The Gazette editorial board | Commentary, Denver Gazette
Congress should pass U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025, which would remove the gray wolf from the federal Endangered Species Act.
This bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Tom Tiffany and Colorado’s Republican delegation — Reps. Jeff Crank, Gabe Evans, and Jeff Hurd — addresses a critical imbalance: protecting a thriving species at the expense of Colorado’s endangered farmers and ranchers. The gray wolf’s recovery is a success story, and delisting it federally is a step toward prioritizing human livelihoods while maintaining state-level management.
The gray wolf, listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1978 when fewer than 1,000 roamed the lower 48 states, has rebounded impressively. By 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated more than 6,000 wolves across the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes, with 2,800 in the northern Rockies alone as of 2023, based on data from the Wolf Conservation Center.
In states where the federal wolf listing does not apply — Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming — wolf populations flourish at about 1,200, 1,100, and 500, respectively. In Colorado, state endangered status ensures continued oversight. Keeping wolves on the federal Endangered Species Act undermines the act’s credibility, diverting resources from species genuinely in peril.
READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.