On Tuesdays, we talk with our colleagues at the Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This week, our guest was reporter Michael Booth.
Nederland residents want the state to stop mountain lions from killing their pets. They say the lions are lurking around homes and stalking domestic animals. Dozens of dogs have been reported killed.
Booth says for state wildlife officials, it’s not as simple as just getting rid of the big cats.
“The state doesn’t go out and destroy mountain lions who have gone after pets. Pets are considered personal property, not business property like a herd of cattle might be," said Booth. "And so the state is saying, ‘We’re not going to come up there and destroy a lot of mountain lions. We’re not going to remove them and move them to another place, because that usually just creates a new problem in another place.’”
Special mountain lion hunting licenses are available statewide, but recent permit numbers are down in the Nederland area. Hunts there are also not as successful now as in previous years.
In other environmental news, the Colorado legislature is expected to take up the issue this year of insuring homeowners as private insurance companies become more reluctant to cover fire-prone areas. The Marshall Fire just over a year ago caused an estimated $2 billion in damage.
“Insurers are saying, ‘There’s too much wildfire risk in Colorado and we’re either just not going to write a policy or we’re going to write a policy that’s so ridiculously expensive that no one can really afford it,’' Booth said. "And the state is saying, ‘Maybe we need to step in as other states have done and create an insurance company of last resort.”
Booth said private insurers urge caution in implementing a state-run coverage program in Colorado because it can be significantly more expensive than a typical insurance plan.
