Tom Stumpf: Public lands: Support 30×30 and CORE Act
Over the past decade or so, in various letters and presentations regarding climate change, I have frequently concluded by invoking the Rule of the Nine Ps: Please Prioritize Planet and People over Profit, Power, Politics, Poisons and Partisanship.
While lacking specificity as to what grassroot actions might be relevant, the rule delineates broad areas of consideration in discussing how to prevent and avoid the devastation and destruction of our common home.
On the other hand, a very concrete effort is the recently outlined campaign by President Joe Biden. He has laid out a 10-year goal of conserving 30% of U.S. land and its ocean areas by 2030, an inclusive and bold vision for safeguarding America’s lands, water and wildlife.
This is clearly an ambitious but necessary goal, for scientists have declared that protecting 30% is the very bare minimum needed to save nature and ameliorate the worst impacts of climate change.
With its scenic and spacious territory, Colorado is an enviable outdoor mecca providing world-class outdoor recreational opportunities on public lands, and can certainly benefit from this program. We must do everything we can to preserve these opportunities.
To achieve 30% protection of our state’s lands (or, 20 million acres thereof), with about 10% (or, 6 million acres thereof) already protected, we need to mobilize our populace to seek to protect and restore at least 20% more of additional land (or, 14 million acres).
Actions might include becoming familiar with the Save the Colorado movement, writing state legislators to support the Colorado CORE (Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy) Act, or familiarizing oneself with the Rights of Nature movement. Each of these can be easily accessed through Google.
And, any one of those would be helping to implement the favored Rule of the Nine Ps.
Tom Stumpf
Longmont
Bo Shaffer: Politics: Consider the Libertarian Party
There has been endless talk about the left versus the right or conservative versus liberal this last election.
The media wants us to see everything in black and white. Nothing in between. What if there were a viewpoint that was consistently economically responsible yet socially liberal?
What is there were a viewpoint/philosophy/party that took the best conservative, as well as the best liberal points, and blended them into a reasonable platform that everyone could support?
What if there were a political party that was split from one of the two major parties right here in Colorado, 50 years ago?
The third=largest party in the country is the Libertarian Party. It was formed in Colorado in 1972 and has slowly grown to represent the political beliefs of over a million voters.
There are Libertarians in many board and government positions, and they are frequently asked for a specific Libertarian viewpoint. A Libertarian was on a local water board for 12 years until the person became term-limited. A Libertarian was just elected to the Wyoming Legislature last November. The Colorado governor recently appointed a Libertarian to a Colorado water advisory board.
If you believe your body is sovereign and your government should be small, if you’re tired of 60% of our budget going to military overseas, if you’re tired of the government telling you what to do with your body and property, if you want something different than the constant bickering and dirty politics that the two major parties have devolved to … there is a solution.
Why not try Libertarian … for a change?
Bo Shaffer
chairman, Libertarian Party of Boulder County
Louisa K. Matthias: Testing: NAACP supports bill to reduce tests
NAACP of Boulder County supports HB21-1161, a bill that reduces the number of state educational assessments in 2021. Past Colorado Measures of Academic Success testing has been in four subjects: mathematics, English language arts, science and social studies.
This bill proposes each grade level take only one test, either the mathematics or English language arts test, although parents can request a child take both math and language arts. Teachers will also be waived from a percent of their evaluations being based on student scores.
Whether students are learning in person, remotely or in a hybrid model, significant adaptations by students, families and teachers have escalated stress levels. Students are expressing increased anxiety, depression and other mental health issues as a consequence.
To add standardized testing to this year’s calendar places an unnecessary burden on students, families, teachers and staff. Furthermore, CMAS data are not available until August. Teachers’ regular assessments of student progress provides more timely data on student progress to guide individual education plans and give parents up-to- date information on student progress. This allows for continuous data to be used for intervention is needed.
Feedback from hundreds of educators and parents indicates widespread support for suspension of tests this school year. A Camera guest opinion (Feb. 20) by Lorrie Shepard and Kevin Welner from the CU Boulder School of Education details additional issues with tests and test results.
While we would like to see total suspension of CMAS testing, the rewritten bill was done with consideration of what the Biden administration will accept with Colorado’s request of a waiver. We encourage readers to contact their state representative and senator to voice support for HB21-1161 (https://ift.tt/2No7r72). You may find their name and contact information at https://ift.tt/3bz0lV3. The Colorado Department of Education allows parents to opt out their child(ren) from CMAS testing.
Louisa K. Matthias
NAACP Boulder County Education Committee and Executive Committee, Boulder
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Letters to the editor: Support 30×30, CORE Act; try Libertarian Party; support bill to limit tests - Boulder Daily Camera
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