Bison as wildlife and livestock. Cultivando mixing in on Dolores Canyon.

Bison as wildlife and livestock

I wrote back in early October, see the first link below, about the American Indian Affairs committee and which bills they were forwarding.

One of the bills was about bison, but I was short on details. Well, I am short no more.

A more recent article from the Craig Press, linked second below, gives the details on the bill forwarded by the committee.

The bill makes law what advocacy groups tried to do via CPW starting back in 2021: it allows bison to be classified as big game wildlife in addition to their current classification as livestock.

I gather by reading the article that a lot of the push (at least as stated by advocates pushing the dual classification) is not so much reintroduction as it is protecting the bison that happen into Colorado by crossing in from Utah. Apparently, it's legal now to up and shoot them if you see them since they're not "wildlife".**

Joining the conversation, and advocating for the dual classification, are some American Indian groups, citing their relationship with buffalo and the harms that befell them (Indians and Buffalo) as whites moved into the West. The representative of this group quoted in the article also downplayed any reintroduction plans.

You'll forgive some skepticism on my part about this not relating to reintroduction or some other grander scheme. Knowing who's involved, the repeated insistence that it's not about reintroduction, make my radar twitch. It makes me hear the sound of groundwork being laid.

Time will tell. If you want to follow this as the legislative session develops, check out the third link below which is the bill's page. Note the sponsors and make a reminder to follow up with them or to check their legislator pages come the start of the 2025 session.

**One of said advocates here is CPW Commissioner Tutchton who works as a manager of a bison herd in the Southern Plains Land Trust.

https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/what-the-hell-is-my-xcel-power-meter?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

https://www.craigdailypress.com/news/an-idea-to-manage-bison-as-both-wildlife-and-livestock-finds-new-life-at-the-colorado-capitol/

https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/bill_c_25-0204.01.pdf

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Cultivando mixing in on Dolores Canyon.

I wrote about Cultivando using a Suncor worker's death, without bothering to contact the family or knowing the actual cause of death, to further their cause of closing the refinery (oh, and with CPR News' help). That is linked below if you want the context.

After putting that piece out, a reader pointed out something else the people over at Cultivando are mixed up in, the flap over the Dolores Canyon.

To put a fine point on it, check out the second link below. It's to an opinion piece by a member of Cultivando, Laura Martinez, which appeared in Colorado Newsline.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion and perspective on issues, but it was jarring to me to see something about the issue written by someone who is part of an organization which is a mortal enemy of a refinery in Denver.

She is, as we all are, welcome to our opinions on a variety of topics, but I'll be damned if it isn't a curious connection to other issues that have been on my radar.

https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/cultivando-crassly-gloms-onto-a-familys?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

https://coloradonewsline.com/2024/07/26/colorado-best-wild-places-dolores-protected/