Colorado's contentious wolf reintroduction saga continues as local agricultural and livestock groups push for a halt to the program. On the front line of this ruckus, 26 organizations have taken formal action, petitioning the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission to delay further wolf releases, as reported by 9News. They argue the need for a rules change, stating the program has yet to create measures that effectively manage the conflict between wolves and livestock producers.
The coalition's efforts to sway CPW come amid reports of wolves killing various livestock in Grand, Jackson, and Routt counties, an issue that CPW has yet to respond to with lethal management, as has been done in other states like Oregon and Washington, according to Colorado Politics. A "Petition for Rulemaking" was filed, but as of last Friday, it had not appeared on CPW's website. This move comes at a time when the commission is convening for a meeting, which coincidentally aligns with range rider training, effectively preventing some producers from attending.
Much of the tension springs from the implementation of Proposition 114, which narrowly passed back in November 2020. The mandate set forth by Colorado voters required that CPW begin reintroducing gray wolves by the end of 2023. According to The Colorado Sun, the reintroduction plan involved releasing 30 to 50 wolves over three to five years, with captures conducted during the fall and winter seasons.
With CPW's detailed 300-page reintroduction plan already in motion and the first wolves released last December, the petitioning organizations, such as the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association and Colorado Wool Growers Association, are pressing for the agency to deliberate on the petition by November. These groups are rallying for their voices to be heard amidst a wildlife management strategy that presently seems to leave their interests in the lurch.
