Colorado Governor Hopefuls Split on Wolves Hunting Rights and Rural Priorities

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun

The rural, wildlife and outdoor recreational issues facing the next governor of Colorado are significant, with at least one species at a critical juncture with an uncertain future. On Tuesday, voters across the state will select a Democrat and a Republican from among five candidates to replace term-limited Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat.

The winners of Tuesday’s primary election will face off against each other on Nov. 3. The next governor will oversee a state where a voter-mandated wolf reintroduction program has been paused amid escalating clashes with ranchers while the state’s population of gray wolves has dwindled to levels not self-sustainable, according to state wildlife officials.

The next governor will appoint members to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, which has been roiled by political fights and perceptions that the priorities of hunters and fishers are being replaced by commissioners who believe preserving the environment and wildlife trumps everything else. 

The state’s next CEO will need to bridge a growing divide between rural and urban Coloradans that has widened to the point where members of the hunting and fishing community are seeking to etch a fundamental right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife in the Colorado Constitution.

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