L E T T E R S

August 8, 2007

Dear Editor:

The farmland well-shutdowns, though near Greeley and other cities and towns, seem a matter of little impact to most Tribune readers. In town, sprinklers still work. Showers turn on. Jobs are secure. Nonetheless, my message is this: Watch out. Northern Colorado farmland is of profound concern to city dwellers, to all of us. 

The environmental consequences of destroying this agriculture land are catastrophic. Lack of access to water is already forcing farm foreclosures and sales. These and subsequent foreclosures and sales will inevitably turn former fields and pastures of green, productive land into masses of pavement, housing and strip malls. Sprawling development will lead to more traffic, worse air quality, worse water quality, more water depletion, fewer song birds, more global warming, and more food imported from China or who knows where.

Evidence indicates that complex living ecosystems are vitally important to human health. What were until recently thriving, beautiful places are dying on our planet. They are all being turned into uniform human communities. When we say goodbye to birds, to insects, to small mammals, to trees, to fish, we are also saying goodbye to our children. It is not an exaggeration to write that civilizations without thriving vegetation, biodiversity and local food supplies die. It’s that simple.

The lack of comprehensive vision that includes farmland is dramatic. Yes, compared to municipalities, farmers are few. Individually, we generate fewer tax dollars than cities choked with people (though we supply them with food), but we also generate fewer short and long-term costs to taxpayers than cities choked with people. We are providing our nation with life support!

Without functioning farms, this region (with the highest yielding farms in the nation) will buckle, with severe economic ramifications for the entire state and indeed the country. The ramifications also extend to food security. Current events will build dependency on foreign-grown produce and silage. It is no secret that poor agricultural standards abroad compromise the nutritional content and safety of these food supplies. Furthermore, dependency on foreign-grown produce and silage increases the nation’s foreign debt. If you think this is an exaggeration, check with your grocer. You’ll learn how much food already comes from other countries. Crippling Northern Colorado’s farms only hastens this conversion.

Remanding the well shutdown crisis to the water courts alone or even to Governor Ritter's task force is grossly irresponsible. It skirts the dire impacts that spill into so many other aspects of the state's and indeed the country's fate. If you care about clean air and water, sufficient water, combating global warming and food grown in the USA, you too must pressure our federal, state and local leaders to achieve a solution for Colorado water that will sustain our generation and our children.
 
Sincerely,
 
Tershia d’Elgin
Big Bend Station
Milliken, Colorado
619/239-6120