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Western Colorado ranchers bracing for impact of the next release of wolves
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Western Colorado ranchers bracing for impact of the next release of wolves

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Sen. Perry Will told his constituents in a social media post “Brace yourselves, Garfield County,” after Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced that they will begin phase two of their wolf reintroduction program, adding insult to injury to western Colorado ranchers who have already seen the devastating impact on livestock on their northern neighbors. CPW will be trapping and importing the next 10 to 15 grey wolves from Canada and placing them somewhere in Garfield, Pitkin and Eagle County. Rio Blanco County was on the list of potential release sites, but has since been removed from that list due to the limited number of state-owned locations that would meet the criteria in the plan, in addition to the proximity to livestock...
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Colorado wildlife officials meet with Western Slope commissioners over wolf reintroduction
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Colorado wildlife officials meet with Western Slope commissioners over wolf reintroduction

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which faces sharp criticism over its plans to release more wolves on the Western Slope in the coming months, met with county commissioners last week from the counties where the next reintroductions are slated to take place. Those counties are Pitkin (Aspen), Rio Blanco, Eagle and Garfield, according to the agency. The idea of more wolves on the Western Slope didn't sit well with county commissioners — except for Pitkin County. And Pitkin County doesn't have state lands, so dropping wolves into that county would require a private landowner to grant Colorado Parks and Wildlife permission to do so. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Petition requests hiatus in $5M wolf release program
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Approved, State, thefencepost.com

Petition requests hiatus in $5M wolf release program

By Rachel Gabel | The Fence Post Middle Park Stockgrowers Association president Tim Ritschard is on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission agenda on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 11:10 a.m. with a request for citizen petition for rulemaking. The petition is signed by 26 of the state’s agriculture organizations, including Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Club 20, and Colorado Wool Growers Association as well as several local livestock and stockgrowers associations. The petition seeks to delay any further introductions of gray wolves into the state until Colorado’s wolf management program can adequately address the conflicts between wolves and livestock producers. CPW has announced its intention to introduce wolves this coming winter in the same northwest Colorado...
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Colorado announces possible release areas for next wave of introduced wolves
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Colorado announces possible release areas for next wave of introduced wolves

By Tracy Ross | The Colorado Sun Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials met Friday with commissioners from four counties where the agency plans to release wolves — a new approach after state authorities previously released the animals in secret. Garfield, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Eagle counties are in the running as drop-off points for the 10-15 wolves the agency will source from British Columbia during the 2024-25 capture-and-release season starting in December. The counties are within the agency’s northern release zone.  The early engagement comes after a rocky start to Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program in part, say critics, because of the agency’s lack of transparency starting with the release of five wolves in Grand County on Dec. 18, and five in Summit County on D...
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Western Slope livestock raisers seek answers on wolf concerns from CPW
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Western Slope livestock raisers seek answers on wolf concerns from CPW

By Lindy Browning | Contributor, Rocky Mountain Voice Livestock raisers from the Western Slope are trying to plan ahead as Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) prepares to relocate another 10 wolves on the western landscape this winter. With calving season beginning in January, a season when livestock is most vulnerable and the wolves are looking for a meal in unfamiliar territory, the inherent conflict is seemingly unavoidable. To that end, livestock growers met with CPW in Glenwood Springs to learn about hazing and wolf predation mitigation strategies, as well as risk-reducing programs offered by the organization. CPW's Adam Baca was joined by Dustin Shiflett from Colorado Department of Agriculture and Lauren Emerick from Colorado Wildlife Services, to provide information about ...
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Colorado’s wolf reintroduction has cost taxpayers double what they expected when they voted to approve it
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Approved, Outdoor Life, State

Colorado’s wolf reintroduction has cost taxpayers double what they expected when they voted to approve it

By Dac Collins | Outdoor Life Bringing wolves back to Colorado has cost the state at least $4.8 million so far, according to a new financial analysis by The Denver Post. This is within the total amount appropriated by lawmakers, the Post reports. But it’s more than double the estimate that was given to Colorado voters during the 2020 election, when voters narrowly passed a ballot measure initiating wolf reintroduction by a margin of less than 1 percent. The Post’s analysis is based on a spending spreadsheet from Colorado Parks and Wildlife that was obtained through a public records request. The document breaks down all the expenses associated with CPW’s wolf reintroduction program, including the high cost of transporting and surveilling gray wolves. READ THE FULL STORY A...
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Collared gray wolf activity observed south of I-70 for the first time
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Approved, Out There Colorado, State

Collared gray wolf activity observed south of I-70 for the first time

By Piper Russell | Out There Colorado Biologists with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) have noted GPS locations from a collared gray wolf south of Interstate 70. This update comes after the Collared Gray Wolf Activity Map was updated on Wed., Oct. 23. CPW does not usually provide location information on the wolves outside of updating the map on the fourth Wednesday of each month. However, CPW is providing this update because it is the first time GPS data points have been observed south of I-70. READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
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Here’s what Colorado’s wolves have been up to in the last month
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Approved, Out There Colorado, State

Here’s what Colorado’s wolves have been up to in the last month

By Spencer McKee | Out There Colorado Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released their latest update related to the movement of the state's collared wolves, also touching on several other wolf-related developments. The most recent update looks at what watershed areas wolves have been detected in from September 24 to October 22 (seen in image above), though it's important to note that if a wolf is detected in a given watershed area, it doesn't mean that they've been seen in that entire area. This is put on display in how some watersheds that wolves have been detected in cross I-70 to the south – meanwhile, no tracked wolves have actually traveled south of this major thoroughfare. READ THE FULL STORY AT OUT THERE COLORADO
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Search for fifth Copper Creek wolf pup called off by Colorado wildlife managers after 19 nights
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Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Search for fifth Copper Creek wolf pup called off by Colorado wildlife managers after 19 nights

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Colorado wildlife officials have given up on capturing a fifth wolf pup that was left behind in Grand County when the rest of its pack was relocated last month.  The operation to find the pup was suspended Thursday because of declining temperatures that make it unsafe to move the animal, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said Friday.  Wildlife officials saw the gray wolf pup on game cameras in September and tried for 19 nights to capture the pup, which they believe is the seventh member of the Copper Creek pack, CPW said. Still, they will continue to watch the game cameras and look for evidence of the pup, which is about six months old, they said.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
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Parks and Wildlife Commission overturns staff on wolf kill, orders payment to rancher
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Parks and Wildlife Commission overturns staff on wolf kill, orders payment to rancher

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics Over the last year, a common issue between Colorado Parks and Wildlife and ranchers is the state agency’s slow response in investigating wolves killing livestock and how a lack of training leads to incorrect determinations. Last week, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission rejected a staff recommendation to deny a claim for a calf killed by a wolf on a Silver Spur ranch near Walden. The commission instead voted to approve the payment, ordering CPW to reverse its original decision that is was not a wolf kill. The commission voted 5-4 to reject the staff recommendation and identically to approve the payment. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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