08-29-2003, 02:22 PM
You've hit the nail on the head and gotten to the politics of our natural resources, Lonehunter. Supposedly, all state DNRs are protecting these resources for the the present and future generations to enjoy (if you believe that, I have some swamp land in northeast Colorado to sell you). I once posed a question to Colorado's DRN, "What is the difference between ground water and surface water?" Sounds like a simple, straight forward question, doesn't it? Surprise, no one could answer it. Then I finally figured out why so many educated people are stupid - they learn from books written by people who learned from books who learned from people who learned from books. Unfortunately, the content of these books haven't changed in a hundred years, just the title and author.
A good, long time friend of mine in Ohio has been studying lake erosion for ten years and probably has a better data base than the Army Corps of Engineers, and has reached several conclusions. However, because he doesn't have a string of letters after his name, his suggestions and solutions have been ignored. The same holds true with local solutions to problems effecting a local population.
Denver has Cherry Creek Reservoir, a large empoundment that oversees much of southeast Denver. If it ever ruptured, it's an old dam, the resulting floods would be devastating in life and property. When I asked about earthquake safety of the ACE, I was laughed at. I was told there was absolutely no danger of Colorado experiencing an earthquake. During my research, I discovered that Denver straddles an active faultline and it can rupture at anytime, simply because of historic activity. But, because all we hear about are earthquakes in California and Alaska, the citizens of Colorado have become complacent and ignore the warning signs. I know, earthquakes are the last thing we think about and it only happens elsewhere.
So what can we do about it? Saying "I told you so" when the worst happens won't help. We can present viable solutions with comprehensive supporting documentation with a very large number of voting signitures below it to start. The downside to that argument is, all they need is one so-called "expert" to say it's a bunch of horse puckey and won't work to scratch the idea. Common sense has gone the way of the Edsel.
Sorry I got up on my soapbox, but your post got me to thinking (I know, bad for the mental health) about the situation. I've been considering your very comments for many years, but with a different train of thought. I, for one, am tired of being religated to second citizen status simply because I enjoy the outdoors and fishing. I have a t-shirt that really gets PETA members shorts twisted, I'M NOT A HUNTER. I'M A WILDLIFE POPULATION CONTROL SPECIALIST. Now I need another one for fishing, I'M NOT A FISHERMAN. I'M A SPECIES REDUCTION SCIENTIST.
I apologize for the soapbox sermon.
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A good, long time friend of mine in Ohio has been studying lake erosion for ten years and probably has a better data base than the Army Corps of Engineers, and has reached several conclusions. However, because he doesn't have a string of letters after his name, his suggestions and solutions have been ignored. The same holds true with local solutions to problems effecting a local population.
Denver has Cherry Creek Reservoir, a large empoundment that oversees much of southeast Denver. If it ever ruptured, it's an old dam, the resulting floods would be devastating in life and property. When I asked about earthquake safety of the ACE, I was laughed at. I was told there was absolutely no danger of Colorado experiencing an earthquake. During my research, I discovered that Denver straddles an active faultline and it can rupture at anytime, simply because of historic activity. But, because all we hear about are earthquakes in California and Alaska, the citizens of Colorado have become complacent and ignore the warning signs. I know, earthquakes are the last thing we think about and it only happens elsewhere.
So what can we do about it? Saying "I told you so" when the worst happens won't help. We can present viable solutions with comprehensive supporting documentation with a very large number of voting signitures below it to start. The downside to that argument is, all they need is one so-called "expert" to say it's a bunch of horse puckey and won't work to scratch the idea. Common sense has gone the way of the Edsel.
Sorry I got up on my soapbox, but your post got me to thinking (I know, bad for the mental health) about the situation. I've been considering your very comments for many years, but with a different train of thought. I, for one, am tired of being religated to second citizen status simply because I enjoy the outdoors and fishing. I have a t-shirt that really gets PETA members shorts twisted, I'M NOT A HUNTER. I'M A WILDLIFE POPULATION CONTROL SPECIALIST. Now I need another one for fishing, I'M NOT A FISHERMAN. I'M A SPECIES REDUCTION SCIENTIST.
I apologize for the soapbox sermon.
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