Guest post by Dr. Heidi Steltzer
Sixteen years ago, I chose with intention to live in rural southwest Colorado. There were many reasons, including my intuition guided me here. I needed to be in relationship with people who live in a rural region, many of whom don’t engage often with scientists.
I’ve given lots of talks, spoken on panels, and engaged with folks to talk climate here. They all know that it is warmer and drier than it was 20 years ago. We all know that public lands are all of ours though we may spend time in the mountains, valleys and mesas differently. We all know that the agriculture in our region is wonderful and at risk because there is less snow. And we all hope for things to shift. It’s the action kind of hope that leads us to show up to water forum and engage with politicians.
In late April, I showed up for an impromptu gathering at a county commissioner meeting my Representative, Jeff Hurd of Colorado 3rd Congressional District, attended. Most of us were there because of the inclusion to sell off public lands in the reconciliation bill, known as the “Big Beautiful Bill”. We waited outside as Representative Hurd participated in the meeting and guessed which of the two doors he’d come out. The ~25 of us swung back and forth a few times, and when Representative Hurd emerged, I was near the door he came out.
His staff wanted him to get in their car. He chose to engage with us. My sign said the lands are our kids. My signs at each of the local rallies I have attended say things I hope are universal. When Representative Hurd shook my hand, I said I was a climate scientist and that the lands need to remain intact. This was a key point in my testimony before Congress on the climate crisis in 2020. Lands where vegetation cover is mostly intact need to remain as they are. He asserted that the minerals for renewable energies need to come from somewhere. I thought both need to be possible – renewables and intact lands.
I’m losing faith in engaging with politicians even though he challenged the sale of public lands, stating the reasons for this in a telephone town hall I attended this week. He spoke about how there was risk that big areas would be cut off from public access through the sales of parcels one needs to go through to get into the backcountry. There wasn’t enough evidence the lands would have affordable housing. Mini-ranches were more likely. And decisions about rural Colorado need to include those of us who live here. I’ll add that decisions about rural Colorado need to include all of us who live here.
When it feels like we don’t matter, when our concerns are not being addressed by our government, we can show up for one another. In rural communities, folks have long done this. I’m willing to do this. I hoped the Representative Hurd will vote no on the Reconciliation bill this month. I called his office and spoke to someone who sounded very tired. My ask again aimed at something universal. I said, “This isn’t who we are on the Western Slope of Colorado”. We show up for one another.