I fear that I tread onto dangerous and impassioned waters, but here's my 2
cents...
I have had someone point a gun at me on a spur road off of 359 (clay
shooters). Two years ago I had a resident shoot at me on the east end of the
aquaduct "trail". And several years ago I had someone shoot at me on Mt.
Thoridon while running trails. From personal experience I would argue that the
problem with guns on forest lands is real and dangerous. I feel like a target,
and I believe that my dog is at even greater risk. I've learned to avoid
certain trails on Magnolia during hunting season.
We already limit hunting within a certain distance from roads, so it is not a
stretch to limit hunting within a certain distance of our neighborhoods. And
those who would argue that this removes too much land from hunting should
encourage the preservation of more land.
There are many alternative solutions to the problem of overpopulation. Re-
introduction of predators is one solution. Decreased fencing (designed to
discourage predators). Fewer dogs that discourage coyotes. Any resulting
predator/prey population cycles are also very natural. On uninhabited islands
(e.g., Isle Royale), the wolf and moose populations follow this cycle and get
along just fine that way without human intervention. I'll take the boom in
mountain lions -- I fear mountain lions far less than men with guns.
Alternative solutions come with their own problems, and obviously not all
hunters are irresponsible. But mistakes can happen too easily with far too
serious consequences.
David Bahr
___________________________________________
Quoting John Carder <jcarder@topline-charts.com>:
> Greg,
>
> While I understand your concerns, I have to point
> out that there are real reasons to encourage
> hunting in the area.
>
> Without hunting, you have overpopulation of both
> deer and elk. That leads to death by starvation,
> and high population densities have been correlated
> with Chronic Wasting Disease. We've been relatively
> unnaffected by CWD here on Magnolia, but Sugarloaf
> has quite a bit of it. Some say that's because they
> have too many deer and elk (relative to the food
> and predators).
>
> Without hunting you create a boom in predators,
> primarily cougar. Then as more cougar are able to
> thin the herds more effectively, they get hungry.
> This boom/bust in predator/prey populations is
> one of the classic examples of chaos theory.
> A cougar is much more likely to take your dog
> than any hunter, in normal times. A hungry cougar
> presents a danger to all of us.
>
> We live in the forest. This is the habitat for
> deer, elk & cougar. We've artificially decreased
> the cougar population, so we need human hunters
> to help thin the herds.
>
> In other words, there are always unforeseen
> consequences associated with sweeping changes
> like limiting hunting. Consider what they
> might be before persuing a "feel-good"
> move, like limiting hunting.
>
> John Carder
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Greg Ching [mailto:greg.ching@mric.coop]
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 3:11 AM
> > To: PUMA News
> > Cc: cookie@theshannons.net
> > Subject: [puma-news] Fwd: BAN HUNTING IN SUGARLOAF
> >
> >
> > FYI, here is a petition along Sugarloaf Road that may interest some
> > folks along Magnolia. I know I worry where I take my dog on walks
> > during hunting season....
> >
> > greg
> >
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: [info] BAN HUNTING IN SUGARLOAF
> > Date: Tue, 02 Aug 2005 19:13:33 -0600
> > From: Ruth Shannon <cookie@theshannons.net>
> > Reply-To: Ruth Shannon <cookie@theshannons.net>
> > Organization: theshannons
> > To: Shannon, Cookie <cookie@theshannons.net>
> > References: <BF154913.124A%art-nancy@earthlink.net>
> > <opsuwqqdjtyigpt0@d71q4s51>
> >
> > ------- Forwarded message -------
> > From: "Art and Nancy" <art-nancy@earthlink.net>
> > To: cookie@theshannons.net
> > Subject: BAN HUNTING IN SUGARLOAF
> > Date: Tue, 02 Aug 2005 16:00:18 -0600
> >
> > COOKIE - HERE IS INFORMATION ON OUR WORK TO BAN HUNTING IN THE SUGARLOAF
> > AREA. ATTACKED IS A COPY OF THE PETITION. THANK YOU FOR SENDING IT OUT.
> >
> > ART GNEISER
> >
> > SUGARLOAF RESIDENTS
> >
> > By now you should have received this information by snail mail. Here is a
> > backup from cyberspace -------
> >
> > For the past few years a group of local homeowners, led by Jillian Weems
> > and
> > Marcia Barber, have been trying to reduce and hopefully eliminate hunting
> > in
> > the most populated parts of the Sugarloaf area. Last fall, through our
> > efforts we obtained help from the Sheriff¹s department, the Department of
> > Wildlife (DOW) and the Forest Service. And by the use of signs, increased
> > patrols and community awareness, the number of hunters and hunter
> > incidents
> > was significantly reduced. However this came at the cost of extensive time
> > commitment on the parts of all concerned. It clearly is not a good
> > permanent
> > solution to the obvious safety concerns represented by people shooting
> > high-powered weapons in our neighborhood.
> >
> > This year we have drafted and submitted to DOW a petition to ban
> > hunting in
> > an eight square mile area of Sugarloaf, representing the most popular
> > hunting spots and the area where the serious safety concerns are the
> > greatest. If we can convince the DOW to take this action it will be almost
> > unprecedented in Colorado. They are naturally reluctant to do this as it
> > ³flies in the face² of their most important job, which is to encourage
> > hunting thereby bringing more money into the coffers.
> >
> > We will be traveling to Lamar, Colorado in September to argue the
> > merits of
> > this groundbreaking idea. In order to be successful in this endeavor we
> > will
> > have to ³pull out all the stops². We want to have signed petitions from
> > most
> > all of the local residents and anyone else who is concerned for the safety
> > of Sugarloaf people and pets. We have hired Tom Lamm, the brother of our
> > former governor Dick, to represent us at the meeting. He is a
> > brilliant and
> > articulate lawyer, and has a long history of dealing with the DOW and
> > hunting issues. He is also expensive. We have opened an account where you
> > can send donations to help defray the cost of this effort at Pearl Street
> > Wells Fargo bank. Please make your checks out to Sugar Loaf Citizen's for
> > Safety. Please be generous if you believe that our cause is important.
> >
> > Also attached to this letter is a petition for your signature. Please sign
> > it, have any one else you can find sign it, and return it to Art
> > Gneiser at
> > 1704 Old Townsite Rd. Boulder 80302. You can just put it in the mailbox at
> > the corner of Old Townsite and Sugarloaf (The one with the palm trees).
> >
> > This all needs to be done by the 20th of August so time is of the essence.
> > If you have any questions please call Art Gneiser at 303-494-4673.
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Cookie Shannon
> >
>
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