By Lindy Browning | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
There have been no reported wolf depredation of cattle or sheep in Delta County, so far, but Robbie LeValley, on behalf of the Delta Livestock Association, gave a Feb. 13 presentation to more than 130 ranchers in Hotchkiss, Colo., emphasizing how critical precise record keeping will be — should and must likely when the quiet ranching community is impacted by wolf depredation.
Hotchkiss is a small town with a population of 929 people, all of whom are impacted by the local ranching economy. Hotchkiss is located in the North Fork of the Gunnison River, between Paonia and Delta, in Delta County.
“We are not here to argue about the wolves, they’re here. Wolves are close, they are on top of us,” LeValley said.
The information that LeValley shared with the group came from producers in Grand County Colo., Walden, Colo., and other states that have been dealing with wolves. Without good recordkeeping, claims for compensation for livestock damage are very hard to prove, particularly when it concerns conception rates, impacts to the difference in weaning weights, and sale weights and prices, attendees heard.
LeValley told the group to make sure they have maps of their home ranch and their federal grazing allotments, so that they can track the changes on the ground when wolves are present.
One thing that many people who do not graze cattle on federal allotments don’t know, is that there are conditions that allotment holders must meet in order to keep their allotments. Allotment holders are required to maintain riparian areas and not let livestock ruin those areas, and they may be required to take special management actions for wildlife and endangered species, and maintain range improvements that protect biodiversity.
The reason the maps are important on the federal grazing allotment, according to LeValley, is because when wolves are present in the area, cattle and other livestock react differently. They tend to bunch up, and not move around. This behavior in cattle can cause interruptions in how ranchers are managing to meet the conditions of the federal grazing contracts.
For instance, the grazing contract mandates that cattle are grazing in scheduled rotational grazing patterns to prevent damage to riparian areas, and that all seems to go fine until the wolves show up. The cattle, instead of moving around normally, gather and bunch up for protection near the watering hole, because they must have water.
This behavior is instinctive, because lactating cows must have water to maintain milk for their growing calves.
At that point, with all those cows in protective behavior could begin damaging the riparian area, and the rancher could be held responsible for that damage if there is not documented proof that the pressure and stress of wolves in the area have cornered the cows near water resources. LeValley told the group that those records are necessary in protecting the allotment lands ranchers depend upon.
“You must keep good and accurate calving records, and you need three years of those records, if and when you are filing a claim for damages for the conception rate decreases,” she said.
Continuing, LeValley said that calving is going to be one of the first impacts ranchers see. Stress on the mother cows leads to lower conception rates.
LeValley told ranchers that they need to establish a baseline for their operations, so that they can see, and so they can prove their claims moving forward. One of the things she emphasized is that ranchers need to get and keep their sales tickets, which document the weight of their calves at sale. LeValley advised ranchers to get a weaning weight on their calves from a third party, and keep the weight receipts.
“We are seeing a 20-to-40-pound weight difference between pre wolf weights and post wolf weights,” she said.
With a sternness uncommon from LeValley, she told the group, “Do not fudge on those records; it reduces the credibility of all of us when we file claims with the state for damage. I implore you to keep accurate records.”
As the session was opened up for questions, one thing stood out: CPW has still not done enough outreach to all areas of the state impacted by the wolf program.
People asked who they should call if they found their livestock had been killed; they wanted to know more about the assessments that CPW is offering and how long it would take. They asked who pays for the range rider program, and if there was any actual benefit to having a range rider. Ranchers wanted to know how to preserve evidence and how long it would take to start an investigation on a suspected wolf kill. This community, like so many communities on the Western Slope, said they feel like they are being attacked constantly by their governor.
“Rural Colorado feels that everything about their lifestyle, their livelihoods, their values are under attack from the Polis administration, from ranching, to energy to water,” said past Delta County Commissioner Mark Roeber. Roeber, shaking his head, said that it is heartbreaking to see the hard work of generations of people on the Western Slope be ignored and abused by the urban interests of the governor.
For more information and to obtain the sample recommended record keeping documents go to: https://www.coloradocattle.org/wolf-introduction-resources