DENVER -- “In the end, it’s your property,” Hickenlooper said. “So as far as I am concerned, I will come down every time on the side of the ranchers. The reality is that what happens here sets a pattern for the whole state – and in a funny way, the whole West.”

Hickenlooper said taking land from agriculture and livestock productions affects everyone in the state.

Hickenlooper said he wants Colorado to be “relentlessly pro-military.” He said the state should make it clear to the federal government that Colorado takes pride in our substantial military presence, and wants even more. But Colorado should not promote any industry at the expense of the agricultural industries that make up the backbone of our rural economies.

“I started out thinking this was a property rights issue,” rancher Grady Grissom said. “But now I see this as an issue of the future of this state.”

Grissom said he is concerned that expanding the Pinon Canyon site will be a drag on the local economy as military maneuver areas encroach the community.

“If your neighbor sold his house for urban warfare training, what would that do to your property values?” he asked.

Hickenlooper stressed that he would work toward an honest, trusting relationship with the Army, but acknowledged that there is a great deal of mistrust among the ranchers.

“I’m with you,” Hickenlooper told the ranchers. “This state should not subsidize one industry at the expense of another.’

Information provided by Hickenlooper for Colorado.