8 JANUARY 9-15, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | bursement. CPW calculates the fair market value of the animal, with a cap of $15,000. To pay for those deaths, the Colorado Legislature established a Wolf Compensa- tion Depredation Fund, which received $175,000 from the state general fund in its fi rst year and is set to receive $350,000 an- nually going forward. Despite the seventeen confi rmed inci- dents, only four people submitted offi cial claims for reimbursement in 2024. So far, CPW has paid three of those people. In Routt County, compensation for one calf was $1,141.17, and in Jackson County, CPW paid $1,514 for a calf. In Elbert County, CPW awarded $1,200 for the llama incident. But according to Ritschard’s letter to the commission, three ranchers believe they deserve far more in compensation: $18,411.71 for the death or injury of sheep and cattle, $515 in veterinarian costs for a calf nec- ropsy, $173,526.63 for missing livestock, $218,220.98 for reduced weight of livestock, and $172,754.64 for reductions in births at ranches with confi rmed wolf attacks or kills. CPW expected an uptick in claims in December, as people had until the end of the calendar year to submit claims for anything that occurred in 2024. But the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee didn’t wait until year’s end to suggest cuts to the Wolf Dep- redation Fund in order to help fi x the state’s budget gap. The JBC suggested decreasing the amount for future years to $175,000 instead of increasing the appropriation, as originally planned. State Budget Puts Program at Risk The JBC is trying to decrease the state budget by nearly $1 billion. CPW only spent $1.57 million of the $2.1 million appropria- tion for wolf reintroduction in the 2023-2024 fi scal year; if the program were paused, it would save even more. CPW would still monitor the existing wolf population, as it did before that pack wan- dered down from Wyoming. However, no more wolves would be brought in from other locations, and funding for wolf-livestock confl ict minimization would decrease. Pro- ponents of the pause argue that the statute established no deadline to achieve a self- sustaining wolf population, so as long as the state eventually picks the project back up, it would be legally allowed. Environmental groups urged the JBC not to cut spending, with twelve conserva- tion groups signing a letter headlined by the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, a key player in pushing for Colorado wolf reintroduction. “Cutting funds at this critical juncture would not only contradict the will of Colo- rado voters but would also prove fi scally and biologically irresponsible,” the letter reads. “Colorado has already invested signifi cant resources in planning, public outreach and initial wolf releases. Cutting funding now would waste these investments and poten- tially require even greater expenditures in the future to restart the program.” The letter notes that CPW’s progress on establishing more wolf-livestock confl ict reduction programs would cost money up front but pay dividends in success. And it also points out that voters approved reintroduc- tion until the state has a “self-sustaining” population of wolves, which requires many more than the dozen that are in the state now. In contrast, the petition submitted by ag- ricultural producers argues for a range rider program, better carcass management and site vulnerability assessments from CPW, as well as a rapid response team for depreda- tions in place before any more wolves are brought to the state. Site assessments identify places where ranchers could improve their property’s protections against wolves, while range riders are basically shepherds who know specifi cally how to deter wolves from herds. Producers want better instructions on how to deal with the carcasses of dead animals so as not to attract wolves. On December 9, CPW and the Colorado Department of Agriculture announced that they are implementing responses to all those asks in preparation for more wolf releases in 2025. CPW has hired fi ve wildlife damage experts and plans to hire fi ve more, and has also hired a Non-Lethal Confl ict Reduction Program Manager; the CDA has added two mitigation specialists, as well. The two organizations have partnered to create a Colorado Range Rider program that will launch this year; the program will deploy personnel to visit livestock and deploy haz- ing techniques to deter wolves. “CPW staff and our partners have been working hard, learning and adapting throughout this fi rst year of wolf restoration in Colorado,” CPW head Jeff Davis said in the announcement. “We take our responsibil- ity for the well-being of the ranchers, their livestock and the wolves very seriously. We are confi dent we will be successful restor- ing a healthy, sustainable population of gray wolves to Colorado as mandated while avoid- ing and minimizing impacts to our critical ranching industry and rural communities.” CPW plans to release wolves in Garfi eld, Eagle or Pitkin counties in 2025. After facing some challenges securing wolves for the fi rst round of introduction, the agency will use wolves from British Columbia this time and plans to integrate the mother and pups from the Copper Creek Pack, which are still in custody with the Canadian wolves. Email the author at [email protected]. News continued from page 6
