Are you as concerned as I am about how dry it is?
Field grasses crunch, even at 8,000 feet. Evergreens look sickly. Beetles are attacking and killing more trees. It’s now drier than it was 2002, and we know how that turned out. Our communities and economy are in danger.
Rep. Scott Tipton has been promising for years to help with wildfire mitigation, but the latest proposal he’s backing, the “Resilient Forests Act,” would not thin near towns and homes but rather off in untouched forests. It increases the size of clear cuts in virgin forest up to 50 square miles.
If money was entrusted to local forest service offices and local wildfire mitigation nonprofits and crews instead, I’d feel a lot better. We’d get more mitigation done with each dollar. As it is, I wonder who Tipton is trying to help?
It’s time for a change in Congress and a more responsive representative for the Western Slope. We need someone who understands the critical needs of our communities, such as funds for ongoing wildfire mitigation.
Please vote in the June primary for Karl Hanlon, who better understands and represents our needs. He will work hard to bring resources to protect our people, our property and our valuable natural resources that drive our economy.
Paulette Church
Durango
