Signatures Delivered to Colorado for Wolf Ballot Initiative

[ndbuck09]

Anyone concerned about this? From my perspective, this represents the greatest threat to big game hunting going on right now in this country. Affects Public Lands, Affects Private Lands, Affects Residents, Affects Non-Residents, Affects Midwestern folks who come west to hunt, Affects Eastern folks who come West to hunt. In my opinion, it just doesn't seem like the largest hunting orgs are really "shouting" about this enough. Even if you like wolves chewing on your elk, you shouldn't be for humans artificially altering the environment reintroducing these things when they'll slowly come down from Wyoming.

Colorado activists deliver signatures in attempt to put gray wolf reintroduction on 2020 ballot

Wildlife activists want Colorado voters to decide next year if the endangered gray wolf should be reintroduced in the state decades after it was hunted to near-extinction.

www.thedenverchannel.com

 

[Gnatboy911]

The main thing that chaps my hide is letting uneducated voters decide wildlife management issues that should be decided by the biologists.

 

[sndmn11]

I am wondering what happens if it passes with so many counties passing resolutions against it?
https://durangoherald.com/articles/304706
https://www.lajuntatribunedemocrat....roduction-of-gray-wolves-to-state-of-colorado
https://www.westernslopenow.com/new...ppose-reintroduction-of-wolves-into-colorado/
https://www.craigdailypress.com/new...re-affirms-opposition-to-wolf-reintroduction/

I am sure others will come.

 

[W1bowo]

The main thing that chaps my hide is letting uneducated voters decide wildlife management issues that should be decided by the biologists.

+1

 

[Jim Carr]

Pretty much every liberal agenda is supported by the uneducated .

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I am wondering what happens if it passes with so many counties passing resolutions against it?

Also curious about this. If US Fish/Wildlife were the agency tasked with the reintroduction (wolves have been delisted from ESA so they are out of the picture right?) then County Sheriffs would be about the only individuals that could interject and prevent it from happening in their respective counties since Federal Government agencies don't have State Authority. However since it is the State's own Wildlife Management Agency that will be managing the reintroduction, can County Sheriffs all stand together against CPW? Of course all it would take is one County not to participate and allow reintroduction and the stand would be ineffective regardless.

 

[Fatcamp]

Mmmm...... Gonna taste sweet when all the woke folks start crying because their free roaming trail dogs get chewed apart.

 

[sndmn11]

Also curious about this. If US Fish/Wildlife were the agency tasked with the reintroduction (wolves have been delisted from ESA so they are out of the picture right?) then County Sheriffs would be about the only individuals that could interject and prevent it from happening in their respective counties since Federal Government agencies don't have State Authority. However since it is the State's own Wildlife Management Agency that will be managing the reintroduction, can County Sheriffs all stand together against CPW? Of course all it would take is one County not to participate and allow reintroduction and the stand would be ineffective regardless.

I am asking because I don't know, and surely not arguing. I also haven't looked into how it worked in WY, but believe that circumstances changed due to delisting.
What about a state ballot vote would trigger a federal agency to implant?

 

[Nickofthewoods]

I am asking because I don't know, and surely not arguing. I also haven't looked into how it worked in WY, but believe that circumstances changed due to delisting.
What about a state ballot vote would trigger a federal agency to implant?

Right there with you! I'm very interested in what measures - if any - can be taken after this may get voted in. Especially by the Counties that are passing resolutions as you mentioned.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Colorado is almost officially ground zero for future "Ballot Box Biology" experiments. Historically, Grizzly Bears roamed across Oklahoma and Kansas, and so on. . .

 

[cnelk]

A big percentage of the donations came from out of state.

If it makes it to the ballot it will pass - Guaranteed.

 

[couesbitten]

If it makes it to the ballot it will pass - Guaranteed.

I'm afraid cnelk is right, CO has become more like the left coast than any of us care to admit. This would definitely be bad news for deer & elk numbers.

 

[Customweld]

Hope you can fend it off. I wish they were never reintroduced to Idaho.

 

[cnelk]

I'm afraid cnelk is right, CO has become more like the left coast than any of us care to admit. This would definitely be bad news for deer & elk numbers.

Elk & Deer? You think its hard to draw a Colorado moose tag now? Just wait until the wolves depletes them. Easy pickins.

 

[brsnow]

At least the CPW who oppose it will be handling policy and implementation if it passes. I think there is a chance to win if people show up.

 

[wapitibob]

USFWS isn’t out of the picture. State law doesn’t trump the feds regarding the ESA.

 

[Ross]

Until you see and experience what changes would occur to the populations and your honey holes first hand it is difficult to get the full affect of what can occur over a decade once there

 

[brsnow]

For all you folks that live where they were reintroduced can you share photos, videos, examples of people’s pets being attach on leash and other examples? It is an emotion based campaign, perhaps we can use a similar approach.

 

[huntineveryday]

I think this type of wildlife management is the single largest threat to wildlife conservation right now. When legislation based upon voter feelings for animals dictate wildlife management instead of science. The north american model of wildlife conservation has been the most successful model in the world, with dozens of wildlife species brought back from peril under it. But we have voters passing legislation about bears, cats, wolves, trapping, etc, based upon how they feel about animals and not what has been shown to work.

As far as Colorado, if that makes it to ballot it'll pass. And it's unnecessary. The wolves are already working down from Wyoming. They will spread throughout the state gradually as is, which will give people and state biologists time to figure out how to manage them appropriately. This will speed the process up and unnecessarily cause more divide over wolves being on the landscape.

What will really be interesting is seeing what happens when the financial strain the wolves put on Colorado Parks and Wildlife is fully realized. Less elk, deer, and moose on the landscape will cause a huge loss in income from license sales. By the time those losses start affecting non-consumptive outdoor recreation it might be too late to fully recover.

 

[cnelk]

^^^

Until you see and experience what changes would occur to the populations and your honey holes first hand it is difficult to get the full affect of what can occur over a decade once there

40 years ago I saw and experienced what wolves did to our livestock and deer populations in N Minnesota.
I dont think wolves have changed much since then.

Im already seeing decreased elk populations in North Park [adjacent to Wyoming] from documented wolves that have moved down -