Toward the end of the morning session of Monday’s Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, when commissioners typically discuss their calendars for the month, Commissioner Perry Will mentioned that he will attend the American Stewards of Liberty (ASL) Land and Liberty summit on Feb. 13 and 14 in Fort Worth, Texas. Event topics, according to the ASL website, include strategies to advance the property rights agenda at the local, state and federal levels, sunsetting conservation easements, ending the “failing” [Endangered] Species Act, helping the Trump administration roll back 30×30, dismantling the “climate cartel” and “stewarding creation as God designed.”
Garfield County Manager Fred Jarman announced that Will was a scheduled speaker at the event and the star of a new film. Jarman did not mention the name of the film, the producer or the content. But Will, Jarman and Commission Chair Tom Jankovsky are heavily featured in a 33-minute movie produced by ASL. “Thrown to the Wolves” is about ASL’s perception of the consequences of wolf reintroduction in Colorado, and how the Endangered Species Act is ineffective and has been weaponized by conservationists. Will is part of a panel on state and local policy solutions on Saturday.
Bill Dolbow, lobbyist and founder of Dolbow Global Strategies Resources in Washington, D.C., is also scheduled to speak at the ASL summit. On Monday, the BOCC awarded him a $60,000 contract to lobby on behalf of Garfield County in the nation’s capitol.
In other news, the BOCC approved all consent agenda items, $150,000 for Garfield Clean Energy and $200,000 for Journey Home Animal Care Center in Rifle. Executive Director Heather Grant and staff member Hattie Rensberry were on hand to make a presentation and answer questions.
Numbers reported reflect the shelter’s success, including over 1,000 animals spayed or neutered in 2025, 1,146 animals sheltered and lots of dry pet food provided to pet owners.
“One of our biggest community programs is our pet food pantry,” said Rensberry. “Last year, we provided 4,500 pounds of dry pet food to our communities in Garfield County specifically.”
Will mentioned how guard dogs of livestock producers are being found and brought into the shelter. “It’s really a financial burden to a lot of our livestock producers,” he said. “People, I think, are well-intentioned to pick some of them up, thinking they’re lost up in the forest or whatever.” He added that he’s heard of border collies being picked up on the side of the highway right next to the ranch. “So how do we address this issue?” he asked.
Grant said the owners would have to microchip the dogs. She reiterated the protocol more than once, stating that they do everything they can to find the owners. Will asked how they could address financial charges. Grant explained that it costs to give the animals professional care. “[The shelter pays] for the vaccine being put in them, the employees that are doing the intake, the kennel that’s being cleaned, the bowls that are being cleaned,” she explained. “The nonprofit has to be refunded.”
She added that she understood Will’s side of the issue, but that there are other people who feel differently. “There’s another side that feels very strongly that the guard dogs are being mistreated,” she said. “I mean, there are two sides and I’m not saying that I support either side, but there’s, very strongly, the other side too.”
Commissioner Mike Samson said he didn’t know of anyone who abused what he calls a “livestock dog.” “They’re not going to mistreat their livestock dogs,” he said. “That dog is very valuable to him.” The conversation then sort of drifted into legal speculation when Samson gave his suggestion for solving the problem. “If it was me and I was a rancher and if somebody took my dog that was doing his job out there, I would probably go after that guy for kidnapping my dog, stealing my dog,” he reasoned. “You have no right to take my dog. He’s doing his job.”
Journey Home also works with about 50 volunteers and accepts all kinds, including people sentenced to community service. Samson said if he had to complete community service, Journey Home is exactly where he would go. “We might have you mucking out kennels for a minute,” joked Rensberry. “Just let us know if you ever want to do a bring-your-commissioner-to-work day.”
The BOCC approved a $140,000 budget supplement for assistant county attorney wages, $359,784 for six Chevy Tahoes for the Sheriff’s Department and $226,515 for two new crack-seal machines for the Road and Bridge Department.
During the afternoon session, commissioners approved a major subdivision preliminary plan for The Sages at Aspen Glen.