Human activity erodes elk, mule deer populations

Habitat disruption, not lions and bears, is the greatest cause of shrinking elk and mule deer populations in Colorado. Gas and oil drilling and mountain-home building, along with mining and logging operations, are all intrusions into the flow of the natural world. And reluctantly, we should admit that our growing population hiking and camping activities also have become disruptive of wildlife in the mountains.

In many ways outdoor enthusiasts are loving the wilderness to death.

Robert Porath

Boulder and Meredith