To: The Colorado State House, The Colorado State Senate, and Governor Jared Polis
Amend the Colorado Right to Ranch Statute
Amend the Colorado "Right-To-Ranch" Statute to require cattle owners to fence in the property on which their cattle roam, whether leased or owned by the cattle owner. Provide a fine of $500 per head for those who fail to fence in their cattle as required by this amendment.
Why is this important?
A number of big ranches sold out to developers in the 1980s. Developers, in order to keep a rural lifestyle in mind, developed sites of 35 or more acres in these subdivisions. Many have covenants requiring landowners to fence in their livestock (cattle) in order to protect the property rights of other landowners. However, these have failed because some unscrupulous ranchers and out-of-state investors who want illegal agricultural tax status have allowed cattle to roam freely in these subdivisions, causing thousands in property and overgrazing damage and pollution to the water table which supplies well water to those of us actually living on the land. Most of us in these subdivisions are retirees on a fixed income living off the grid and trying to live a peaceful, sustainable livestyle. That is being destroyed due to these people misusing the Colorado Right-To-Ranch law.