BLM plans round-up of wild horses in western Colorado
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to round up 1,111 wild horses in Colorado this year. The Colorado Sun reports that This effort is part of a larger plan to remove 14,000 wild horses from rangeland across the West this summer and fall. The BLM is planning three roundups in western Colorado, with two of them using helicopters to drive mustangs from above and push them into corrals. Wild horse advocates are upset by the plan, claiming that it contradicts solutions determined by a state-federal task force. Governor Jared Polis had also previously asked the BLM to stop using helicopters to capture horses. The agency says the goal is to shrink the wild horse population in Colorado from its current 1,727 horses down to 616 horses. The BLM in Colorado said it aims to reduce future roundups by expanding fertility-control treatments. Herds reportedly grow 15% to 20% each year without management, making fertility control an important part of sustainable population management.
No Kings protest to be held across the country on Saturday
A third round of No Kings protests will be held across the country on Saturday. Western Slope towns, including Montrose, Telluride, Paonia, and Grand Junction, will see rallies and marches opposing President Trump’s policies. No Kings organizers say that this could potentially be the largest protest in American history. This weekend’s events follow an October protest joined nation-wide by seven million Americans across all 50 states. According to No Kings, this amounted to 14 times the attendance of both of Trump’s inaugurations combined.
Montrose Republican Party leader quotes Stalin in email questioning Montrose election security
Jodi Wooden, the second vice-chair of the Montrose Republican party and wife of city council candidate Adam Wooden, questioned election security in an email sent to Montrose city officials. The Montrose Daily Press reports that she added a hyperlinked quote, which reads, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.” Clicking the quote redirects to a site called quotefancy.com, where the line is attributed to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. City Clerk Lisa DelPiccolo responded to the email, and outlined the city’s robust election security procedures. The Montrose Daily Press previously reported on how ballots are counted in Montrose.
New sampling machines detect genetic markers of unwanted fish in the Colorado River
Scientists are using new tech to boost their efforts to protect endangered fish in the Colorado River. As Scott Franz reports for the Mountain West News Bureau, it’s being deployed to root out harmful invasive species.
Collaboration between Western Slope school districts and the nonprofit Homegrown Pathways helps rural students see a future in the area
A new collaboration on Colorado’s Western Slope between Montrose, Delta, Gunnison and Ridgway School Districts is working to ensure that our kids have more compelling, meaningful career opportunities close to home. The collaboration brings these school districts and a local nonprofit together with the goal of helping students explore careers, pitch their OWN ideas, and get real support while they are still in school. KVNF’s Brody Wilson reports.
