Colorado Wolf Reintroduction SB20-121 Thoughts?

[JBahr]

There have been more than enough threads concerning Colorado Wolf Reintroduction, but none that I could find mentioning SB20-121. This seems to be an entirely separate effort towards reintroduction from the upcoming November Ballot Initiative.

BILL SUMMARY

The bill authorizes the management and, if necessary, the reintroduction of the gray wolf in Colorado pursuant to a plan adopted by the parks and wildlife commission (commission). The reintroduction is to begin by December 31, 2025, but the reintroduction is:

• Postponed until a new source of revenue becomes available to pay for damages caused by gray wolves; and
• Canceled if the gray wolf already has a self-sustaining population in Colorado.

The commission is directed to adopt and periodically update a plan to reintroduce, recover, and manage gray wolves. The plan must:

• Use the best scientific data available;
• Be developed after conducting a public process to solicit and consider public comments; and
• Not impose any land-, water-, or resource-use restrictions on private landowners.

Commercial livestock owners will be entitled to the payment of damages caused by gray wolves. The commission shall authorize and finance programs to educate livestock owners regarding the avoidance and mitigation of damages potentially caused by gray wolves.
In consultation with the department of agriculture, the commission and division of parks and wildlife shall convene a study group to consider:

• How to verify and estimate damages caused by gray wolves, specifically considering the maintenance of baseline production records for a period before gray wolf reintroduction and the use of brand inspectors to verify and estimate the damages; and
• How to finance the payment of damages caused by gray wolves, including specifically one or more new sources of revenue to pay the damages.

The commission shall submit a report to the general assembly concerning the results of the study group process by January 1, 2022.

I have been communicating with a number of state senators on the issue and I'm curious what the Rokslide community thinks about the senate bill, full bill here: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2020A/bills/2020a_121_01.pdf

Seems to me a "yes" vote all but guarantees reintroduction. Thoughts?

For the record, I am for natural expansion of wolves into Colorado and think CPWD needs to put a management plan into place now knowing they are already here and more are coming. They need a fund for depredation now and potentially lethality clause where wolves main target species is already in decline (SW Colorado, Vail, Aspen areas).

 

[Crowmangler]

With all due respect, why on earth would you advocate for something that is highly detrimental to the elk population? Elk herds are already in sharp decline in CO & in other states as well because of the wolves. Just ask the folks in Idaho.
Starting / increasing a depredation fund for something you know is gonna happen is not wise to put it nicely.
That's like releasing a hundred arsonists in town & saying "well, I guess we need to go ahead & hire a bunch of firemen.
On the bright side though I guess when there's no elk around anymore you won't have to bitch about all us pesky non resident hunters

 

[COHunter33]

The CPW has already confirmed a pack of 6 in north western CO. If they can prove the pack is self sustaining then it sounds like this bill is void. Likewise, I imagine more than one established pack will naturally migrate here before 2025...

 

[JBahr]

Crowmangler - Respectfully, I didn't ask for your opinion on my position. I'm certainly not advocating for wolves to come to Colorado, it's weird, I tried talking them out of it but it's like they don't understand me or something... I don't bitch about Non-res hunters, they help foot the bill hikers and bikers don't, that money helps grow our elk populations...

 

[Crowmangler]

No worries JBahr, I probably should've left off the part about the NR hunters as you didn't state your position on that but it is a commonly held view.
Anyway, to answer your question, I'm against any wolf reintroduction.

 

[9Line]

While I was at the ATA show I sat down and spoke with two individuals with the US Fish and Wildlife about the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado. You should have seen their faces when I brought it up. That’s another story in itself. Their viewpoint was that this would be a state matter, and that there hands are tied. When asked about their capability to get involved if anything could show that the reintroduction ran a risk of putting Grey wolves and Mexican wolves in the same territory, if them they would get involved. I was told of course. So my question is, if it is shown that the pack that currently exists migrated, which obviously it did, then their is greater chance that the reintroduction would cause a chance for the two species to come in contact with one another via New Mexico. This would mean the depredation of the Mexican grey wolf, an endangered species. Why is there not more talk about this? I’m no biologist, but it only makes sense.


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[Okhotnik]

While I was at the ATA show I sat down and spoke with two individuals with the US Fish and Wildlife about the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado. You should have seen their faces when I brought it up. That’s another story in itself. Their viewpoint was that this would be a state matter, and that there hands are tied. When asked about their capability to get involved if anything could show that the reintroduction ran a risk of putting Grey wolves and Mexican wolves in the same territory, if them they would get involved. I was told of course. So my question is, if it is shown that the pack that currently exists migrated, which obviously it did, then their is greater chance that the reintroduction would cause a chance for the two species to come in contact with one another via New Mexico. This would mean the depredation of the Mexican grey wolf, an endangered species. Why is there not more talk about this? I’m no biologist, but it only makes sense.


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Endangered species vs crazy unscientific wolf politics??


Ask the extremely endangered mountain caribou herd in N Idaho, S BC how they liked the re introduction of more wolves. Oh, you cant because they were wiped out. Shame I used to bump into then hiking and fly fishing up there

 

[HuntHarder]

I am anti- wolf, I will throw that out there. I do wonder tho how Alaska's caribou herds survive with how many wolves they have there tho. I heard them on a few occasions when I was there, but never laid my eyes on one. I know here in Az, the eastern part of our state now has wolves and many hunters report negative elk #'s.

 

[87TT]

Alaska and Canadian northern Caribou survive because of one thing, room. Lot's of open room to get away and spread out.

 

[Bruce Culberson]

Alaska and Canadian northern Caribou survive because of one thing, room. Lot's of open room to get away and spread out.

Unfortunately pretty much all the caribou herds n BC are in decline and seasons are closing or going to draw (LEH). There are 3 herds in the province that over the last 3 years have been increasing by 15% each year. These herds are in a five year program where 95% of the wolves in that area are being taken out.

I'm all for having some wolves on the landscape here, but when their population is in a boom cycle they are hard to control and eat pretty much everything.

87TT - I believe you are right though all the area in BC does help whereas (from what I understand, having not been there) the herds in Colorado and other states are more limited to pockets here and there. In this case when the wolves get into one of those pockets they will mostly wipe it out.

 

[WCS]

If you want to help out a caribou population go fill a black bear tag. For large ungulates they are often the biggest culprit in depressing calf survival rates. I recently ran statistics for a consulting company that ran an experiment using caribou calf decoys. The decoys looked like a hiding/sleeping caribou calf and were also rigged up to 5000 volts. In 2 calving seasons in parts of Canada there were nearly 400 predator encounters with the decoys recorded on game cameras. Only 1 was a wolf, 1 was a wolverine, all of the others were black bears. By all means help out the population by taking a wolf here and there where possible as they are very skilled at taking down adult ungulates, but the role of bears in reducing calf survival rates in ungulate populations often goes unmentioned.

The study below took two areas in Saskatchewan where they killed a number of bears and measured the moose calf survival rate in the removal and non-removal areas. Removal area had moose calf survival rates of over 80% while non-removal areas had calf survival rates less than 40%.

STEWART, R.R., E.H. KOWAL, R. BEAULIEU, AND T.W. ROCK. 1985. The impact of black bear removal on moose calf survival in east-central Saskatchewan. Alces 21:403–418.

 

[HuntHarder]

Alaska and Canadian northern Caribou survive because of one thing, room. Lot's of open room to get away and spread out.

I had a feeling it had to do with the amount of land. The wolves in the lower 48 are much more concentrated thus having a bigger impact on their range.

 

[Orion1]

While I haven't read the whole thread I can say the people I've met in Wyoming don't think it was a great idea

 

[Orion1]

These were people who spent a lot of time outdoors ranching or fishing / hunting

 

[Mossyhorns51]

114 passed in Colorado I'm truely sorry for your state

 

[RyanT26]

Not looking good!

 

[Str8shooter]

My view is that regardless of what CPW or the senate does or doesnt do, wolves will be on the landscape in the state in reproducing numbers within the next 10 to 15 years. Elk numbers will decline, ranchers will whine... Elk will rebound and (yet more) hunter license dollars will go to subsidize/repay ranchers. But the elk evolved with wolf predation and while their overall numbers may be reduced and some units may become much more difficult to harvest elk by your typical hunter (akin to some northern Idaho units), the main risk to elk persisting on the landscape in huntable numbers will continue to be winter habitat quality/quantity, migration corridor integrity and undisturbed calving grounds. Subdivisions, mini-malls, energy development and the swamping of elk sanctuary/refuge by human recreators are stressors elk do not have great adaptations to survive...

 

[jburman]

Human development is far more detrimental to elk than any wolf pack. Elk and wolves managed to both survive just fine for thousands of years before people started to build fences and freeways. Yes, some herds may see reduced numbers, and you may have to work a bit more to fill your elk tag, but the elk wont vanish. If over 200,000 elk tags sold last year in CO didn't wipe out the population, neither will a few dozen, or even a few hundred wolves across the state.

 

[87TT]

Human development is far more detrimental to elk than any wolf pack. Elk and wolves managed to both survive just fine for thousands of years before people started to build fences and freeways. Yes, some herds may see reduced numbers, and you may have to work a bit more to fill your elk tag, but the elk wont vanish. If over 200,000 elk tags sold last year in CO didn't wipe out the population, neither will a few dozen, or even a few hundred wolves across the state.

That makes no sense. The elk and wolves survived without humans. Now that we are here, they have lost habitat, have hunters, have other outdoor users that disrupt their calf production. Now we throw wolves back in and the are screwed. Maybe if we stopped all hunting, bulldozed migration and feed corridors and stopped ALL outdoor activities that affect them, then the elk would be alright. But since we (humans) are here and like to hunt and other things, why add a 24-7 killing machine to the poor elk's life?
I hope they trap and take some of ours........please

 

[Squincher]

Human development is far more detrimental to elk than any wolf pack. Elk and wolves managed to both survive just fine for thousands of years before people started to build fences and freeways. Yes, some herds may see reduced numbers, and you may have to work a bit more to fill your elk tag, but the elk wont vanish. If over 200,000 elk tags sold last year in CO didn't wipe out the population, neither will a few dozen, or even a few hundred wolves across the state.

Then I guess those who live and hunt in areas where wolves have been reintroduced and claim drastically reduced numbers of deer and elk are just liars?