By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice
At a House Natural Resources Committee hearing last week, frustration among ranchers, landowners and state officials across the West boiled over. What followed wasn’t just venting—it was a coordinated push by lawmakers and the Interior Department to delist the gray wolf and rein in the Endangered Species Act’s long hold on predator policy.
“The ESA was never meant to be a Hotel California—where you can check in but never leave,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, borrowing a now-familiar line from Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman to describe how species once listed rarely come off. “We’ve far exceeded the original goals… in some cases by more than twofold.”
Burgum’s comments came in response to multiple lawmakers from Colorado, California, Minnesota, Oregon and Arizona who shared examples of recovered wolf populations wreaking new havoc in rural areas—without any apparent legal path for delisting.
Burgum signals shift at DOI
Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota laid out the numbers. “According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, we have over 2,700 wolves in Minnesota today,” he said. “Over half the lower 48th gray wolf population is estimated to be found in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.”
He called that figure “an extreme undercount,” saying the true total is likely thousands higher.
“When the gray wolf was listed as threatened under the ESA in 1978, a recovery goal of 1,250 to 1,400 wolves was set for Minnesota,” Stauber said. “It’s clearly far beyond that.”
He criticized the legal blockade that followed the Trump-era delisting rule, calling out “a district court in, of all places, northern California.” Stauber also acknowledged that the Biden administration, “to their credit, sided with the science” by defending the rule in court.
He then asked Burgum for a clear commitment. “Can you commit today that the Department of the Interior will continue to follow the science and work to ensure the gray wolf is delisted?”
Burgum answered directly. “Yes, absolutely, we’ll follow the science,” he said, referencing both wolves and grizzlies. “We’ve far exceeded the original goals… in some cases by more than twofold.”
Stauber closed with a plea for a cultural shift inside ESA implementation. “We need to build the capability to celebrate when species come off this list as opposed to celebrating when they go on.”
Hurd: wolves weren’t wanted—and they’re already killing
Rep. Jeff Hurd, who represents Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District—the ninth largest in the country—used his remarks to outline the scale of federal lands and responsibility under his watch. “We have six National Forests, three National Parks, six National Monuments and the only two federally recognized tribes in the State of Colorado,” he said.
Hurd thanked Secretary Burgum and President Trump for backing energy, tribal sovereignty and land development—but warned that wolves now pose an equally urgent challenge.
“Water and wolves—big issues in Western Colorado,” Hurd said.
He condemned the state’s reintroduction effort, which was driven by a 2020 ballot initiative. “Voters outside of my district have decided to bring Canadian wolves into Colorado, and as you can imagine, those wolves have migrated into my district,” he said. “They’re leaving a trail of death and destruction everywhere they roam.”
“We’ve already received reports of livestock and dogs being slaughtered by these packs,” he added. “I ask for whatever means necessary to address the situation, including seeing what the Interior might do to ban importation and to initiate a removal process.”
Bentz: DOI stepped in when children were at risk
Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon offered a pointed acknowledgment of the human safety risks wolves now pose—especially for families in southern and eastern Oregon.
“I want to thank your agency for stepping up and taking care of the wolf that was endangering children waiting for a school bus in southern Oregon in my district,” Bentz said.
In a local interview with ABC NewsWatch 12 just days before the hearing, Bentz explained that the wolf had been collared and tracked moving near children. “The Trump administration saw immediately the danger it was presenting… and gave them the authority to go forward and remove the wolf,” he said.
Bentz is now sponsoring a bill to force federal delisting of wolves in the half of Oregon and Washington where they remain listed. “It makes it extremely difficult, particularly if you have a ranch that is cut in half by that artificial barrier,” he said.
“If the wolf is listed, you can’t do anything when they come out and kill your calves… Ranchers feel powerless,” he added. “We’ve got to have more of that type of rational thought in this.”
LaMalfa: the ESA has gone from protection to absurdity
Rep. Doug LaMalfa of northeast California gave voice to the frustrations of ranchers in his state who feel abandoned by state agencies and boxed in by federal protections.
“We’re having a heck of a wolf problem in northeast California, devastating the wildlife there and the farmers and ranchers,” he said. “There really doesn’t seem to be much of a remedy coming from the state side. The measures they’re giving, they’re not even allowed to be used—and they’re pretty ineffective because the wolf gets smart to it pretty quick.”
LaMalfa said the situation is being made worse by extreme predator population goals. “I think they have a plan for 900 wolves in California, as well as a crazy idea for 1,700 grizzly bears. We won’t have any wildlife left,” he said.
He also pointed to rising beef losses. “It’s found in their scat at a high percentage. The wolf has adopted the ‘Beef: it’s what’s for dinner’ motto.”
“We’ll be engaged on legislation on delisting the gray wolf,” LaMalfa said, asking DOI to help define clear numerical limits for when wolves are considered recovered. “We just ask that your department can be as helpful as possible.”
Burgum acknowledged the national pattern. “I think you might be the fifth or sixth person today that’s got too many wolves,” he said. “We’re hearing it from Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, and now California.”
“We want to make sure we can celebrate when species come off the endangered species list, as opposed to celebrating when they’re going on,” he added. “I know how important this is to your ranchers. I’ve been there myself.”
Boebert: It’s time to end the legal merry-go-round
Rep. Lauren Boebert turned the committee’s attention to Colorado’s escalating wolf conflict and the need for congressional action.
“In my district, our ranchers and farmers, they’re really struggling with the economic losses from gray wolf depredation,” Boebert said. “That’s why my friend Tom Tiffany and I… introduced legislation H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.”
She argued that the wolf’s recovery proves the ESA worked. “This is a great success story of the Endangered Species Act,” she said. “We have listed the gray wolf, and it seems that it has recovered. We should trust the science.”
She referenced her previous bill titled Trust the Science, and said it’s time to recognize the gray wolf as a recovery success. But she also warned that some states are undermining that progress. “We’re seeing that these left-leaning, Democrat-run states are bringing these predators in more and more,” she said. “We don’t want to keep dealing with frivolous lawsuits.”
Boebert urged Burgum to help codify the delisting in law.
“I haven’t read the bill,” Burgum said, “but I would certainly commit to working with you on this issue.”
He reiterated his core position: “We’ve far exceeded the recovery numbers on all of these species… We should be celebrating when species come off. If the gray wolf comes off, it should be a celebration that we’ve done a great job on recovery.”
From courtroom gridlock to ranchland reality
From northern Minnesota to southern Oregon, lawmakers aren’t just talking about wolves—they’re talking about trust. Trust in science, trust in local knowledge, and trust that a once-groundbreaking law like the ESA can still adapt when recovery goals are not only met, but exceeded.
H.R. 845 is moving forward with growing support—including a signal of openness from the Department of the Interior. Burgum said he’s willing to work with Congress, and acknowledged that rural communities deserve more than endless litigation.
As Boebert put it, this isn’t just about one predator—it’s about restoring balance and standing up for the communities that have paid the price.