allowing the allotment system to continue would ruin generations of families here in our valley.
I hope you have the opportunity to actually be close to a wildfire as it roars across our public lands and see the devastation firsthand without being in harm's way yourself, but to give you an idea what others face when vegetation dries out and wildfires threaten their homes and livelihood. They come back to nothing!
It's a big country here in the western part of Colorado, and we should be able to come to some agreement that would benefit both sides.
Our public lands belong to all of us, let's use them wisely.
Anne Schrier
Forest Lakes
