The ranchers are at it again, trying to do an end-around of the people’s will by petitioning Colorado Parks and Wildlife to pause the reintroduction mandated by CO referendum 114, passed in 2020.
The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project is asking for supporters of wolves and wildlife to write the CPW asking them to reject the petition and continue on with their careful, science-based and legally-mandated reintroduction plans.
You can write to CPW, following this link
I am not nearly as polite as the folks at the Wolf project, here is what I wrote:
Dear Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commissioners
I support continuing wolf releases in Colorado, as outlined in the approved restoration plan.
I’m a Colorado resident who has watched for decades as the rancher-dominated CPW blocked all efforts to restore ecological balance through wolf reintroduction. Having lost the referendum, they are now trying to re-assert their will through pressure tactics.
Colorado needs wolves more than it needs ranchers. Though their “lifestyle” is portrayed as heroic and romantic, the fact is that most ranchers are moochers. They lease public lands at below-market rates, then abuse those lands through overgrazing. They receive all sorts of tax breaks and subsidies. Their contribution to the economy is negligible. They aggressively block public access to public lands.
It is the ranchers, not the wolves, that are a public nuisance.
Please ignore them and follow the law and the will of the people