Letter: Wildlife corridors critical to local communities
In Colorado, there are few things more important right now than rebuilding our local communities. Local business owners rely on tourism and the hallmarks of our tourism industry are our land, water, and wildlife. In fact, wildlife in Colorado is just as iconic as our beer.
At High Wire Hops, we provide hops to breweries across the region and we know that the most successful small businesses are those with access to protected public land and wildlife. Local businesses in rural communities know more than anyone the impacts of healthy and robust tourism. Bringing people to our state, especially rural areas, relies on healthy wildlife populations. It is no surprise that money spent on conserving land and water supports local jobs. And that helps the economy of the entire state.
One way we can protect our communities is to create corridors and crossings with measures like fencing and overpasses. For example, the Highway 9 project decreased wildlife and vehicle collisions by nearly 90% due to bridges and fencing. Measures like this don’t just safeguard our iconic wildlife but they save lives too. In business, we call that a win-win. As state legislators start to look at budget priorities, it is imperative they invest in our rural communities — and that starts by better safeguarding our wildlife.
David Warren
Paonia
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