A coalition of Colorado farmers and ranchers has filed a formal petition to delay future wolf reintroduction, accusing state wildlife officials of failing to adequately address the killing of livestock.
The 26 groups, including the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Club 20 and the Colorado Farm Bureau, are requesting that Colorado Parks and Wildlife stop releasing wolves into the wild until “specific wolf-livestock conflict mitigation strategies are fully funded, developed, and implemented.”
The state wildlife agency has confirmed 24 livestock deaths in Grand, Jackson and Routt counties since the first 10 wolves were released in northwestern Colorado in December. In addition, ranchers say they have counted “many other missing animals.”
The livestock groups, in a petition sent to Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Friday, said the state has failed to hold up its responsibilities. “The petitioners argue that CPW’s current wolf management program has insufficiently addressed these conflicts, and there should have been significantly more outreach and coordination before the initial release,” the group said in a news release.
The petition, filled with photographs of gutted and bloody cows, comes ahead of a state plan to introduce another round of wolves this winter. CPW has said it plans to release 10-15 wolves in the second year of the reintroduction plan, also in northwestern Colorado.
The deaths of livestock have continued in recent weeks, even after CPW captured the six-member Copper Creek wolf pack. The agency had determined that the pack had been feeding on livestock at the ranch of Conway Farrell, who raises cattle in Grand County near Kremmling.
The deaths of livestock have continued in recent weeks, even after CPW captured six members of the Copper Creek wolf pack. The agency had determined that the pack had been feeding on livestock at the ranch of Conway Farrell, who raises cattle in Grand County near Kremmling.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife revealed Monday that the agency was searching for a fifth wolf pup that it missed when it captured the rest of the pack in early September. Wildlife biologists who retrieved game cameras Sept. 20 say they have confirmed there is an uncollared gray wolf pup still in the wild in Grand County.
CPW said they have begun an operation to capture the fifth pup and “reunite it with its litter mates and mother.”
The agency is preparing for a “winter release” of the pack.
Rancher counts 35 missing calves
In an exhibit submitted with the petition, Farrell said his ranch has had 15 confirmed livestock deaths due to wolves. But by Farrell’s own count, he has had 15 sheep killed and 35 calves that went missing.
Wolf attacks on livestock have continued near Kremmling even after the capture of the Copper Creek Pack in early September. The adult male of that pack died four days after capture, and the adult female and four pups are now in a secure enclosure at an undisclosed location, CPW said.
Farrell said in his brief that he and his staff have “attempted to use the following nonlethal measures to deter wolves in our territory: yelling, screaming, shooting empty cracker shells, Critter Gitter, fox lights, livestock protection dogs, carcass management, night patrol, and range riders. These measures only briefly deterred the wolves, who simply circled back to approach livestock from another direction.”
The rancher also paid a range rider $400 per day to roam as many as 160 miles, on horseback and in a vehicle. It wasn’t enough to protect his livestock, he said.
“For this nonlethal measure to work, we need access to comprehensive funding and a robust training program to ensure sufficient range riders are employed to protect our livestock,” he said.
Farrell also said it has taken state wildlife biologists hours to reach his ranch and start livestock death investigations. “The longer CPW staff delays, the more likely it is that bears or scavengers will consume the carcass and destroy any evidence of the cause of death,” he wrote.
The livestock groups also allege that CPW improperly disregarded their repeated requests for lethal action against wolves that were known to be killing livestock. The petition asks CPW to develop a clear definition of “chronic depredation,” a term that has ranchers and the state agency at odds.
It also asks for full funding of range riders. And the petition says the state needs “a streamlined process that allows producers to easily enroll in these prevention programs.”
It calls on the state to conduct “vulnerability site assessments” before any nearby wolf releases, requiring CPW to come to ranches and gain a “clear understanding of each operation.” And it asks for a “rapid response team” that the state would deploy quickly when wolves are preying on livestock.
The livestock groups want CPW to hear their concerns at their meeting this week, and decide on the petition by November.
CPW spokesman Travis Duncan said the agency “remains committed to upholding the will of Colorado voters” and pointed out that, after the statewide vote, the reintroduction plan was approved unanimously last year by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. CPW “will continue to work with all stakeholders on the plan’s implementation,” he said.
The first five wolves relocated to Colorado were released Dec. 18 north of Interstate 70 on state land in Grand County. Another five were released Dec. 23 in Grand and Summit counties, also north of I-70.
The state’s nearly 300-page reintroduction plan calls for the release of 30 to 50 wolves in total over three to five years. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said it aims to capture 10-15 wild wolves per year through trapping, darting or net gunning in the fall or winter, releasing them in Colorado from December-March.
Colorado voters narrowly passed the wolf reintroduction plan, called Proposition 114, in November 2020. The ballot measure directed state wildlife officials to begin reintroducing gray wolves by the end of 2023.
Among the other groups joining the petition are the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association and several other local stockgrowers groups.