Go Nuggets! (from a Lakers fan)

As a lifelong Lakers fan, I sincerely congratulate the Nuggets for making their first appearance in the NBA Finals. As much as I was hoping for another chapter in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, it is great to see a team with such a great fan base as Denver reach the finals. Enjoy the ride! I will be pulling for you against the dreaded Eastern Conference champion.

Steven Fountain, Kyle, Texas

No need to study; we know how to conserve water

Regarding the legislature’s plan for “further study” of Colorado’s water problems, who is surprised at yet another kick the can down the road approach to this critical topic? This is not some academic exercise that results in a study that no one will ever read, much less act on.

With bemusement, I observe the pattern that repeats itself once again as spring arrives along the Front Range. Businesses, public spaces, and residential customers are watering their green spaces. The sad part is that they are just guessing about the benchmark topics of when and how much to water. I have raised these items repeatedly with various water authorities around the area, and I might as well be speaking to the wall.

Meanwhile, those of my peers who are involved in irrigated agriculture just shake their heads at this folly that occurs every spring and summer in populated areas. Those peers are using readily available technology to know the answers to the when and how much questions for applying water to their crops. There is just no good reason that that technology cannot be used in urban areas. How can we ever improve a situation when decisions are made without using readily available data? Guessing does not cut it when it comes to this precious resource of water.

I sometimes think that many of our water officials are tone-deaf. How else to explain inaction when the train has already left the station? The end result may well be draconian measures that are too little, too late. The solutions are in our hands. Why are they not being utilized at all levels of government? Where is the leadership on this topic?

Ben Palen, Denver

Thanks for the veto, guv, in support of wolves

RE: “Polis vetoes bill that would have delayed wolf releases,” May 17 news story

Dear Governor Polis,

I am proud to be a Colorado resident with you as governor. The headlines read that you vetoed Senate Bill 256 which would have delayed the wolf reintroduction. I remember when the first wolves who migrated to Colorado were spotted and confirmed, you welcomed them to the state and urged people to make room for them. This gave me hope that after 100 years of maligning this majestic animal and denying them their native habitat, wolves and humans would find a way to share space, to coexist. To paraphrase Maya Angelou, “We did then what we knew to do. Now that we know better, we should do better.” Science teaches better ways to manage other than killing.

As a retired teacher who has spent my entire career trying to dispel “the big bad wolf” myth, educating others that all life is priceless, intrinsically valuable for its role in bringing balance to diverse ecosystems, and deserves to be respected, I am very grateful to you Governor Polis for sending this same message.

Thank you for staying true to your words and the will of the people and for welcoming the wolf home. Wolves have already waited too long. Another delay is unacceptable. E.O. Wilson said it best, “There can be no purpose more inspiriting than to begin the age of restoration, reweaving the wondrous diversity of life that still surrounds us.”

This reintroduction needs to give Coloradans a reason to be proud that wolves are an important part of our state’s heritage.

Katherine Webster, Littleton

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