conservation
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Colorado’s Tipton wants to open more federal land for livestock grazing
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WASHINGTON – Colorado U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton recommended the government enlist help from ranchers and farmers to better protect federal lands during a congressional hearing this week. Congress is considering legislation that would open hundreds of thousands of additional acres of federal land to grazing by livestock. Much of western Colorado is federally administered public…
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COVER STORY: Battle brews across the West over sage-grouse protections
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While the big, ground-dwelling bird known as the greater sage-grouse relies upon the West’s sagebrush steppe for its living, its survival may rest on a delicately negotiated set of agreements – agreements that the Trump administration, as with so many things, is set to upend. But the situation may be different in Colorado – at…
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IN RESPONSE: Farm bill is an investment in rural Colorado’s economy
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Farms and ranches are the lifeblood of Colorado’s rural economies and communities, utilizing local suppliers, paying local labor, generating income that is spent in local stores and growing healthy and affordable food for Colorado and the world. Right now, Colorado’s agricultural industry is also facing its most difficult economic outlook in years. Nationally, net farm income…
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Private landowners poised to make — not break — sage grouse’s recovery
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If you’ve farmed, ranched or owned land in the West, you’ve probably participated in a few discussions about the greater sage-grouse and its imperiled habitat. After two years of relative quiet on this front, Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke rekindled the debate last fall by opening up for public comment the 2015 agreement…
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Conservation bills in Congress could benefit Colorado
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WASHINGTON – Colorado lawmakers and conservation officials are pinning their hopes for additional federal funding of wildlife conservation on two bills recently introduced in Congress. One of them would redirect about $29 million a year to Colorado from fees paid by companies that extract energy and minerals from federal lands. Much of the money would…
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Colorado scores first in energy development and conservation
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Colorado has ranked first among western states in terms of conservation and energy development, according to a leading regional conservation group. The Center for Western Priorities, a Denver-based conservation and advocacy organization, placed Colorado first for responsible energy development and outdoor recreation, and second for public lands access, in an annual scorecard it released on…
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Colorado senators seek to renew law allowing sales of federal land
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WASHINGTON – Colorado’s U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner are trying to revive a law intended to protect federal lands in western states they describe as having “conservation value.” The Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act was a federal law enacted in 2000 that authorized some federal agencies to buy and sell land. The law…
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Gubernatorial candidate Kennedy’s growth plan includes land, water protections
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Protecting Colorado’s land, water and open spaces is at the top of Democratic candidate for governor Cary Kennedy’s plan for responsible growth. Conserving a million acres of open space by 2050 and protecting Colorado’s rivers, especially in the face of rapid growth, is vital, she says, especially as more attacks on public lands come from politicians…
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The state water plan hits its cotton anniversary, amidst falling revenues for its projects
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Cotton is the symbol for the second anniversary: According to one website, cotton is both a symbol of increasing strength and an ability to adapt. That seems an appropriate way to describe Colorado’s water plan, which this week hit its second anniversary. The plan, under the oversight of the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), is…
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Bob Beauprez: Conservation starts with conservatives
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Despite what the culture the media lead the public to believe, conservation starts with conservatives, and farmers and ranchers are our nation’s vital environmentalists. That was the message Saturday from former Colorado Congressman Bob Beauprez, the son of a dairy farmer and a rancher.He took the stage at the Western Conservative Summit Saturday as John…
