Take Two
June 1, 2003
By Ross Dolan - Staff Writer - Castlerock Daily Star
Castle Rock beekeeper Paul Hendricks got a bum deal last Thursday when he lost his suit against the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
For those unacquainted with the case, Hendricks was seeking about $30 grand in relief for losses incurred and time spent fencing three bee yards against DOW bears.
The bears, faced with overpopulation and dwindling food supplies, rifled Hendrick's hives on a regular basis that year, and across the state beekeepers have had their hives hammered by hungry bruins.
That bears have a predilection for honey is no secret. One had to smile at Hendrick's ironic choice of a tie to wear at Thursday's trial - a cravat that featured Winnie the Pooh and a spilled honey pot. A subtle thumb in the DOW eye?
Hendricks has a knack for overwhelming, even alienating, his supporters. Wild-eyed and intense to the point of mania, more than one person has been seen looking for an escape hatch when they see him approach, looking for all the world like a rocket scientist on amphetamines.
Unlike some of the quiet, peaceful men in his profession, Hendricks has the intensity of an evangelist. This is an all-or-nothing guy, not one who can compartmentalize or easily restrain his enthusiasm or emotions.
That he was obsessed by this trial and his sense of "rightness" is undeniable. It's conceivable that he could neglect things, even his bees at times, in his pursuit of justice. But I have to admit I like the guy. I admire his intensity and dedication to his craft and his chosen way of life. Yes, there are times when I have to say, "Paul, take deep breaths," or "Paul, I can't deal with this today," and he respects that.
In a world that's becoming blandly plain vanilla, Paul Hendricks is a splash of passionate red, a taste of spice. He loves his bees and he's a passionate defender of them.
That he's been a pain in the DOW's posterior is without question. They plucked out the stinger on Thursday and they flicked it away. Assistant Attorney General Tim Monahan, defending the State, did a masterful and workmanlike job of dismantling, in short order, the case Anne McGihon painstakingly constructed in three days of testimony.
He stuck to the facts and got the win.
It wasn't important that bears were overrunning their habitat, that the equipment supplied by the DOW was frequently substandard and ineffective, that it takes a lot of time to install and maintain electric fences to deter bears, that a small beekeeping operation has to spend one-fourth of a short season caring for bears and fences.
What was important was that Hendricks failed to notify the DOW, in writing, about his claims; and that he didn't use the right type fencing wire or spend more time cutting his weeds. It is the letter of the law that makes the law what it is-both a form of protection as well as a forum for equivocation.
It was a win, but it was a cheap, shortsighted win, and the little guy got screwed once again.
Is it so hard for us to understand Hendricks' sense of outrage? Who among us hasn't expressed frustration at the countless hours we spend annually being bookkeepers for the government, or the large gobs of cash we spend hiring accountants to run interference for us.
We spend the first four to five months of every year working for the government. Is it so strange that Hendricks didn't want to spend more time building fences?
The bureaucracy of the beehive has nothing on the bureaucracy of bureaucracy.
Bees are tiny, gentle, and remarkable critters.
As they go about their single-minded chore of creating honey to feed the hive they absent-mindedly fertilize the female blossoms with pollens, creating the bumper crops of fruits, nuts, berries and other delectables that we prize so highly. They make our world more beautiful and feed us into the bargain.
In past years they have been poisoned by "advanced" pesticides and decimated by diseases fostered by accidentally imported bee mites. Hendricks has 150 of the 700 hives he had only a few years ago.
Commercial or hobby hives aren't welcome in Castle Rock town limits, but their presence makes our life more beautiful. It was Hendricks' hives south of town that pollinated many of the flowering trees and plants downtown.
We're losing bees and we are losing the men like Hendricks and beekeeper Tom Theobald who tend them. Tall, bearded and burly Theobald, who owns Niwot Honey Farms, said, "Beekeepers are pretty agreeable people, they don't want to be in the courtroom, they don't want to be in conflict; they want to be with their bees doing the things they love.
"They're good, hardworking, salt-of-the-earth people. They [DOW] claim this is bear country, but if ranchers allowed their cattle and sheep to starve the way the DOW has allowed their bears to starve it would be considered inhumane. I don't want to kill off the bears. I'm an animal lover - a beekeeper for crying out loud - but unless something is done somebody is going to get hurt." Unless something is done, said Theobald, human and bear contacts will continue to rise.
"Bears are not inherently aggressive," he said, "but it's irresponsible to run powerful predators like this in urban situations."
Amen.
Read the first part here.
