CPW comes under fire following release of depredatory wolves

Lawmakers had strong criticism for the staff of Colorado Parks and Wildlife over their handling of the release of the first five wolves under the Front Range voter-approved wolf restoration plan. 

The comments about how the release was mishandled came during a joint agency oversight hearing on Jan. 23 with the House and Senate agriculture and natural resources committees.

Comments came from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who faulted the agency for failing to notify local ranchers, landowners, elected officials or anyone that wolves were being released in Grand County in December. Another five wolves were released in Summit County later that month.

In addition, lawmakers pointed out the wolves brought to Colorado from Oregon came from packs with a history of killing livestock, despite promises to the contrary from the agency.

That led one lawmaker, Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, to ask if the agency was in such a rush to meet an “artificial” Dec. 31 deadline that they chose wolves with a prior history of depredation.

Agency officials denied they were in a rush, claiming it was an issue with timing for contractors they needed to pull off the operation in Oregon.

Both Representative Richard Holtorf, Akron, and Sen. Byron Pelton of Sterling raised questions about the impact of wolves on Colorado’s cattle industry.

Holtorf asked about funding for mental health assistance for ranchers, given the problems wolves are creating for ranchers in Colorado. “We can only take so much. And money doesn't fix it,” he told agency officials.

He said it takes decades to build a pedigree for some of his steers and then it gets taken away by a wolf that murders a cow. 

Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, said everyone had a seat at the table for the wolf management plan, and that “my heart pours for you and your family and other folks” that have been impacted.

He pointed to a partnership with the Department of Agriculture on mental health services for people in the agriculture community.

Pelton pointed out that ranchers spend their lives making sure their livestock don’t suffer and that they are good stewards of their animals. But what will the agency do to allow a rancher to protect their livestock? he asked. “How many animals have to go down before that rancher has that ability to protect his livelihood, to protect that animal, the wellbeing? I mean, I've heard you talk about the wellbeing of your staff. I've heard you talk about the wellbeing of the wolf, but what about the wellbeing of the livestock?” Pelton asked.

Parks and Wildlife officials had no answer, given that they have not yet come up with a definition of “chronically depredating” wolves, which they indicated would be necessary for a rancher to kill a wolf that’s killing their livestock.

One official said they were working with the attorney general’s office on that definition.

However, that appears to contradict the permission obtained from the federal government last month, when the United States Fish & Wildlife Service issued what’s known as a 10(j) rule that removed wolves from the Endangered Species List. 

Under Colorado’s wolf plan, wolves can be killed if they are killing livestock. One rancher, Don Gittleson in Jackson County, has lost more than a dozen cows and four working cattle dogs to wolves, although these are not the same wolves released in Grand County last month.

Gittleson has pleaded with the Parks and Wildlife agency for permission to kill two wolves that have been attacking his herds, but the agency has refused, citing a lack of a definition of “chronically depredating” wolves, despite the wolf restoration plan and federal permission.

Roberts and House Speaker Julie McCluskie sent a sternly worded letter to the agency last week.

“These killed and injured animals are not only the property of our constituents but they are key to their livelihood as agriculture producers,” the lawmakers wrote. “Further, Colorado’s agriculture industry is a crucial part of our state’s economy and producers in Jackson County are dealing with the impacts of these wolves on the landscape, both directly and indirectly, and suffering hardship.”

The Dec. 22 decision by the agency to refuse help must be “immediately reconsidered, and that CPW take swift action to remove the depredating wolves that continue to kill and injure livestock and dogs in Jackson County,” the letter said.

Lawmakers, and even agency officials, acknowledged that CPW’s mishandling of the communications and the release has caused considerable damage to the relationship between the agency and ranchers. Some are now refusing to cooperate with the agency on conservation measures, according to Roberts.

“They are going to close their gates,” Roberts told the officials. “They don't want to work with CPW officers anymore … We need that local collaboration between private landowners, between outfitters between communities, both elected and non-elected officials.” Roberts asked what the agency is doing to rebuild that relationship.

Gibbs responded that CPW staff are being made to feel like criminals for implementing the voter-approved initiative to release wolves. He did acknowledge that ranchers have lost trust with his agency.

As to how they would repair the relationship, one agency official said they would go to livestock and cattlemen association meetings.

In other news: House Minority Leader Mike Lynch of Wellington, who’s running for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, resigned his leadership position last week.

Lynch was arrested in September 2022 for driving under the influence, speeding and possession of a firearm while intoxicated. He pled guilty to lesser charges in December 2022 and was sentenced to 15 months of probation and 150 hours of community service.

However, in between the arrest and the sentence, Lynch ran for minority leader of the House Republican caucus, without disclosing the arrest. 

That led to a coup from far-right members of the caucus last week, who called for a vote of no confidence in Lynch. The vote failed on a 9-9 tie with one member unable to vote, but Lynch resigned the leadership position three days later. He did not resign his House seat.

Holtorf, as a member of caucus leadership, worked to mediate the dispute between Lynch and a handful of caucus members. Holtorf is also running for the 4th Congressional District seat.

Rep. Rose Pugliese of Colorado Springs, who previously served as assistant minority leader, was elected minority leader. Rep. Ty Winter, a rancher from Trinidad, was elected as assistant minority leader.