President Ronald Reagan’s environmental record sets an example for our current- day politicians. President Reagan signed more wilderness bills than any other president since the Wilderness Act was enacted in 1964 – 43 bills that designated more than 10 million acres of wilderness areas in 27 states. He supported the Montreal Protocol, which produced significant climate stewardship benefits because it limited ozone-depleting chemicals and global carbon dioxide emissions.

But perhaps Reagan’s commitment to the environment is best stated by his own words: “What is a conservative after all, but one who conserves, one who is committed to protecting and holding close the things by which we live. ... And we want to protect and conserve the land on which we live – our countryside, our rivers and mountains, our plains and meadows and forests. This is our patrimony. This is what we leave to our children. And our great moral responsibility is to leave it to them either as we found it or better than we found it.”

More drought, heat and wildfire threat, all amplified by global warming, are not our friends in Southwest Colorado. I urge Rep. Scott Tipton to break his silence on climate change and follow Reagan’s leadership. Take a stand on global warming and support market-based solutions. Protect our country, our atmosphere and our people.

Ed Atkinson

Durango