What should I do if I see injured wildlife? Call *277!

After the initial shock of seeing an animal struck on the road, an elk entangled in a net (or basketball goal, hammock, or holiday lights), your mind might race to the question, “What should I do?”

Here is your answer and it’s all wrapped up in 4 characters: *277.

Why that number?

Colorado State Patrol (CSP) operates a non-emergency phone line, *CSP (which is *277). While humanrelated emergency calls should always be sent to 911, the CSP nonemergency number can be used for wildlife emergencies.

What are wildlife emergencies?

Animals that are injured and need immediate assistance are appropriate issues for a *277 call. Humanwildlife con icts, such as an animal attack or car crash, should be sent to 911.

When nearby and not involved in another call, CSP troopers or CPW o cers may respond to *277 calls about herds of elk that are moving slowly across Highway 74 and are blocking tra c for long periods of time. In this case, the trooper or o cer will calm tra c but are not allowed to interfere with the animals’ progress across the road for safety

Letter To The Editor

Stopping the Shadow Mountain Bike Park is where the community should put its combined e orts e recent resolved situation with Kittredge Park proved that a number of mostly recent transplants to the community have issues with the property rights of others. Land use needs to be balanced, but people have a right to use their property any way they want as long as it is zoned.

As examples, I will use the El Ranch development, Kittredge Park, the bike park and the short-term rental issue (a non-issue, really). In Kittredge we had a homeowner buy their dream home but the previous owner and their real estate agent failed to disclose how the park encroached on their property. e “people” of Kittredge became viscous and hateful toward the homeowner. ey are still acting that way. e trail cams, etc., in place prove

Inside The Outdoors

reasons.

What happens when I call *277?

Just like a 911 dispatcher, the *277 dispatcher will ask pertinent questions and will contact the appropriate agency to respond to the wildlife emergency. e dispatcher knows the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) o cers, CSP trooper, Je co Sheri ’s deputy or Evergreen Fire/Rescue responders on duty.

Why not call Colorado Parks and Wildlife, county animal control or a wildlife rehabilitator directly?

While those are all options, calling *277 will allow a dispatcher to make the determination of which organization is appropriate to respond to that wildlife emergency, and *277 is always available.

What about nights and weekends?

Dialing *277 is an excellent option because the caller does not have to be concerned with knowing an agency’s o ce hours. People may this to be the case. e El Rancho development will happen. It is zoned for exactly what the developer will be doing. ere was a minor issue with an easement from CDOT. Foothills Fire may have blown the opportunity to get a new re station at zero cost because of the interference some residents. is will be built. Nothing more now can stop that from happening. Stopping the Shadow Mountain Bike Park is where the community should put its combined e orts. is is a true encroachment on not just public safety, but tra c will be heavily impacted. I encourage everyone to get involved and attend the meetings and bene t concert to stop it. In regard to those who are against short-term rentals, you should look at the constitution. You cannot infringe on people’s rights. Most who oppose STRs are renters. e hatred

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com have di culty thinking clearly when facing an emergency involving a su ering animal, and dialing *277 is simple and fast.

When is *277 not the right choice?

Do not call *277 when:

You see dead animals or roadkill (the state or county road crews will likely remove them, but you may also contact them to report the carcass) unless the carcass is a human safety issue, such as blocking tra c.

You have wildlife questions of a non-emergency nature (call CPW or another wildlife-based agency or nonpro t during o ce hours)

Other important details concerning animals in the road:

In the Conifer/Evergreen areas, we have state and county roads. e responsible agencies are di erent for each jurisdiction.

Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Region 1 includes Highways 74, 285, 8, I-70, Highway 40 among others. CDOT Maintenance is responsible for roadkill removal. Colorado State Patrol jurisdiction includes all state and interstate highways.

Je erson County roads are those not included in the above list, such as Highway 73, Brookforest and Bu alo of STR owners is out of jealousy and envy. People buy properties to build income and wealth. Some also are buying their forever home and this is a way to nance it. Just plain hatred in the case of the group forming.

In closing, please oppose the bike park. Please support the El Rancho development, please support property rights. Please also say no to ANY tax increase by the Evergreen Park and Recreation District. We do not need anything they are discussing.

Nate Marshall, Evergreen

Sheri Rick Albers failed to hold himself accountable

In the mandated, court-ordered “apology” as part of the settlement with the Glass Family after the murder of their son by Clear Creek County deputies, Sheri Rick Albers did not hold himself accountable and instead placed blame on his

KRISTEN FIORE West Metro Editor kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com

DEB HURLEY BROBST Community Editor dbrobst@coloradocommunitymedia.com o cers who “failed to meet expectations.”

Park Roads. Je co Road and Bridge is the agency responsible for roadkill removal on these roads. Je co Sheri deputies respond to crashes on county highways and roads.

Wildlife carcasses discovered on personal property are the responsibility of the property owner. Options are calling a carcass removal company or in some cases, the animal may be harvested for which a permit from CPW is required.

CPW asks that residents experiencing bear encounters contact the appropriate CPW o ce to report the incident. Sta will share important information with the callers, such as how to bearproof the home and how to haze the animal, with the goal of preventing bears and other wildlife from feeling comfortable near homes. Bears that associate food with humans may become increasingly aggressive. Regretfully, when a bear breaks into a home, he is then considered a danger to human beings and may be put down by CPW o cers.

To report bear encounters, learn more about bear-proo ng, or ask wildlife-related questions, please contact CPW’s Denver o ce at (303) 291-7227.

In May 2020, two years prior to Christian Glass’s death, Darrin Patterson, known to law enforcement to have mental health issues, was killed after 30 bullets were red at him by two Clear Creek County deputies. At the time, body cameras were not utilized, and D.A. Bruce Brown did not nd evidence to indict deputies, but in his written report, strongly recommended that Clear Creek County law enforcement utilize crisis intervention and mental health assistance so that de-escalation rather than violence might occur in the future.

Sadly, these directives were not acted upon by Rick Albers or Clear Creek County, and instead, law enforcement escalated rather than deescalated a passive situation before

SEE LETTER, P15

Contact Us: 27972 Meadow Dr., #320

Evergreen, CO 80439 - 303-566-4100

Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110

Phone: 303-566-4100

Web: CanyonCourier.com

To subscribe call 303-566-4100

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

DONNA REARDON Marketing Consultant dreardon@coloradocommunitymedia.com

RUTH DANIELS Classified Sales rdaniels@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Columnists & Guest Commentaries

Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Courier.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone. Email letters to kfiore@coloradocommunitymedia.com circulation is

Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.