Letter: $625,000 for Alpine Lumber art panels but nothing for our elk?

The town of Eagle has already spent $478,540 on art signs in front of Alpine Lumber ($625,000 budgeted) yet doesn’t have money to protect the real-life animals the town benefits from. Ask any real estate agent how valuable our elk herd is.

The biggest problem with off-leash dogs threatening wildlife is Eagle Ranch, whose wildlife protection fund is designated for efforts to benefit the elk and wildlife (the last report showed $741,471 in the fund).  This fund was established in 1999 yet in over 24 years has accomplished only a fraction of the identified tasks. A majority of funds ($1,044,000) has been spent on land acquisitions that were turned into open space, yet dogs run off-leash on one of those areas all winter (Haymaker Trail), thanks to Eagle Town Council’s Nov. 14, 2023 vote: Was this what was intended when Eagle Ranch Wildlife Committee gave them the wildlife protection fund money?

The Eagle Ranch housing development was allowed to be created thanks to the wildlife protection plan, according to the agreement co-author who was the district wildlife manager for over three decades.

A part-time enforcement officer would be a “dream job” — ski weekdays, work weekends, and a few hours on weeknights or weekday mornings. Eagle County would pay a full-time enforcement officer $90,000 to $105,000, so half that for half the year seems logical. If you’d like to help save what’s left of our elk herd, please contact Eagle Ranch Wildlife Committee and HOA to let them know you support hiring an enforcement officer from Dec. 1 through June 1.

Kate Sheldon
Eagle