Gray Wolf Battle Escalates in Colorado

LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- Federal and state officials are set to reintroduce the gray wolf in Colorado west of the Continental Divide by the end of December, but two new lawsuits filed this week are trying to stop it from happening.

Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 in November 2020. The ballot measure requires the state to reintroduce gray wolves in Colorado west of the Continental Divide by Dec. 31, 2023.

Cattle producers and conservationists are concerned, however, that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Colorado officials have not fully studied the potential hazards the animals could present to ranchers and others.

In two lawsuits, one filed by the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association Inc. and Colorado Cattlemen's Association, and a second by the Colorado Conservation Alliance, both allege the reintroduction of the wolves cannot happen until federal officials finish an environmental impact statement that meets the National Environmental Policy Act.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado is expected to decide on Friday, Dec. 15 whether the wolves can be released as planned.

In a press statement released earlier this week, Andy Spann, a fifth-generation rancher from Gunnison, Colorado, and president of the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association, said producers have made their concerns known throughout the public comment process.

"Impacts of wolf reintroduction, as would any other action of this magnitude, need to be properly reviewed to avoid unintended negative consequences to the natural environment, wildlife and people of the impacted communities," Spann said.

"GCSA put forth our concerns throughout the public process. We believe that much of our input, and that of many others across western Colorado, was diminished by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. We regret that a course of litigation on this and other issues seems to be the only recourse left to have these concerns legitimately addressed."

Each year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required to renew a cooperative agreement with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on the endangered and threatened wildlife conservation program in the state.

According to the lawsuit filed by the cattle producers on Dec. 11, 2023, an environmental impact statement (EIS) has not been conducted since the addition of the gray wolf reintroduction in Colorado to the cooperative agreement.

A new EIS is required, the lawsuit argues, because the gray wolf reintroduction is a substantial change to the agreement.

"But for FWS's approval of CPW's request to renew the agreement, CPW and the division would be unable to take the actions necessary to capture and transport wolves into Colorado without violating the ESA (Endangered Species Act)," the lawsuit said.

The current plan is to capture gray wolves in Oregon and transport them to Colorado for reintroduction.

"The environmental impacts of the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado have not been the subject of any analysis under NEPA," the cattle producers said in the lawsuit.

They said the USFWS prepared environmental impact statements for past wolf reintroductions because of "intense public controversy," including for the gray wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho and for the Mexican wolf reintroduction in Arizona and New Mexico.

"Like these past efforts, Colorado's wolf reintroduction efforts are highly controversial," the lawsuit said.

"The presence of wolves negatively impacts the livestock and other industries by increasing costs and decreasing local spending, impacting many businesses and communities. Release of wolves in Colorado is likely to have other negative effects on the plaintiffs and their members."

The lawsuit said gray wolves prey on livestock and cause "stress to livestock that reduces their weight and decreases revenue for livestock producers."

If the state is allowed to release the wolves before USFWS complies with the law, the lawsuit said, "this will irrevocably change the status quo and irreparably harm plaintiffs and their members."

The Colorado Conservation Alliance also filed a lawsuit on Thursday, asking the same court to issue injunctions to prevent the reintroduction of the gray wolf pending USFWS's completion of the environmental review process.

Read more on DTN:

"Court Vacates Gray Wolf ESA Delisting," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

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