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Colorado’s North Park Stockgrowers Association asked Colorado Parks and Wildlife to remove wolves that have killed six head of livestock since beginning of April.
JACKSON COUNTY, Colo. — The North Park Stockgrowers Association has added pressure to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to lethally remove wolves in the area that are responsible for livestock deaths.
In a letter sent Monday to Gov. Jared Polis and CPW, they wrote, “If it need be reminded, CPW is held accountable by the voters of Colorado per the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan that, ‘Restoration of the gray wolf to the state must be designed to resolve conflicts with persons engaged in ranching and farming in this state’ (Appendix A.1.d page 60). Repeated depredation of livestock in Grand and Jackson County is a conflict that must be resolved.”
The North Park Stockgrowers in Jackson County voiced their concerns alongside the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association in Grand County, who also wrote a letter to the state on April 18th and another Monday. Both counties have had wolf depredations since the beginning of April – five in Grand County and one in Jackson County.
“Middle Park Stockgrowers Association of Grand County has made an official request to have chronic depredating wolves lethally removed from their landscape. North Park Stockgrowers Association proudly stands united with Middle Park on this request. In addition, we ask for the removal of the wolves that have been plaguing Jackson County since January 2022. We ask that these requests be honored in a timely manner,” wrote the North Park Stockgrowers Association in their statement.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed this month that some of the wolf or wolves in the area during the livestock deaths were from the reintroduced wolves that CPW brought to the area from Oregon in December 2023. CPW will not say which wolves they were. 9NEWS reported in December that at least three of the reintroduced wolves came from packs that killed livestock in Oregon.
Since they sent their letter April 18, Tim Ritschard, head of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, said his group has not heard back from the Governor’s Office or Jeff Davis, director of CPW.
They sent a second letter that said, “We are writing to reiterate our urgent request, submitted on April 18th, 2024, for the immediate lethal removal for two specific wolves in Grand County, Colorado.”
Colorado has not defined chronic depredation. The Middle Park Stockgrowers said in their statement, “Getting wolf restoration right from the start requires addressing conflicts proactively, especially when wolves from known depredating packs are introduced. Lethal removal, as a last resort, is a necessary tool to deter further depredation and rebuild trust with stakeholders.”
> Video below: When can wolves be killed? Ranchers and some lawmakers want clarity:
Letters from the North Park Stockgrowers Association and the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association:
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