Donald Trump Jr., will be in Grand Junction tonight to address issues of concern to sportsmen and women. On the Western Slope, those folks are also known as hunters and anglers, on the Front Range, those titles are a cover for environmental groups.
Groups like the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership are green decoys — hunting groups camouflaged for today’s activists with controversial environmental agendas. Sadly, even Trout Unlimited has joined those ranks.
So it’s not surprising those same groups have popped up to offer advice to Trump Junior on what issue they think he should address at tonight’s meeting. Not surprisingly, Second Amendment rights were not on their to-do list.
They want him to address whether some federal lands should be transferred to states, which suggests that energy production on public land would exclude hunting.
It does not.
“We have heard Secretary Clinton say she would strengthen the network of public lands. She is talking about increasing funding for national parks, doubling the size of the outdoor recreation economy. Those are the kinds of things that are important to Coloradans,” said Pete Maysmith, executive director of Conservation Colorado. “From our perspective, it’s pretty clear that Donald Trump is not good for our public lands.”
So says the environmentalists. But Western Slope folks are a different kind of environmentalist. They want public lands protected, but they also want to use that property that is literally their backyards for a multitude of purposes, hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, and yes, to make a living through energy development and the recreation industry.
We hope Trump Junior will focus less on what the Front Range Left’s is demanding to hear, and stay centered on issues including Second Amendment rights that are of real importance to Western Slope voters who deserve a voice in this election.