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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Tag: forced wolf introduction

  • Colorado Wolf Ballot Initiative Preys on Elk, Hunting, Taxpayers

    Colorado Wolf Ballot Initiative Preys on Elk, Hunting, Taxpayers

    LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Colorado’s economy, elk population, conservation funding, hunting industry and resident taxpayer dollars are in the crosshairs. An environmental extremist-driven ballot initiative aims to force an introduction of wolves onto the Colorado landscape even though Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed a natural migrating, active pack in the northwest part of the state.

    “Ballot box biology is reckless. In this particular case, it totally undermines the authority of Colorado’s wildlife professionals who have said time and time again over several decades that a forced wolf introduction is a bad idea,” said Kyle Weaver, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO.  “As an organization, RMEF pledges to do all in our power to educate voters about the significant, real-life, detrimental impacts of such an effort.”

    RMEF first warned about the initiative proposal three years ago. Since then, environmental extremists have raised more than $1 million, the lion’s share of it from out-of-state donors, to gather and deliver 215,000 (of nearly six million residents) petition signatures to the Colorado secretary of state. Staffers later deemed 76,037 or 35.3 percent of projected signatures as invalid but approved the measure for the 2020 ballot by a projected margin of 1.8 percent.

    Colorado is home to the largest elk herd in North America, yet researchers in the southwest part of the state are trying to figure out why elk recruitment is ailing.

    RMEF has a long history in Colorado. Since 1987, RMEF and its partners completed 782 conservation and hunting heritage outreach projects with a combined value of more than $177.7 million. These projects protected or enhanced 468,068 acres of habitat and opened or improved public access to 122,107 acres. There are also more than 17,000 RMEF members and 28 chapters in the state.

    “Proponents are offering zero funding for wolf management, livestock or pet depredation, deterrent measures, research or other costs. Yet they expect Colorado taxpayers and hunters to foot a bill that will be millions upon millions of dollars. As outdoorsmen and women who care about wildlife and our wild landscapes, we must unite and fight against this measure,” added Weaver.

    Founded more than 35 years ago, fueled by hunters and a membership of nearly 235,000 strong, RMEF has conserved more than 7.9 million acres for elk and other wildlife. RMEF also works to open and improve public access, fund and advocate for science-based resource management, and ensure the future of America’s hunting heritage. Discover why “Hunting Is Conservation™” at rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

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  • Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Supports Coloradans Protecting Wildlife

    Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Supports Coloradans Protecting Wildlife

    DENVER, Colo. —The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) has joined Coloradans Protecting Wildlife (CPW), a coalition formed to fight a ballot measure that will be decided in the November 2020 general election. The measure would force the introduction of wolves along Colorado’s Western Slope.

     “This initiative is a reckless and dangerous approach that circumvents Colorado’s wildlife management authorities at Colorado Parks and Wildlife who have affirmed multiple times over the years that we should listen to the science and not force wolves into Colorado,” says Blake Henning, Chief Conservation Officer at RMEF. “Outdoor enthusiasts, sportsmen, farmers and ranchers, and many residents will be negatively impacted if this proposal is successful. Not to mention the millions of taxpayer dollars it will cost to implement.” 

     The 2020 initiative would ignore long-standing scientific processes, research, and expert guidance by forcing the introduction of wolves into Colorado without any analysis of the potential negative impacts on Colorado’s environment, ecosystems, or its citizens. 

     “Anyone who appreciates Colorado’s quality of life and natural beauty should be concerned by this proposal,” warns Henning. “Colorado is nationally and internationally renowned for its successful wildlife management. Introducing a new apex predator like the wolf will dramatically impact the state’s ungulate populations. Fifty-four of the state’s 64 elk and deer units that are under objective are in western or southwestern Colorado.” 

     As responsible stewards of the land, various stakeholders have previously worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to develop a “free-ranging” wolf plan, including necessary management strategies to ensure gray wolves that enter Colorado from other states are protected yet do not endanger animals or people that they may come in contact with. This plan is working as evidenced by the recent confirmation of a wolf pack living in northwest Colorado that migrated here without human intervention.

     By supporting CPW, RMEF joins a growing, robust coalition of stakeholders educating voters about the pitfalls of introducing wolves to Colorado’s landscapes. Trade organizations opposed to the initiative include the Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Cattleman’s Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Outdoor Channel, Colorado Mule Deer Society, Hunter Nation, Big Game Forever, Colorado Traditional Archers Society, Colorado Bowhunters Association, Four Corners Chapter of SCI, Colorado Outfitters Association, Bull Basin Guides and Outfitters, Code of the West Outfitters, Hunt 360, Colorado Independent Cattle Growers, Southwestern Colorado Livestock Association, La Plata-Archuleta Cattleman’s Association, Gunnison, Eagle, Garfield, and La Plata Colorado Farm Bureau boards, as well as Alamosa, Archuleta, Cheyenne, Crowley, Douglas, Fremont, Garfield, Hinsdale, Jackson, Kit Carson, Las Animas, Lincoln, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, and Weld counties.

     Together, these groups are urging voters to vote no on forced wolf introduction and leave species management up to wildlife biologists and the relevant state and federal agencies.

     For additional information about Coloradans Protecting Wildlife, please visit: www.RethinkWolves.com.

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