By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics
While they might agree on the problem, a group of Western Slope county commissioners and agricultural groups are asking proponents of a ballot measure to repeal Proposition 114, which allowed the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado, to back off.
A March 17 letter was sent to Patrick Davis, who heads Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy, which is supporting the repeal ballot measure. The signatories are county commissioners from Garfield, Grand, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose and Rio Blanco counties and four county-based wool growers associations.
The letter indicates that ranchers and county officials opposed to the reintroduction program are willing to work within the system, utilizing the state’s wolf management plan as a means of addressing the problems caused by wolves rather than putting another measure before voters on the statewide election ballot.
The writers acknowledged they share the frustration with the Polis administration’s approach to implementing Proposition 114. They want to see a pause in any more reintroductions of wolves “until adequate programs and resources are provided to landowners to manage wolf and livestock interactions more appropriately.”