If you hanker for a bug this year, Colorado’s Department of Agriculture will provide it for free. Not the kind that invades computers and wipes out the memory, but the kind that slithers around the garden slurping pesky weeds and unwanted insects. The department gives them out at this time of year as part of its annual “request-a-bug” program.
Newcomers to Colorado, and even longtime residents, might not know about the pest control program, started in 1945. They also might be a bit squeamish about getting a creepy crawler in the mail. But ag experts say it beats those nasty pesticides that can be harmful to animals and the environment.
People who want the garden buddies can fill out a form on the department’s website, www.ag.state.co.us. Click on program areas. Viewing the bug pictures is optional.
Getting Ritter’s ear
Some lobbyists around the state Capitol are miffed by the Ritter administration’s new scheduling policy. When people want Gov. Bill Ritter‘s ear, they have to fill out a “scheduling request” found on the governor’s website. No forms were required to talk with former Gov. Bill Owens, lobbyists complain. If they wanted to see Owens, they simply picked up the phone. Nowadays when they call the scheduling office, they are told to submit the form or, if it’s urgent, talk with the governor’s two lobbyists.
Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer says the governor’s office is overwhelmed with requests for meetings with the new governor. On one recent Thursday, Ritter had 10 separate meetings – and that was a typical day, Dreyer said.
The form originated during Ritter’s campaign last year as an organizational tool for staff. “Everyone agreed it was efficient for the internal people,” Dreyer said. “But members of the public liked it, too.” Once the form is filled out, how long does it take to schedule the meeting? “I have no idea,” said Dreyer, “and the scheduler is off today.”
Equal Rights Amendment
The two highest-ranking women in the state legislature say they will help fight for ratification of a new Equal Rights Amendment if it is passed by Congress.
A bill was reintroduced in Congress last month with a new name: the Women’s Equality Amendment. It contains a simple mandate: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.”
The U.S. House and Senate passed the first ERA overwhelmingly in 1972 but after 10 years it failed to get the necessary ratification from 38 states; 35 states, including Colorado, ratified it.
Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and House Majority Leader Alice Madden say women still lag men in pay, promotion and other areas, despite laws passed in the last three decades that ban discrimination. Both leaders said they would be “delighted” if Congress passes the amendment and sends it to the states for ratification.
Not everyone agrees, of course.
Keeping Colorado wild
The Division of Wildlife is airing a new TV ad that will soon go up on the Internet. The ad, with the theme “Keeping Colorado wild,” features bighorn sheep, shiras moose, fish and other animals native to Colorado.
The ad is the first in a series of public awareness campaigns to highlight the beauty and value of the state’s wildlife resources. They are meant to educate people about the division and its interrelationship with animals, nature and the sporting community that funds wildlife programs, said Ed Wittry, a member of the Wildlife Management Public Education Advisory Council.
The ads are funded through a 75-cent surcharge tacked on to the cost of hunting and fishing licenses. Wittry said the first ad cost less than $25,000 to produce and about $500,000 to broadcast statewide. It will run intermittently from now until June.
Julia C. Martinez (jmartinez@denverpost.com) is a member of the Denver Post editorial board.
