Colorado wolf restoration plan: public input meetings across the state this summer

[elkduds]

We would like to invite you to attend the public open houses for the Gray Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in partnership with Keystone Policy Center, is hosting open houses in 14 locations throughout the state; locations and dates are listed below. Additional information about the open houses is available at the public engagement website, https://www.wolfengagementco.org/.
Pre-registration for open houses is encouraged but not required. Keystone Policy Center and CPW staff will engage with the public at open houses. Please feel free to share information about the open houses and website with your networks; a sample newsletter blurb is included below, along with the list of open house dates and locations.
The list of open house events and their location is included below. Please contact Cally King Newman, [email protected], with any questions.

Sincerely,
Jody Kennedy

Wolf Restoration & Management Plan Public Open Houses
All Open Houses are from 5:00 - 8:00 PM unless otherwise noted

July 12
Steamboat Springs Community Center
1605 Lincoln Ave
Steamboat Springs, CO
July 13
CMC’s Morgridge Commons
815 Cooper Ave, 2nd Floor Glenwood Springs, CO
July 19
Fort Lewis College, Student Union Ballroom, 1000 Rim Drive
Durango, CO
July 21
Montrose Field House
25 Colorado Ave
Montrose, CO
July 22
Western Colorado University University Center Ballroom
Gunnison, CO
July 26
Moffat County High School
900 Finley Ln
Craig, CO
July 28
Mesa County Fairgrounds, Community Building
2785 US HWY 50
Grand Junction, CO
August 2
Avalon Ballroom
6185 Arapahoe Rd
Boulder, CO
*6-9 pm due to venue availability
August 3
Alamosa Co Ice Rink
2242 Old Sanford Rd
Alamosa, CO
August 4
Cottonwood Center for the Arts
427 E Colorado Ave
Colorado Springs, CO
August 5
Las Animas County Fairgrounds
2000 N. Linden Ave.
Trinidad, CO 81082
August 10
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Denver Office
6060 Broadway, Denver, CO
August 11
CSU Lory Student Center, Ballroom
1101 Center Ave Mall
Fort Collins, CO
August 12
Northeastern Junior College - Hays Center Ballroom
100 College Ave
Sterling, CO


Sample Newsletter Blurb
Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 last year directing the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission to begin the planning process to reintroduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide no later than December 2023. CPW and Keystone Policy Center recently announced a slate of in-person, open house public listening sessions that will give Coloradans opportunities to engage and provide substantive input and feedback into the gray wolf restoration and management planning process. A total of 14 in-person open house public listening sessions will be conducted in July and August in regions throughout the state. The dates, locations, details about all public meetings, and other information are available at wolfengagementco.org.

 

[sneaky]

Are these where you get to voice your opinion so it can be ignored? They are just going through the motions to say they took public comments.

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[Btaylor]

Are these where you get to voice your opinion so it can be ignored? They are just going through the motions to say they took public comments.

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You should go and offer your support of the reintroduction and encourage them to use a c130 for placement.

 

[AZ8]

Sample Newsletter Blurb
Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 last year directing the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission to begin the planning process to reintroduce gray wolves west of the Continental Divide no later than December 2023.

So when the wolves walk up to the Continental Divide, will they stop and turn around?

 

[def90]

So when the wolves walk up to the Continental Divide, will they stop and turn around?

Yes it will, just like the assault weapons ban in Boulder instantly stopped everyone from being able to enter the city with an assault weapon.

 

[Btaylor]

They should just put up some signs where they want them to stop. Kinda like the signs for where they want the deer to cross.

 

[gbflyer]

Maybe use something like those ATV gates they put around that keep the wide machines off the trail. Except make them wolf size. That’ll do it.

 

[Chris B]

With poor calf recruitment, increased hunting pressure bears and now wolves , the elk are gonna have a tough row to hoe .

 

[sneaky]

You should go and offer your support of the reintroduction and encourage them to use a c130 for placement.

I think loading wolf pups into 155mm howitzers and launching them into CO would be more effective lol

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[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I love how the bill voted in by the front range morons (when we already had wolves) is for OVER THERE and payments BY SOMEONE ELSE... typical. I really wish there wasn't that western CO clause and the CPW would just drop the wolves on something like green mountain right on the west side of denver. You want them, have fun! Enjoy the attacks and depredation on your fluffy pets vs voting to have some rancher over there have to deal with it.

 

[260madman]

Bears, cougars and wolves should be able to roam the streets as nature intended.

Dear Cally,
Kindly lay on your side and insert your wolf introduction plan…

Sincerely,
Those of us who live with wolves already

 

[Vandy321]

How convenient that CPW delayed confirming the existence of an established wolf pack in Moffat County until AFTER the vote. Pretty sure there were confirmed wolf kills a year prior to that. Shouldn't that nullify the ballot since votes were cast on the false pretense of there NOT currently being wolves in CO?

Nothing to see here, move along.

Edited for grammar...still probably missed something.

 

[def90]

How convenient that CPW delayed confirming the existence of an established wolf pack in Moffat County until AFTER the vote. Pretty sure there were confirmed wolf kills a year prior to that. Shouldn't that nullify the ballot since votes were cast on the false pretense of there NOT currently being wolves in CO?

Nothing to see here, move along.

Edited for grammar...still probably missed something.

CPW is/was in a position that was lose/lose. It is known that wolves have been moving back and forth across the border with Wyoming for years and probably have had established packs for several years. The issue is that if they had recognized wolves being in Colorado previous to the ballot initiative they would have had to go through all of the same requirements per the ESA as any other state with wolves as in they would have had to create a whole new dept to come up with a conservation/management plan and then fund and devote a staff to maintain that. It would also tie their hands in other wildlife decisions in the state in regards to anything that might possibly effect a recognized ESA listed species.

By them releasing the info that a pack was here in Colorado after the ballot initiative was launched it was hoped that people would see that and then not vote for something that was already here. As a government agency once the ballot initiative was underway they are not allowed to comment in any regard to it being for or against.

 

[Vandy321]

CPW is/was in a position that was lose/lose. It is known that wolves have been moving back and forth across the border with Wyoming for years and probably have had established packs for several years. The issue is that if they had recognized wolves being in Colorado previous to the ballot initiative they would have had to go through all of the same requirements per the ESA as any other state with wolves as in they would have had to create a whole new dept to come up with a conservation/management plan and then fund and devote a staff to maintain that. It would also tie their hands in other wildlife decisions in the state in regards to anything that might possibly effect a recognized ESA listed species.

By them releasing the info that a pack was here in Colorado after the ballot initiative was launched it was hoped that people would see that and then not vote for something that was already here. As a government agency once the ballot initiative was underway they are not allowed to comment in any regard to it being for or against.

I didn't see them release official acknowledgement of the Moffat pack until AFTER the vote was over.

Pretty telling.

 

[def90]

I didn't see them release official acknowledgement of the Moffat pack until AFTER the vote was over.

Pretty telling.

As I said, as a government agency they are not allowed to make any statement in regards to any subject that is on a ballot. They were able to post occasional updates of the pack as they followed it around the state but they were not able to make any official determination or announcements that would be considered a position on a ballot initiative. No one at CPW wanted the wolf ballot initiative to pass.

 

[Vandy321]

As I said, as a government agency they are not allowed to make any statement in regards to any subject that is on a ballot. They were able to post occasional updates of the pack as they followed it around the state but they were not able to make any official determination or announcements that would be considered a position on a ballot initiative. No one at CPW wanted the wolf ballot initiative to pass.

I'll have to take your word for it. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[Mike7]

Once there are decent wolf numbers in areas of Colorado, the once increasing moose population and high elk population areas will suddenly reverse course. But you can be sure, the course change will be the result of climate change. I could write the articles right now.

At the very best, wolves will have played a tiny role per these articles in the demise of the moose, elk, and mule deer numbers, with many factors at play, but climate change being the foremost.