County commissioners appeal to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis over recent gray wolf relocation
In a letter to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Grand County commissioners demanded answers after a gray wolf that recently wandered into New Mexico was returned.
They accused the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife of violating the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan by returning the wolf to the area, citing a history of depredation. The letter accused the department of ignoring the problem this causes for local ranchers:
"Wolf 2403 is a known depredator whose pack's actions have resulted in nearly $450,000 in compensation to Grand County ranchers alone. By re-releasing 2403 back into the county where its pack had previously been removed due to chronic depredation, the state is effectively "translocating the problem" for a third time and signaling that the official management plan's critical provisions can be ignored at will."
The unpaired wolf was previously part of the Copper Creek pack before leaving last fall. It was discovered crossing into New Mexico earlier this month and captured to protect the genetic integrity of the state's Mexican Wolf Recovery Program. CPW re-released the wolf in an area near unpaired females, hoping it would form a pair with one of them. They said that the distance from livestock and natural prey populations were also considered when deciding where to release the wolf.
"We acknowledge the stated reason for the wolf's return, which was initiated by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish under a multi-state Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to protect the genetic integrity of the Mexican wolf recovery program. However, the decision by CPW to re-release this problem animal back into Grand County, despite knowing its pack's history, is an unacceptable management choice," the letter states.
They asserted that the action erodes trust between the state, CPW and those who live in areas where wolves have been reintroduced. The commissioners demanded an explanation and called on the department to comply with the regulations outlined in the wolf reintroduction plan.
"The re-release of a wolf with a confirmed history of depredation is not only a dereliction of the commitment made to our agricultural community and landowners, but is also a clear violation of CPW's Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, specifically, Chapter 5: Conflict Minimization and Management, Page 35: 'The translocation of depredating wolves to a different part of the state will NOT be considered, as this isviewed as translocating the problem along with the wolves.'"