Reading Randy Eubanks’ bio, you might not immediately think he’s a dedicated supporter of community open space, smart growth, and responsible mining. But this former submarine sailor and nuclear industry professional, now a Commissioner in Larimer County Colorado, works for many good causes, including protecting wilderness in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Randy took the time to travel to Washington, DC, recently, where he joined 130 wilderness advocates from across the nation in urging Congress to protect more than 2 million acres of land as wilderness in states across the country, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park among them. This bipartisan legislation would protect as wilderness nearly 250,000 acres (94 percent) of the national park, including many of the lush forested valleys, glistening lakes and rivers, alpine tundra and spectacular mountain peaks that make the Rocky Mountains a national treasure. Wilderness protection for these areas has been a long time coming. President Richard Nixon recommended designating the undeveloped backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park as wilderness in 1974.
“This was my first opportunity to lobby Congress on behalf of Wilderness,” says Randy. “It was a true highlight to meet the people I met. I was impressed with the dedication, depth of knowledge, and the passion that folks had for wilderness.”
Wilderness isn’t the only issue this County Commissioner is passionate about. He works tirelessly to protect the quality of life that drew him back to Colorado after years away. Randy grew up in many different places as a child of a military family. The place that won his heart was Colorado, where he lived for 10 years before leaving to join the Navy, where he worked in the US Naval Nuclear Power Program, receiving a Navy Achievement Medal.
Following his naval career, Randy went to work in the nuclear industry, specializing in radiation protection. Since then, he has become an outspoken opponent of nuclear power. “Working in the commercial nuclear industry opened my eyes to the fact that corners get cut in the name of profit, and the waste that nuclear energy produces is forever,” Randy says. Colorado is a state with a dry climate and limited resources, one of which is water, but it’s a prime region for renewable energy efforts.
“Speaking as a taxpayer, public citizen and elected official we need to make sure we take care of the resources we have,” Randy argues. “It just doesn’t make much sense to destroy our limited natural resources. Northern Colorado has over 300 days of sunshine a year, making us a great spot for photovoltaics and solar power. We also have great potential for wind energy and continue to make a lot of great strides.”
According to Randy, some of the things that make Colorado so wonderful “are smart development and a good quality of life in cities buffered with open space,” Randy said. In metropolitan areas around the country, one city merges into another. Larimer County residents are fortunate to have cities and towns separated by wilderness and other natural areas."
Randy’s passion for the wild places of Colorado comes through in his voice. “When you live in a place like Colorado and get to experience places like Rocky Mountain National Park, it’s hard not to be an advocate.” Wilderness Society Regional Diretor Suzanne Jones has high praise for Eubanks. "Colorado is lucky to have such an enthusiastic and credible spokesperson for protecting open spaces and wilderness lands as we have in Commissioner Eubanks. Such conservation commitment from local elected officials is key to preserving Colorado's incredible natural heritage."
While still an engineer at Hewlett Packard, Randy realized he couldn’t wait to punch the clock at the end of the day to work on political issues. He worked on several political campaigns and finally ran for office himself after he, “got tired of yelling at the TV, and got up and did something about it.”
Randy has championed efforts that affect the health, safety and quality of life of the residents of Larimer County. He successfully worked with state legislators to pass legislation in Colorado that limits certain types of mining in order to protect water supplies for ranchers and farmers in his rural county. Randy is not opposed to responsible mining, but acknowledges that often profits are put ahead of resource protection. “If mining companies are good custodians, they shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
Additionally, he spearheaded a study to acquire mineral rights on lands in the county that are under conservation easements (a voluntary agreement that allows a landowner the ability to limit the type or amount of development on their property while they retain private ownership of the land). Larimer County has over 44,000 acres of land protected under easement. “While you may own the surface rights to land, you might not own the mineral rights,” he says. Thus, protected lands in Larimer County could potentially be mined one day. Commissioner Eubanks’ study will be finalized in early October of this year. “It will raise the question of where we are at risk of development, and where we need to buy mineral rights. Before this study, no one knew the answer about which lands could be mined. Now we can put together a plan for these protected areas.”
In addition to promoting responsible mining and protecting open space, Eubanks works to protect the county’s heritage by preserving farmland through agricultural conservation easements. He is currently looking at the 2008 Farm Bill as a resource to place easements on farms to protect them as a healthy part of Colorado’s environment and economy.
Randy knows that in all the work he does, it is vitally important to have buy-in and participation from the community. “Wilderness and open space are great for our economy, good for tourism and for the quality of life for those who live here.” He worries about strong development pressures in the region and celebrates people working together make sure development is smart, planned, and protects the open space that contributes to the high quality of life in Larimer County, Colorado.
