(The Center Square) – Parks and Wildlife have started planning for the next round of gray wolf releases despite outcry over the plan’s bloated budget and adverse effects on Colorado’s agriculture industry.
The next meeting, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, will be at Lamar in Southeastern Colorado. It will be the next in a series of public discussions about the plan.
CPW Director Jeff Davis, Northwest Regional Manager Travis Black, Area Wildlife Managers, and Wolf Program staff met last week in Rifle with county commissioners and county staff from areas where the state wants to release wolves next year.
The meeting included county representatives from Rio Blanco County, Garfield County, Eagle County, and Pitkin County.
“As we move forward with the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, which is mandated by law, we are committed to having conversations with local elected officials and communities near possible release areas,” CPW Director Jeff Davis said in a news release from the department.
The program, which takes gray wolves from states west of Colorado and drops them into state-owned land, has been criticized by the state’s ranchers and others concerned with the ballooning cost.
Voters narrowly approved the ballot measure in 2020, with much of the support coming from counties that wouldn’t be subject to reintroductions. Proposition 114 passed by a 51-49% margin.
The initial cost of the ballot measure turned out to be a significant underestimation, with a price tag of $5 million to date far surpassing the $800,000 estimation given to voters, according to Colorado Counties Inc.
Three of the reintroduced wolves died, and six others had to be re-captured due to attacks on livestock. Many are calling for a pause on the project. All but one county’s officials signed a letter asking CDW to pause the program.
“Such a delay would uphold CPW’s mandate to continue wolf reintroduction efforts while providing adequate time to ensure future efforts do not create disproportionate harm,” the officials wrote in October.
As CPW announced in August, it will release wolves into the northern release zone. The state plans to release the wolves onto state-owned land with appropriate landscapes to support them while acknowledging that these animals won’t stay in one spot once released.
The range that wolves will travel has led to cattle ranchers fending off packs from their herds.
“I am extremely concerned about more wolves being brought into Colorado and what that will do to my family’s ranching operation,” said rancher Caitlyn Taussig. “Wolf introduction has not gone well, and no one is currently benefiting from it, including us ranchers, our livestock, and even the wolves themselves.”
Taussig said the program has caused problems since the reintroduction vote narrowly passed in 2020.
“Challenges have arisen no one has foreseen and there are no good answers. We need more tools before more wolves arrive. I really hope the commission listens tomorrow and understands how important this is for us,” she said.
During the December 2023 wolf releases, CPW saw that many wolves made substantial movements in the months after their release, as expected. The state will not make final release cite decisions until the operation is underway.
Some variables that will impact those decisions include weather, animal welfare, staff safety, and day-of-operation logistics, among other things.
“The stakes at tomorrow’s hearing couldn’t be higher. We’re in the final hour and can’t afford to fail,” said Tim Ritschard, Rancher in Colorado and President of Middle Park Stockgrowers. “CPW has an opportunity to do the right thing for ranchers, our livestock, and millions of Coloradans who benefit from our state’s agricultural economy. Permitting the next batch of wolves to arrive as currently scheduled, before we’re fully prepared with all the resources we need, would be a grave mistake. As long as ranchers’ voices are honestly heard, I am confident that our request for a delay will succeed.”
As last week’s meeting concluded, the county commissioners had the chance to ask CPW questions and to share feedback from their respective communities.
“We recognize that this is a challenging situation, and all involved are listening to their constituents,” Davis said in the release. “We wanted to create an opportunity for officials to have their questions answered and to understand how we can assist our local partners in informing their communities.”
CPW plans to have training sessions in Eagle and Gunnison counties in December.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) manages 43 state parks and over 350 wildlife areas covering about 900,000 acres. It also manages “fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education,” the release said.
