(The Center Square) – A group representing Western Slope ranchers this week continued its efforts to get Colorado Parks and Wildlife to delay more wolf introductions and presented a citizens petition to require a new rule for management.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission did not take any action on the petition, brought by the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association and other groups, due to procedural requirements.
Middle Park Stockgrowers Association President Tim Ritschard presented the petition at Thursday’s commission meeting, citing ongoing wolf depredations.
Colorado reintroduced 10 wolves into the state last December, as required by law after Colorado voters narrowly passed Proposition 114 in 2020.
“The commission has the authority to delay further introductions. You were not required to introduce wolves at a certain pace, you were only required to introduce wolves by December 31st 2023,” Ritschard told the commission. “You have done that. Now your mandate is to adaptively manage wolves. This means that you should be willing to change your approach to address issues as they arise.”
There have been 24 depredations in three counties since reintroduction, Ritschard noted.
CPW is considering locations for new wolf releases in Eagle, Pitkin, or Garfield counties. Rio Blanco County was removed from consideration due to a lack of release sites and proximity to livestock, CPW officials said in the meeting. The state it plans on sourcing from British Columbia.
According to Ritschard, CPW should hold off on the next wolf introduction until it has established a range riding program, carcass management program, and has conducted site vulnerability assessments. The citizen’s petition would require each as part of the rule change.
The petition is also backed by the Colorado Farm Bureau, the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, and several other livestock groups across the state.
The petition cannot be an action item on the commission’s agenda until CPW makes a formal recommendation, according to CPW officials. CPW is still in the review process and did not give a timeline for when it would have a recommendation.
CPW Director Jeff Davis told the commissioners that the agency typically works with the attorney general’s office to review citizen petitions, then makes a recommendation to the commission, which would then review the recommendation.
