Property Rights Under Siege: From Canadian Ostriches to Wyoming Wind Development

On October 1, 2025, guest host Brad Beck fills in for Kim Monson to explore property rights under siege across North America. Patty McKernan discusses her Centennial City Council campaign, Mike Rawluk exposes threats to public meeting transparency, Trent Loos warns about Canadian government overreach against ostrich farmers, and Wendy Volk details her fight against a massive Wyoming wind development project.

Centennial City Council: Standing for Local Control

Start listening at 16:22 – Hour 1

Patty McKernan explains why she entered the race for Centennial City Council District 3 after learning about proposals to mandate single trash haulers for all residents. The proposal, she argues, represents government overreach into free market decisions, following a pattern of special interests pushing similar regulations across Colorado municipalities. McKernan emphasizes that citizens must examine the consequences of legislation before rubber-stamping seemingly innocuous proposals.

Centennial has maintained fiscal responsibility since its founding nearly 25 years ago, and McKernan warns that Democrats have announced plans to target local municipal races after securing control at the state level. She urges voters to protect home-rule charter governance and resist outside influences from Denver.

“I can’t tell other people to do this and not do it myself.”

Patty McKernan, Centennial City Council Candidate

Public Meeting Transparency Under Attack

Start listening at 28:52 – Hour 1

Mike Rawluk of the Ralston Valley Coalition reveals that Arvada removed online testimony options from planning commission and city council meetings, citing cost concerns of approximately $12,000 to $14,000 monthly. All six city council candidates at a recent forum agreed the option should return, but Rawluk questions why government prioritizes other spending over First Amendment access.

The threat extends to state government, where the Legislative Council considers eliminating live streaming of committee meetings in 2026. Kim Monson, Natalie Menton, and other advocates signed a Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition letter opposing the change. Rawluk argues online access enables citizens with mobility issues, second jobs, or parental responsibilities to participate in democracy without taking entire days off work.

The discussion expanded to AI’s role in land use planning, with candidates advocating for diverse small businesses over cookie-cutter retail developments to build resilience against technological displacement. Rawluk also raised concerns about drone delivery programs, license plate readers, and surveillance cameras collecting data on private citizens.

“Being in a setting where you can be a little more nimble helps as well.”

Mike Rawluk, Ralston Valley Coalition

Canadian Government Threatens 400 Healthy Ostriches

Start listening at 71:42 – Hour 2

Trent Loos, a sixth-generation Nebraska farmer and rancher, brings attention to Universal Ostrich Farm in Canada, where the government ordered euthanization of nearly 400 healthy ostriches, some 37 years old, based on H5N1 PCR tests. The family secured a court stay just hours before the culling was set to begin, and hundreds of supporters now camp at the farm with food trucks and television cameras monitoring the birds.

Loos connects this case to broader property rights concerns, noting the United States has euthanized over 80 million poultry based on similar testing protocols. In South Dakota alone, 437,000 turkeys were culled in 60 days, conveniently before Thanksgiving. He challenges the rationale that trade status requires eliminating animals when the U.S. faces a $52 billion agricultural trade deficit.

The conversation shifted to New York’s 2030 mandate requiring all vehicles, including agricultural semis, to be electric. Every dairy industry representative Loos met in Albany said they would leave the state, the fourth-largest dairy producer in the nation, if the policy stands.

“An attack on animal ownership and property rights violations in Canada is going to affect all of us if we don’t engage.”

Trent Loos, Sixth-Generation Farmer and Rancher

Fighting the 56,000-Acre Wyoming Wind Development

Start listening at 89:06 – Hour 2

Wendy Volk, a fourth-generation realtor married into a 154-year-old Wyoming ranching family, describes discovering a massive wind development project proposed for her community in Laramie County. Spanish company Repsol submitted a permit for 170 turbines across 56,000 acres, three times the size of Cheyenne, without properly notifying affected neighbors or disclosing that the structures would reach 678 feet, four times the height of Wyoming’s tallest building.

Volk mobilized community members to attend planning commission and county commissioner meetings, where citizens waited hours to voice concerns about wildlife migration, raptor and bat populations, road safety, and long-term environmental impacts. Wyoming Game and Fish expressed serious concerns about studies the company conducted but never publicly shared.

Three county commissioners denied the permit, affirming that local land use decisions require careful analysis of public health and safety impacts. Loos warns the company may attempt to circumvent local control through a state industrial commission permit, a tactic used elsewhere. The fight continues in neighboring Platt County near Chugwater, where another massive wind project threatens ranching communities.

“We did not address the impacts fully to the land, the water, the wildlife, the quality of life.”

Wendy Volk, Wyoming Realtor and Rancher