Letters To The Editor, November ’24

Beavers Know Best

Ordinance 308, the fur ban initiative, is a great start for Denver, and it needs to go further. Colorado needs to protect the beaver – that most industrious water engineer, pond and dam construction genius and habitat builder. After its near extinction by the fur trade, the beaver is being reintroduced for its spectacular impact on wetland restoration, particularly in environmentally degraded areas. 

It is known as a “Keystone Species,” because it is integral to a nature-based solution to climate change and worsening drought conditions. Beavers control melting snowpack’s water flow and redistribution, slowing it down through their dams, underground canals and ponds. These create fire breaks that mitigate wildfire damage, and they store and filter water that seeps back into the aquifer. When their ponds are abandoned, the fertile soil left behind are nutrient-rich and fallow meadows.

However, once again the species is faced with pushback from humans. In Colorado, they are considered pests, varmints, nuisances, etc. They can still be shot, trapped, poisoned, or otherwise lethally disposed of.  Yes, they eat wood — trees, decks, furniture — and yes, their ponds might just flood one’s basement or clog up a culvert. 

If we would only co-exist and partner with the beaver in particular, and other fur bearing animals in general, we may discover that their intelligence, persistence and overall contributions far outweigh our own pre-conceived notions of tradition and prejudice in favor of human / technological superiority.  

So let’s pass ballot measure 308 for the benefit of  all of Coloradans and for the protection of God’s little water engineer who stubbornly builds and will keep building, trying to show humanity what is possible. It’s time for a different paradigm – one that challenges the status quo.

Therese-Marie O’Sullivan, Park Hill

The Critical Quartet  

The Nov. 5 election offers Denver voters an opportunity to approve four measures that will improve the safety and quality of life in our communities.

Proposition KK would establish a statewide 6.5 percent sales tax on firearms, firearms components, and ammunition. This additional revenue would be used for support services for crime victims, mental health services for veterans, and school safety programs. Suicides are the highest percentage of gun deaths, and  tragically, many of these are by returning veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD).

Three are on the Denver ballot. 4A asks voters to approve a $975 million bond issue (not a tax increase) to be used for needed additions and improvements to Denver Public Schools that includes air conditioning. As the earth warms due to climate change, so do classrooms. Students, teachers, and staff deserve a safe, comfortable environment in which to work and learn. 

2R would increase Denver sales tax by 0.5 percent with the additional revenue to be used for affordable housing. Providing people with suitable housing will help them become contributing members of society which will subsequently stimulate Colorado’s economy.

Finally, measure 2Q would increase the Denver sales tax by 0.34 percent to provide much needed revenue for Denver Health. We believe that quality health care is a right, rather than a privilege for the affluent.

Please vote YES on KK, 4A, 2R, and 2Q.

Frank and Jan Tapy, Park Hill

We love your letters, and give preference to those that address an issue that has been covered in the newspaper, or a topic that is Park Hill or Denver-specific. Send letters to editor@greaterparkhill.org, and include your full name and the neighborhood in which you live. Deadlines are the 15th of each month, for the following month’s issue.