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Tag: Wolf Depredation

Copper Creek Wolves Drive Majority Of Colorado Livestock Losses
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The Coloradoan, Approved, State

Copper Creek Wolves Drive Majority Of Colorado Livestock Losses

By Miles Blumhardt | The Coloradoan Beef, and mutton, are often what's for dinner for one Colorado wolfpack that has racked up a $700,000 tab, according to a review by the Coloradoan. The Copper Creek pack has been implicated in more than 60% of the state's confirmed depredations — 49 of 78 —since Colorado began reintroducing wolves in December 2023, a review of Colorado Parks and Wildlife's confirmed depredations records and ranchers' depredation claim filings shows. Those losses led to payouts by the state exceeding $700,000. That is greater than 40% of the total amount Colorado has paid for wolf depredations in that time. In total, the agency awarded ranchers more than $1.6 million in wolf depredation claims combined in 2024 and 2025. That's more than doub...
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Colorado Wolf Program Costs Taxpayers More Than $1 Million In Livestock Claims
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Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Wolf Program Costs Taxpayers More Than $1 Million In Livestock Claims

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics After paying more than $700,000 in March to ranchers for livestock lost to wolves, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission is poised to approve two additional claims totaling $262,000 at its meeting this week. Those approvals would bring total payouts to about $970,000 with another $56,000 in claims rejected across the March and May meetings. And that figure only reflects claims requiring commission approval. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) staff can sign off on claims under $20,000, and the state’s wolf‑depredation website shows that, in 2025, the agency received 32 such claims totaling $47, 142.55, ranging from $88.50 to $3,500. That’s a total of $1.072 million for 2025 alone. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT...
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Rural Colorado Rancher Warns Wolf Conflicts Are Hitting Close To Home
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The Fence Post, Approved, Commentary, State

Rural Colorado Rancher Warns Wolf Conflicts Are Hitting Close To Home

By: Wade Allnutt | Commentary, The Fence Post I write this letter as a taxpayer, livestock producer and, most importantly, as a father of two young children. I am not writing to point fingers, but to give a first-hand account of what was voted on and what we in rural western Colorado are now living with as a consequence. The recent confirmed wolf depredation of a dog in Jackson County on Feb. 7, 2026, hits close to home for me. However, it is no more important than the depredations and mounting stress others have faced across western Colorado since this process began as a result of Proposition 114. This was also not the first depredation event for this ranch; they have had five other confirmed depredations of cattle in the last two years. Colorado is not an untouched w...
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The County That Said No
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, Local, Top Stories

The County That Said No

By Sean M. Pond | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice There are moments in history when ordinary people must decide if they will remain silent or rise up. If they will be ruled or govern themselves. If they will allow outsiders to rewrite their way of life, or if they will draw a line and say, "This far, and no further." Montrose County just drew that line. I authored and introduced Ordinance 2025-01, a landmark measure that would prohibit the introduction, facilitation, or establishment of non-native animal species in our county. It has passed its first reading and entered a 30-day public review period before coming back for final consideration. And while this ordinance may seem narrow in scope, it represents something far greater. It is a declaration of sovereignty. It is a d...
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Secret call reveals top-down tampering in Colorado wolf probe
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The Coloradoan, Approved, State

Secret call reveals top-down tampering in Colorado wolf probe

By Miles Blumhardt | Coloradoan A secretly recorded cellphone conversation between ranchers and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife wolf depredation investigator exposed how agency investigations receive top-down influence to alter the number of confirmed wolf depredations. The Coloradoan on July 20 was provided a copy of the nearly 20-minute recording by Merrilee Ellis of Coberly Creek Ranch that included a conversation between her husband, Mike Neelis; son-in-law, Adam Edwards; and state wildlife damage specialist Rhea Ebel-Childs on April 23. Ellis believes the recorded conversation was pivotal in the ranch winning a wolf depredation compensation claim that Colorado Parks and Wildlife had initially denied. The conversation centered around a wolf kill investigation on the southern ...
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Wolf claims top $650K, but CPW records don’t add up
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Approved, Colorado Politics, State

Wolf claims top $650K, but CPW records don’t add up

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The state wolf compensation fund, set at $350,000 by statute last year, saw claims from 2024 that are approaching double that amount. Data obtained through an open records request to Colorado Parks and Wildlife showed that the agency paid out $425,478.61 in claims. But the information provided by the agency appears to exclude claims that were denied, recent claims paid and claims still awaiting final payments or settlements. Based on information independently verified by Colorado Politics, the total amount of claims stood at at least $649,765.90, with a dozen claims still showing as pending on CPW's wolf depredation website. Two ranchers in Grand County settled for lesser amounts, which are not reflected in the data obtained from...
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Multiple wolf attacks hit Western Slope ranchers—CPW accused of broken promises
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Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

Multiple wolf attacks hit Western Slope ranchers—CPW accused of broken promises

By Tracy Ross | Colorado Sun Three ranches near where wolves were released in January say Colorado Parks and Wildlife is not keeping its promise to let them know when the collared animals are near Ranchers are calling multiple wolf attacks on cattle over Memorial Day weekend in Pitkin County “devastating” and evidence Colorado Parks and Wildlife is failing to keep its promise to alert ranchers when wolves are in range of their livestock.   The attacks occurred over three days on the Crystal River Ranch, in the Crystal River Valley, and on the Lost Marbles and McCabe ranches, in the Roaring Fork Valley.  The first happened early Friday morning on the Crystal River Ranch, according to Tom Harrington, manager of the ranch and president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association....
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Wolves roam, pups are born, riders deployed—but land-use plans still stuck in 2023
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

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

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice 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 ...
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Wolf reintroduction strains rural Colorado as payouts outpace budget
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Approved, State, Westword

Wolf reintroduction strains rural Colorado as payouts outpace budget

By Catie Cheshire | Westword 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. The wolf-related claims that made many wildlife advocates howl came on December 31 from three ranchers in Middle Park. The ranchers argued the state s...
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“Celebrate the win”: Boebert’s gray wolf delisting bill clears key House committee
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Approved, National, Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

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

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice 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. Boebert took to social media to celebrate the committee’s vote and reaffirm her stance on state-led wildlife management. https://twitter.com/RepBoe...
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