Wolf Depredation - Rocky Mountain Voice

Wolves roam, pups are born, riders deployed—but land-use plans still stuck in 2023

Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, State, Top Stories / May 13, 2025 / Colorado Ranchers, CPW, General Management Plan, Land and Resource Management Plan, NEPA, Range Riders, Resource Management Plan, Wolf Depredation, Wolf reintroduction, Wolves

Wolves are roaming, ranchers are riding – but the rulebook hasn’t changed. Wolves are traveling farther, forming dens and producing pups. Many have turned up dead—especially in Wyoming, where wolves that prey on livestock can be killed on sight under state law.

Yet not one federal or state land-use plan in Colorado has been updated since gray wolf reintroduction began in December 2023.

That’s the backdrop for Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s May 13 press release announcing that its Range Rider Program is fully operational and patrolling western Colorado.

Eleven contracted riders hired by CPW have joined two staff from the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) to monitor livestock, haze predators and report signs of wolf-livestock conflict across nine counties.

Wolves roam, pups are born, riders deployed—but land-use plans still stuck in 2023 Read More »

Wolf reintroduction strains rural Colorado as payouts outpace budget

Westword, Approved, State / May 13, 2025 / Ballot-box Biology, Colorado Ranchers, CPW, Western Slope, Wolf Depredation, Wolf reintroduction

Colorado is eighteen months into the state’s wolf restoration project, and the teeth are still coming out.

So far, the state has paid over $370,000 in claims to ranchers who have been impacted by the presence of wolves near their operations. Although wolf advocates and detractors both agree that Colorado should compensate people for wolf-related losses, ranchers believe the funds are not enough to cover the full breadth of the impact of the carnivores in this state. Conversely, wildlife advocates question if some of the reimbursements that ranchers have claimed are a good use of taxpayer money.

Wolf reintroduction strains rural Colorado as payouts outpace budget Read More »

“Celebrate the win”: Boebert’s gray wolf delisting bill clears key House committee

In rural Colorado, the fight over wolves isn’t just about wildlife—it’s about life and livelihoods. On Tuesday, a bill sponsored by Reps. Lauren Boebert and Tom Tiffany passed a key House committee, aiming to take gray wolves off the Endangered Species List and block federal courts from reversing the move.

The Pet and Livestock Protection Act (PALPA) cleared a key vote, handing a win to farmers, ranchers and energy producers across the West. In Colorado, wolf attacks on livestock and fears that the predators could stall energy projects have kept the issue front and center.

“Celebrate the win”: Boebert’s gray wolf delisting bill clears key House committee Read More »

Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado

Late last year, five wolves were airlifted from Oregon to Colorado under a plan voters narrowly approved—but few knew one of them came from a pack with a history of livestock attacks.

Fewer still knew the move may have violated federal law.

At the center of the controversy is a growing belief that Colorado’s wolf reintroduction bypassed environmental law and public transparency.

And a federal lawsuit now threatens to unravel the entire plan.

Rewriting the rules: Wolves, federal reform and a lawsuit from rural Colorado Read More »

Rio Blanco County hires deputy trained to investigate livestock depredation

Responding to concerns of livestock growers and community members, and to assist in investigating livestock depredations that occur in Rio Blanco County, commissioners have authorized the sheriff’s office to hire their first Animal and Livestock Conflict Investigator.

Rio Blanco County hires deputy trained to investigate livestock depredation Read More »

Colorado ranching groups file petition to pause more wolf reintroductions until depredations are addressed

Approved, KOAA News, State / October 1, 2024 / Western Slope, Wolf debate, Wolf Depredation, Wolves

More than two dozen organizations that represent agriculture and livestock producers in Colorado have filed a petition to delay future gray wolf reintroductions until depredations are addressed and mitigation tactics are fully implemented.

Colorado ranching groups file petition to pause more wolf reintroductions until depredations are addressed Read More »

Enough with beef, wolves feast on lamb in latest depredation, CPW officials say

Approved, State, The Craig Press / August 2, 2024 / CPW, Grand County, Wolf Depredation, Wolves

Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that eight sheep in Grand County were killed by wolves. The agency updated its Gray Wolf Depredation Report webpage on Wednesday. According to the webpage, the depredations occurred on Sunday, and the investigation is still in progress. This is the 14th wolf depredation incident confirmed in Colorado since reintroduction.

Enough with beef, wolves feast on lamb in latest depredation, CPW officials say Read More »