By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
In a highly-emotional hearing that lasted more than six hours, Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners took testimony from nearly 100 people concerning whether or not the Commission should vote to approve or deny a petition to pause the wolf introduction program, until all of the mitigation tools were in place and funded.
The petition was submitted by groups in 63 of the 64 Colorado counties, and included organizations such as the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Club 20 and Colorado Wool Growers Association, as well as several local livestock and stockgrowers’ associations.
Although Commission Chairman Dallas May, from Southeastern Colorado, warned the attendees on multiple occasions to keep their comments civil and respectful, some of the comments were downright nasty toward livestock growers and people that testified on behalf of livestock growers.
One of the most glaring testimonies came from Ellen Kessler, who was appointed in 2020 by Jared Polis to the State Veterinary Board.
“I am going to be emotional,” said Kessler, in defiance of Mays’ warning just moments prior to her testimony.
“I am sickened by a ballot initiative (the hearing pertained to a petition to pause, not a ballot initiative) to overturn all the hard work you have done,” she went on.
Continuing with her testimony, she said that she was outraged by livestock growers filing claims for more than a half-million dollars in loss in the last hour. “I hope you reject some of those claims,” she said.
The deadline for filing loss was December 31, 2024, and the claims were filed before the deadline.
Kessler then accused ranchers who were at the hearing of being the ones who shot one or both of the wolves that died as a result of gunshot wounds.
“Perhaps the poacher is sitting behind me. I gamble that someone in this room knows who did this and maybe that $100,000 dollar reward is juicy enough…” she accused.
During her testimony, Kessler told commissioners that she believed that ranchers were falsifying claims they had filed for wolf damages, injuries and death of their livestock.
Kessler was issued a summons to appear in court May 23, 2022, to answer to 13 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty after a visitor tipped off authorities, according to statements made by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 2022, when the charges were filed. She was found guilty in August 2023.
Statements by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 included the following, “There were 13 birds total, most of them living in the basement with food and water, but no sunlight. The cages and floors were covered in seed, dirt and feces. There was an overwhelming smell of urine. Many mice were found, both alive and dead, as well as flies throughout the house. There was no indication that any other pets/animals were living in the home.”
Kessler was also forced to resign from her position on the State Veterinary Board after making comments on social media calling ranchers “nasty and lazy” in January 2022.
Ranchers were accused of being “backward thinking, a hate group, liars, cheats, lazy and criminals.” They were called names like those Deanna Myers called them, “Privileged wolf haters and entitled ranchers, and murderers…”
Barbara Flores testified that she doesn’t want the livestock growers compensated for any losses on federal grazing allotments. She claimed that the ranchers “just dump them off and don’t look after them.”
Jenny Harrington, a member of the Holy Cross Cattlemen’s Association, told commissioners, “CPW staff is working hard on this program, but the programs are not yet fully-functional and in place.”
Paul Mowrey, a rancher and member of Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association was particularly succinct and accurate when he said, “Resolving conflict was as much a part 114 as reintroduction.” He also noted that as defined in the current law, the wolves are defined as an experimental population.
Former Colorado legislator Kathleen Curry lent her voice to supporting the pause. She was concerned about the impact to livestock growers and hoped that the mitigation programs would be fully functional before more wolves arrived later this month.
Bonnie Brown Eddy, of the Colorado Wool Growers Association, told commissioners, “there are big holes in the non-lethal program. I am supporting a pause.” Further saying, “Guardian dogs are used for bears, (mountain) lions and coyotes; they don’t stand a chance against a wolf.”
In a statement from the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, the reasons for asking for the pause was clearly stated: “Since the initial introduction of gray wolves as mandated by Prop. 114, conflicts have arisen, particularly in Grand, Jackson and Routt Counties, where 24 confirmed livestock deaths have occurred due to wolf depredation in addition to many other missing animals associated with those attacks.”
The petitioning organizations believe that if CPW adheres to the recommendations outlined in the petition, all parties will be better equipped to manage future conflicts. They further emphasized that all measures in the petition should be fully-implemented before any additional wolves are released.
Of the nearly 100 people that testified to commissioners, 51 of those asked commissioners to deny the petition. Of those 51 people, 26 of those people identified themselves as people who are members of the original environmental groups who funded and filed the ballot initiative for Prop. 114.
They also sit on ad-hoc advisory groups that work alongside CPW to develop and initiate the program and who continue to fund the programs, and recently put up a reward for information that leads to charges in the shooting of wolves in Colorado.
Of note, nearly half of the people that provided testimony requesting denial of the petition, nearly half — 47 of them — do not live in the areas where wolves are being located.
Commissioner Marie Haskett was the lone vote in favor of pausing the wolf program.
“I find the lack of empathy for others disturbing,” she said, referencing the language and comments toward the ranchers. She noted that given the facts on the ground since the first wolves came to Colorado, she didn’t think that there was factual evidence that backed up claims in the room that more wolves would lessen the depredation in livestock.
“We’re just not quite there yet. The range rider program won’t be ready and fully functional until April and people are calving now. The guardian dogs are still puppies that won’t be effective till they grow up. I think that we are setting them (the wolves) up for failure if we’re not ready,” Haskett said, voicing her reluctance.
In the end, the Commission voted 10-1 to reject the petition to pause the wolf program.