County, state and federal officials attended the annual Southwest Colorado Livestock Association meeting on Saturday, providing updates to farmers on politics and policy, conservation and crime, and weeds and water.
Here’s a synopsis of the meeting, which got underway at 9 a.m. at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.
The Board of County Commissioners kicked off conversation, taking turns to speak in the crowded room. Gerald Koppenhafer went first, with an update about Colorado River negotiation from the Colorado Water Congress meeting in Denver.
“It’s in the Bureau of Rec’s hands now,” Koppenhafer said. “We’ll see how it all plays out … and hopefully it’ll align with what the Upper Basin states are wanting.”
Potential scenarios aren’t favorable to the Upper Basin states, though, and water storage rights – in McPhee Reservoir, for instance – are post-compact.
“They could be called out down the river, if there ever was a call on the Colorado River,” Koppenhafer said. “It wouldn’t effect just Western Colorado, it would affect the whole state.”
Plus, the $25.6 million in grant money that the Southwestern Water Conservation District was awarded in January is now in limbo because of federal cutbacks.
The district was hoping for more grant money down the road to support infrastructure projects, and “that part probably won’t show up at all. It’s just the way it works.”
Commissioner Kent Lindsay spoke next.
Lindsay said the county is “trimming” costs and has “cut expenses back to a nub.”
The county’s landfill recently got a new cell, which “cost two times what the last one did,” Lindsay said. They’re also making and selling compost at the landfill “like crazy.”
MoCo Transportation buses and cars got a new lavender wrap that “looks really nice,” and there are public health survey results live on the county website, Lindsay said.
And Travis Parker, a new veteran service officer, has “hit the ground running,” and is “doing a good job,” Lindsay said.
Commissioner Jim Candelaria was the last of the commissioners to give an update.
He talked about how the county had cut its once-expanding noxious weed program to what the state requires. There’s no more phreatophyte removal. All that exists now is a cost-share program, which helps landowners curb the costs of spraying.
As far as weeds along roadsides go, Candelaria said most of those are obnoxious, and that the county will be mowing – not spraying – them.
Candelaria said the intersection at Road 25 will be moved north to be a safer intersection. It’ll be at a 90-degree angle with the Heritage Center. Impact fees are paying for the project, and they hope to have it fixed by the end of the year.
Of the 517 miles of roads the county maintains, 18.1 miles are slated to be chip sealed this year. Candelaria said that on dirt roads, the county spends a little over a half a million dollars annually on magnesium chloride to stablizie them and control dust.
No incumbent commissioners attended from Dolores County, but former Commissioner Steve Garchar was there and briefly spoke
In Dolores County, the noxious weed program is “alive and well.”
When it comes to wolves, Dolores County supported Garfield County in signing a letter to ask the state to stop any additional wolves from being introduced.
Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin said that in 2024, the Sheriff’s Office had 16,000 calls for service. Of that, 247 calls concerned livestock, down from 295 in 2023.
Forty six of those calls concerned livestock on the road, down from 92 calls the year before.
Ten vehicle crashes were attributed to livestock on highways in 2024.
Water dispute-related calls were the only to rise in 2024: There were 62, compared with 51 in 2023.
“I’d imagine that number will rise this year,” said Nowlin, acknowledging the dry winter.
He also said to make sure there’s a water source available if and when you burn, and to notify your local fire district and dispatch to make sure it’s not a red flag day.
Nowlin went on to acknowledge the livestock thefts in Montrose and Delta counties, and said there are a few suspects in those cases.
“There are no reports of missing livestock in Montezuma County, but do let us know,” he said.
Before he passed off the microphone to the next speaker, Nowlin asked if there were any questions.
Someone asked about the new law that requires handguns in unoccupied vehicles to be in locked, hard-sided containers and outside of plain view.
Nowlin said a lot of cars have glove boxes and consoles that lock to stow it properly.
“I won’t pursue that issue, I’ll tell you that right now,” he said.
Still, he said, many shooting incidents – which happen on almost a weekly basis in the county – are with stolen guns.
In the most recent drug bust, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and drug enforcement seized 25 pounds of narcotics, $16,000 in cash and numerous stolen firearms.
On the topic of guns, Nowlin said there will soon be changes in concealed carry permits, and to renew permits ASAP.
Four representatives from the Forest Service attended, and San Juan National Forest Supervisor David Neeley spoke first.
Neeley said that 2018 was a difficult fire year, and it’s similar this year, too.
“Hopefully the moisture regime turns,” he said.
As far as the Free Land Holder lawsuit goes, he said the Forest Service sued them under the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885. Neeley said the U.S. is “confident” it has ownership of that land.
He also said that the most recent meeting the Free Land Holders had in Denver was not a private one, unlike the group had said.
The group didn’t file a “legally valid response” to the lawsuit and have until Feb. 25 to do so, he said.
The way the community came together in October to “keep public lands public,” was “deeply impressive,” Neeley said, and one of the most gratifying moments in his career of 29 years.
Joseph Manning, BLM’s assistant field manager at the Tres Rios Field Office, shared next.
Manning said the infrastructure money is also in limbo for the BLM; they’ll “see what that means for restoration projects.”
This year, there will be mandatory testing for chronic wasting disease on deer since it was detected in local herds, said Adrienne Archuleta, CPW Area Wildlife Manager.
He said the setup will be similar to what it was a few years ago in Dolores so “hunters don’t have to travel far.”
Over the next three years, the Western Slope Mountain Lion Density Study will be finishing up and “hopefully validating what we’ve known about mountain lions: That there’s a lot of them.”
The state is in its second year of reintroducing wolves, and 15 were recently brought into Colorado from British Columbia. That makes 29 known wolves in the state, and there are no plans to release any in this area, Archuleta said.
But they do roam, and “I don’t know when they’ll show up on our landscape,” he said.
Southwest Regional Manager Cory Chick said that CPW intends to work with local producers, farmers and cattlemen to alert them if wolves come into the area.
Eric Sprague, DWCD’s water resources manager, said the Dolores Basin is at 50% of its seasonal median. At this rate, McPhee Reservoir won’t get full.
There is some weather coming up, Sprague said, but it would take “something miraculous” to get a full supply of water this year.
The preliminary forecast, if current conditions persist, we’ll have 20% of our water supply.
“Realistically, we’re looking at another shortage year,” said Sprague.
Emily Lockard, the Montezuma County director and agriculture specialist of the CSU Extension, gave an update on programs and what lies ahead.
Last Thursday, the first Cattle, Crops and Coffee gathering was at Fahrenheit Coffee Roasters in Mancos. It’s an opportunity for producers to visit, and have free coffee. The next one is at Bubba’s on Feb. 20 at 11 a.m.
On March 8 there’s an agritourism expo at the Mancos Community Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on March 13 there’s a fruit tree pruning workshop.
The 2025 Livestock and Forage Grower webinar is on March 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hurd’s Southwest Regional Director Naomi Dobbs gave an update next.
Hurd asked that the livestock community reach a consensus on their position for two things wolf-related: A National Environmental Policy Act study – which the federal government never did – and a stance on delisting.
All the federal government did prior to releasing wolves in the state was something called a 10(j), and all that covered was management, Dobbs said.
In other words, a study on the introduced wolves’ impact to the gray wolf, for instance, or the socioeconomic impact – since hunting in Colorado is a $3.2 billion industry – was never done, said Dobbs.
Hurd supports a bill by Republican Rep. Rep. Lauren Boebert of the 4th District, to remove wolves from America’s endangered species list, which “delisting” would do.
“The congressman is asking for a unified voice,” Dobbs said. “Are you in support of a NEPA, and how do we feel about delisting?”
As the first representative in Cortez in 30 years, Suckla said he’d like to talk about what’s happening in Denver.
He first talked about a proposed wildland urban interface at the state level.
“If it goes through the Senate, the fire department will have the authority to go to your home and tell you that you have to take out this brush or that brush, and if you don’t do it, they’re going to fine you $300,” he said.
On the fifth time you don’t clean out brush, they’ll put a lean on your home and they can take your home away.
“I fought and fought them,” Suckla said. “In my opinion, that has to do with your county commissioners.”
He said that even though he’s a Republican, “I get in fights with the Republican Party, and I get in fights with the Democratic Party.”
He also mentioned how last year, 500 bills passed.
“No wonder we can’t figure out what’s going on. We need a DOGE up there,” Suckla said. “You cannot believe how much money they’re spending and blowing.”
What’s more, of the 65 representatives, there’s only two that own any water, and he’s one them. Yet, a representative with no water rights was chosen to speak to the Colorado Water Congress over breakfast.
Speaking of water, Suckla introduced a bill that would make it so people can collect more than 100 gallons of rainwater on their property.
Suckla said he’s standing up for the 88,500 people he represents down here in Southwest Colorado: “I’ll fight for you as hard as I can, for as long as I can.”
And if they kick him out?
“I get to come back and I finally get to see my wife, and I get to live on my farm and ranch. That is my punishment,” Suckla said. “Is there any questions?”
Fairgrounds Manager Justin McGuire started by talking about operating costs, which they’re completely covering.
Since the solar panels were put up on the roof of the indoor arena, there’s been a 65% savings in electric costs, said McGuire.
There’s a new sidewalk on the east side of the indoor arena, which is now more ADA compliant. In the future, they hope to make the ADA parking “nicer.”
Another focus has been in improving the outdoor arena. There’s now 6- foot tall fences in the bullpens so they can’t go over the top. They hope to add more seating outside, too.
All future project ideas are just ideas; nothing has “caught ground” yet, said McGuire.
Last year, 75,000 people visited the fairgrounds, up from 65,000 in years past: There’s been more participation, possibly because they’re trying to make it more than a “rodeo-type setting.”
A baseball team practices there now. In March, they’ll have an ag expo there, a home and garden show and a Friends of the NRA banquet.
In a few months’ time, there’s a 12 Hours of Mesa Verde event, the Ute Mountain Rodeo and they’re hoping to bring back the monster truck event that happened last year.
In September, it’ll bring a new event: Motocross.
McGuire said a lot of people have been asking about the racetrack.
“It will be functional this year,” McGuire said. “A new promoter signed in for three years.”
The updates took about three hours, then the Cowbelles served lunch.
