On December 18, 2023, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department (CPW) released five gray wolves into western Colorado, as required by state law passed by voters in 2020. This is the culmination of a multi-year process to develop a wolf reintroduction plan that included numerous wildlife experts, activists, wolf advocates, and anti-wolf individual stakeholders. Unfortunately, conservative wolf opponents, including some ranchers and local elected officials, complained that they were not invited or informed about the releases in advance.
CPW Director Jeff Davis has since graciously apologized for the lack of communication prior to release. Nevertheless, given the number of malicious and graphic death threats against Colorado’s released wolves that surfaced on the internet in December, it is clear that providing advance notice to the public is not a good idea for CPW officials and the wolves themselves. It would put both lives at risk. CPW was right to release the wolf with little advance notice to ensure the safety of both CPW personnel and the wolf.
CPW Director Davis has also come under fire for denying North Park rancher Don Gitleson’s request to kill wolves 2101 and 2301. Mr. Gittleson was clearly trying to control his livestock by setting up a wolf den nearby, and he deserves sympathy for the loss of several livestock to the wolves. Wolf.
However, the majority of Gittleson’s livestock depredations occurred before 2023, when the larger herd was still congregating in North Park, and many of its members were reportedly lured to Wyoming and killed. There is. Only two wolves remained from the original pack, and depredation had decreased dramatically by 2023. Nevertheless, this situation prompted Gittleson and legislative leaders to ask CPW to define the term “chronic depredation,” as this finding could potentially trigger wolf killings. .
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However, during CPW’s three-year wolf planning process, both the Technical Working Group (TWG) and Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG), made up of those who support and oppose wolf reintroduction, agreed that CPW recommended against defining “chronic looting.” This is partly because there are so many factors to consider and no clear, objective way to draw that line, and because doing so ensures that as soon as that line is crossed, lethal control ( This is because it leads to public expectations that the measures will be implemented (rather than being considered).
CPW Director Davis deserves praise for following the wolf management plan adopted by the CPW Commission in May 2023. And Mr. Gittleson deserves all the help the state of Colorado can provide to protect his livestock.
The protests against the wolf release in December and CPW’s rejection of Mr. Gittleson’s request to kill wolves 2101 and 2301 reflect the sentiment felt by many in the wolf reintroduction community, especially those in the ranching community. It highlights the natural anxiety that exists. Change is difficult to accept, especially if it means reintroducing a predator burdened with myths and fears that have influenced human perceptions of wolves for centuries. Ironically, we revere wolves as symbols of power, strength, and hunting ability.
Fortunately, we know a lot about coexistence because wolves have lived with elk, deer, bison, and livestock in the northern Rocky Mountains for nearly 34 years. In Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, wolves cause approximately 0.03% of livestock mortality each year, and ranchers receive compensation from state wildlife agencies. Wolves are not a meaningful threat to livestock farming. And since wolves were reintroduced in 1995, elk populations have only increased in all three northern Rocky Mountain states. Wolves are not a threat to elk populations or hunting.
And as people in the Rocky Mountain North gained experience with wolves during that period, public acceptance grew as well. According to a recent study by the University of Montana, “In 2023, 74% of the general population will say they are ‘tolerant’ or ‘very tolerant’ of wolves, compared to 50% in 2017. That’s up from 41% in 2012.” Public acceptance of wolves in Colorado can be expected to follow a similar positive trajectory.
In Colorado, the path to peaceful coexistence with wolves is paved with many factors.
First and foremost, the public has the right to be well-educated about wolves and their role in maintaining ecosystem balance and health.
In fact, without wolves, Colorado would significantly reduce the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), restore ecosystem health, and withstand ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation, and of course the effects of climate change. I can’t. CPW has a duty to educate Coloradans and visitors about the positive benefits to ungulates, habitat, watersheds, and the natural balance of returning this native species to its historic habitat.
Second, CPW, wolf advocates, and ranchers should be commended for working together to develop livestock protection measures such as grazing management, low-stress grazing, grazing, herding dogs, and guard dogs. . These conflict-minimization tactics have worked in the northern Rocky Mountains and will work well in Colorado.
Third, Coloradans should know that ranchers can receive financial support from a variety of sources. CPW has created the most generous wolf predation compensation program in the nation. Wolf Conflict Reduction Fund sponsored by CSU. Legislative appropriations to fund compensation for livestock losses (Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund). “Born to be Wild” vehicle license plate to raise funds for CPW to implement non-lethal livestock protection measures. And millions of dollars have been mobilized for coexistence initiatives under USDA grant programs.
CPW will hire five new wildlife conflict experts, work with ranchers to train and deploy conflict mitigation tools in the Western Slope region, and make livestock protection educational materials available to all interested parties. They are making heroic efforts to support ranchers, including engaging in extensive community work to provide for people. And coexistence with wolves.
All Coloradans should come together to support Colorado’s parks and wildlife. Support CPW’s dedicated leadership, staff, and oversight committee. Give us the opportunity to support ranchers seeking peaceful coexistence and work to restore our state’s wolf population.
James Pribil is a former chairman of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission who lives in Frisco and Louisville. He also served as a member of the Colorado State Parks Commission and a representative of the GOCO CPW Commission.