Poaching continues to be a major issue in Colorado. Some national studies indicate that poachers kill almost as many animals as legitimate hunters do during legal seasons.  

If poachers kill even half that number each year, the problem is serious because they are stealing game from licensed hunters, robbing businesses and taxpayers of revenues generated by hunting, and depriving us all of a valuable resource--our wildlife. And it's not just game animals that poachers steal - they also kill threatened, endangered and non-game species. 

Tyler Perry has been writing, directing, producing, and starring in movies about his Madea character for over ten years now. So how is it that this movie is so incompetently made? If this were a first-time filmmaker, I could maybe chalk the film’s painfulness up to inexperience or a lack of resources. But as this is Perry’s 17^th directorial effort, and these movies do well enough that he can easily arrange financing, I don’t feel unreasonable in saying that “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” is simply the work of a hack.

Every year, the Southeast Area buys Integrated Resource Management Calendars “Redbooks” for producers.  We currently have 20 sitting in the office and they are handed out in a first come first serve fashion.  So please hurry in and get yours before they run out!

Did you know there is a program that could pay for a portion of your heating costs if you qualify? The LEAP (Low-Income Energy Assistance Program) runs from November 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018. You may only apply and be approved one time in this period. Contact Ashlynn Miner at Kiowa County Social Services (719-438-5541) for more information or to see if you may qualify.

CenturyLink, Inc. believes that connecting teachers and students to creative ways to use technology can expand their opportunities for education and improve the lives of their communities. To further those goals, the company has opened the 2018 application process for The CenturyLink Clarke M. Williams Foundation Teachers and Technology grant program.

Congressman Ken Buck sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions requesting information on the Department of Justice’s actions to prosecute individuals who engage in criminal activity against energy infrastructure. The bi-partisan letter, signed by over 80 members of the U.S. House, comes amid recent attacks by environmental activists on pipeline infrastructure around the country.

John Camper, who currently serves as the Grand Junction Police Chief, has been selected to become the new head of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation starting January 1.

Colorado Department of Public Safety Executive Director Stan Hilkey made the announcement Monday at the conclusion of a nation-wide effort to hire a new director to replace Michael Rankin. Rankin stepped down in early September in favor of a private sector opportunity.

Dear EarthTalk: How can we keep our kids safe from environmental hazards all around us in our everyday lives?

-- Jennifer Nichols, Wareham, MA

Children are affected by the same environmental hazards as adults, only they’re more vulnerable given their smaller size and the fact that their bodies are still developing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), harmful exposures can start as early as in utero.