By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
A weekend exchange between a national columnist and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has drawn the attention of Rep. Matt Soper, R-Delta, who pens commentary as “The Western Slope Statesman.”
Soper took exception to the tone in which the governor responded to Helen Raleigh, a senior contributor at The Federalist and who had written a piece for the Wall Street Journal titled “Jared Polis’s Wolves Are Moving In on Denver”. Raleigh, an immigrant from China, is a Colorado resident.
“Colorado Gov. Jared Polis recently signed a bill to reintroduce the vicious weasel known as the wolverine to the state,” Raleigh wrote on Twitter/X. “What could go wrong? Plenty, if Colorado’s recent experience reintroducing the gray wolf is anything to go by.”
Western Slope ranchers would surely agree with the sentiment, considering the voracity with which wolves reintroduced by state officials have attacked livestock. Raleigh also noted Colorado Parks and Wildlife maps which indicate the wolves are migrating across the continental divide and to more populous locations in the state. “Sooner or later, someone will get hurt,” Raleigh wrote.
Gov. Polis responded to the Twitter/X post: “We grew up with bears and lions in our backyards and know how to handle it. Yes we get people who move here from the cities and East Coast and they complain about wildlife, but they learn how to deal with the realities of living in the West soon enough. And yes, the deer will eat your tulips if you don’t put up fencing.”
Soper called the response dismissive of “serious concerns of rural Colorado residents and ranchers with a cavalier attitude” in a press statement.
He agreed western living requires adaptation to wildlife, but complained the response did not consider the “unique and significant challenges” posed by the reintroduction of wolves.
“This issue is not about urban versus rural or new residents versus lifelong Coloradans,” Soper said. “It is about ensuring that all of our communities, especially those whose livelihoods depend on ranching and agriculture, are protected and supported.”
There are differences between living near bears and mountain lions, and more highly predatory species like wolves, Soper said.
“Gov. Polis’s comment trivializes the hardships faced by ranchers dealing with wolf depredations,” he said. “It is not about tulips being eaten by deer; it is about the devastating loss of livestock and the emotional and financial toll it takes on families who have been stewards of the land for generations.”
Soper has previously supported safeguards for ranchers’ herds and the compensation for losses, along with mitigation of future conflicts between wolves and livestock.
“Rural Colorado deserves genuine support and solutions, not dismissive remarks that downplay their very real concerns,” Soper said.
In response through a press statement, Soper asked Gov. Polis to “visit our rural communities and hear directly from those affected by the wolf reintroduction. True leadership requires more than just acknowledging the problem; it demands concrete steps to solve it.”