To those working out in the snowstorm, thanks
Thank you:
snow plow drivers,
utility workers,
EMTs,
nurses and all hospital staff,
journalists,
animal shelter staff and volunteers,
homelessness outreach workers,
postal workers,
and the anonymous neighbor who blew our sidewalk clear,
and so many more (and sincere apologies if I’ve missed you)!
All those keeping us safe, informed, and warm during this storm.
Bless you!
Allyson Sawtell, Denver
Modular homes are an important tool in the housing shortage
Re: “Colorado’s affordable housing crisis has spread from the mountains to the Front Range,” March 10 news story
One significant method to help address the housing shortage is modular construction. In the article, the author writes, the state of California alone has a housing shortage of approximately one million homes. He also mentions the government is considering allocating funds to rehabilitate manufactured homes, which are trailer homes built on wheels.
In 1913, Henry Ford revolutionized the process of building automobiles utilizing an assembly line. From the time it was initiated, the cost of building and the time of construction were dramatically reduced. Unfortunately, the method used for building homes has remained the same. Modular construction uses the same methods and materials as site built homes, except they are constructed using an assembly line process in a factory setting protected from the elements. The homes can be constructed more efficiently in less time and at a lower cost.
Think of the time it would take and the cost of building an automobile in your driveway. The completed homes are then shipped in sections and placed on a foundation or over a basement.
This may not be the only solution, but it could a significant factor.
Steve Nash, Centennial
Let biologists balance wildlife, not the ballot box
I am writing to ask citizens to not sign the anti-lion hunting petition and if it makes it to the ballot to vote “no.” The initiative is going to be presented as anti-trophy hunting. Guess which state in the U.S. has the most lions. Colorado. Guess which state is right up there with the most human verses lion encounters — same state.
In Colorado’s settlement days game was abundant. A good job was supplying restaurants with wild game. If you were homesteading, just go out and shoot your meat. In the early 1900s, games started becoming scarce. Enter the Colorado fish and game department. Hunting and fishing regulations were put in place to manage the wildlife with the goal of bringing the populations up. Even placing a ban on hunting, the numbers were that low!
Deer and elk had a wildlife predation problem, the lion. Big game species have one baby a year, lions 2 to 4. There was a math problem. Hunters were paid to take lions with the aim of stabilizing the big game populations.
Today, biologists balance the land’s carrying capacity to make science-based decisions. Hunting is the balance. Biologists must balance the encroachment on wildlife habitat as well. Facts and public meetings all go into decision-making. Be part of the process, not a wrench in the gears, because the biologists have done a superior job of managing our state’s wildlife.
Ballot box biology is no substitute for biologists in the field. Don’t tie their hands, vote NO.
Theresa Springer, Hartsel
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
