What causes heavy pregnant heifers to knock down their corral and run two miles? What slides down a hillside dragging debris to fill an irrigation ditch that floods buildings? The fruit orchard, wild chokecherry and oak trees are severely damaged. I saw the gang of seven come down a juniper tree, bark flying like a saw mill. Yet, a local Colorado Parks & Wildlife six-year bear study reports “We are finding, certainly, the local population is not increasing.” (Herald, March 16) A picture shows someone hugging a cub to keep it warm. Are we imprinting their young?

CPW recently published remarks made by a Colorado Springs officer: “By the end of the summer, you’re just so tired of having to deal with dead bears, whether they’re hit on the highways or you have to kill one that’s been fed. It just takes a toll on us emotionally. If I didn’t have to kill another bear the rest of my career, I’d be the happiest game warden ever.” Florida showed a backbone in 2015. Not since 1972 had there been a statewide bear hunt. Despite a lawsuit and 30,000 calls against it, the commission pushed forward and the governor refused to intervene. The weeklong hunt took only two days for 3,778 hunters to meet the 320-bear quota. The licenses sold collected $376,900 to be used for bear conservation and public education. Colorado hunters need to be cut loose. They will do us proud!

Sandy Young

Durango