A PERSON Emerges...

...ah, my little cherubs and seraphim who flutter around Forest Service offices tell me that the Front Range shooting area closures are indeed the work of one person. Her name is Christine Walsh, and she is the Boulder District Ranger. It seems that Ms. Walsh, who just doesn't like guns, came up with a plan to shut down shooting on USFS land in the Front Range all by herself, and it wasn't met with wholesale approval...there are apparently a few Rangers who actually think obeying the law is more imporant that pursuing one person's political agenda.

Now what's interesting about Ms. Walsh is that she has a history of acting imperiously. Both equestrian and off-road groups have asked her for explanations of her actions, without much luck. Here's what she thinks (from the Boulder Weekly) about shooters:

"We have one law enforcement officer who covers the entire Boulder Ranger District for all uses. So he needs to distribute his time to areas that need to be monitored and patrolled," she says. "We have additional employees who can write tickets, but they are encouraged not to approach people who are shooting unless they are with another employee [emphasis mine]. Nobody’s supposed to do that alone, because they don’t have guns."

Hmmmm...I've talked to real Rangers numerous times while I was shooting! They didn't seem to have any problems "approaching," even talking to shooters! Maybe that's why Ms. Walsh chose to act in the dark, as opposed to following Federal laws. It also explains why MS. Walsh has refused volunteer support and help, even though the USFS routinely accepts volunteer help from mountain biking, hiking and equestrial groups.

The problem is that Ms. Walsh's personal agenda is now USFS policy...until someone in Washington D.C. slaps her down hard.

More as this story continues to develop!