Over the weekend, Club 20 — the Western Slope’s coalition of businesses, organizations and people uniting their voices to make them heard in the political sphere — held its spring conference over the weekend in Grand Junction. There, Nucla’s Aimee Tooker was honored with the New Member of the Year award.
Tooker told the Forum she was introduced to Club 20 a year ago, in the heat of the Dolores National Monument proposal. Then, she and Scott Braden, a monument advocate, had a debate that was moderated by Club 20 officials. After expressing opposition in the debate, she joined Club 20 as a member.
Then, last fall, Club 20 had its caucus event, and she was nominated to be a representative for Montrose County. Typically, counties have three Club 20 representatives. In Montrose, that’s Tooker with Justin Musser and Cindy Dozier.
Tooker said Club 20 has both an executive board, but a board of directors too. They follow certain policies to decide whether to oppose or support legislation in Colorado and give input to lawmakers. And, every spring and fall the Club 20 conference is held, though summer and winter also see policy meetings.
To Tooker’s surprise, the evening of April 25, executive director for Club 20 Brittany Dixon announced Tooker winning the New Member of the Year award. Tooker said it was completely unexpected. In fact, she had tears. She agreed she just wants to help make a difference, and to relay the local communities’ sentiments on issues.
“Our Senators and Representatives are asking how Club 20 feels about things,” she said. “They recognize Club 20 is important. We can sit down here and complain and say what we don’t want, but we can also be at the table say that.”
Tooker said she finds the Club 20 process engaging and interesting. She enjoys hearing what others’ perspectives are, those in different counties who are facing similar challenges. She said it feels good to help Western Colorado have a unified voice.
She said the conference overall was informative and covered important issues. At the heart of it all was the wolf issue. She said state leader Lauren Dobson was present and spoke about the agriculture coalition she’s organized. Kathleen Curry, of Gunnison, was also on the wolf panel, along with other leaders who spoke.
“It was the last panel of the day, but the highlight,” Tooker said.
She added Western Slope ranchers are suffering top-down leadership with the wolf reintroduction, with a lack of communication and also payment for predation. She said there are further complications with top officials having to verify predation, not those in the field and on the scene.
“We are also not following the management plan or doing the NEPA study,” she said with regard to wolves.
Also engaging at the conference, Tooker said, were panels on oil and gas, plus mining, and timber management. She said there are timber programs available, and people are discussing thinning and managing fuels in Western Slope forests — “and managing in a way that wouldn’t lead to a catastrophic mega-fire,” she said.
Overall, she said she was grateful for the conference weekend.
"I am really honored to be a part of a unified voice that represents the Western Slope and rural Colorado values,” she said. “(The award) was an unexpected and very humbling surprise. I am excited to continue this journey with Club 20 and make sure that the West End and Montrose County are at the tables and not on the menus."
