Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect which game animal depredations are compensated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is poised to have wolf paws on the ground on the Western Slope beginning in December. The agency has stated they will release wolves in Grand, Eagle or Summit counties on state or private lands. As reintroduction nears, CPW hosted a public meeting in Kremmling on Nov. 9.

Community members filled the Colorado State University Extension Hall, many with questions about how the country’s first voter-mandated wolf reintroduction would play out. The meeting was led by CPW staff members Jeromy Huntington (area wildlife manager), Ellen Brandell (wildlife research scientist) and Adam Baca (wolf conflict coordinator); in addition to USDA wildlife specialist Lauren Emerick, and former Colorado Cattlemen’s Association President and Walden resident Philip Anderson.

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Compensation and lethal take when livestock are killed or injured

Huntington began the meeting with his presentation on the wolf depredation compensation program.

“The speed at which we are working – that this is moving – is unprecedented, as far as reintroducing the species and the timelines that we’re working within,” he said of the program’s development. “It’s a very quick turn around.”

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The wolf damage compensation program is separate from other game damage programs currently in place, but will mirror those programs, Huntington explained. Livestock producers are compensated for damage caused by game animals like bears and mountain lions – and now wolves. Producers will receive up to 100% of fair market value for each killed animal, up to $15,000. They will also receive 100% of fair market value, up to $15,000, for veterinary expenses associated with an injured animal.

Huntington stated livestock are defined as cattle, horses, mules, burros, sheep, lambs, swine, llamas, alpacas, goats and livestock herding/guardian dogs. Loss of chickens, hunting dogs, pets and alternative livestock (such as bison) will not be compensated. Each depredation or injury must be confirmed by CPW to receive compensation.

He added that ranchers are not required to use non-lethal conflict minimization techniques to receive compensation, but they are encouraged and incentivized to use them.  

Huntington then spoke on the 10(j) rule. Once it is in effect Dec. 8, producers can legally take – kill, injure or harass – reintroduced wolves that are in the act of attacking livestock. Wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, but 10(j) designates both reintroduced wolves and wolves currently in Colorado as an experimental population. This gives ranchers a greater flexibility to protect livestock.

To legally take a wolf that is threatening livestock, the burden of proof lays with the livestock producer, Huntington said. CPW will investigate the situation to determine if depredation or harassment occurred.

“We need the evidence that the wolf was in the act,” he said. “That’s something to think about before you pull the trigger – what evidence do I have? It can become very difficult if (the wolf) was on opposite side of the pasture, passing through your private land, that it was in the act.”

Evidence doesn’t necessarily mean a dead animal. Evidence can also include bite marks on the living animals, paw and hoof prints on snow, and other clues indicating harassment.

Livestock producers express concerns

During Huntington’s presentation, the co-owner of Kremmling’s McElroy Ranch, Chris Sammons, expressed concerns with what she perceived as lack of producer input in the reintroduction plan. She was especially concerned by a “glaring error” in the plan – lack of protections for livestock herds that are pastured with a different person’s herd. When livestock owners come together to pool their herds in a grazing allotment, complications with depredation compensation could arise.

As the current rules are written, each individual owner is compensated for a confirmed livestock death. Owners are also compensated for missing animals – but only if there is a prior confirmed depredation, and all animals are part of the same herd or parcel.  

Other community members in the crowd also expressed concern with the current rules.

“If you run livestock in a pool with other people, if one of you has an animal that gets killed … that person can get paid for other animals they have missing,” one attendee explained. “However, the other people in the pastures … aren’t compensated for missing animals if they don’t have a confirmed kill. This is a problem that will come up.”

Grazing associations often have one permit that represents several owners running their cattle in one pool. Although these associations are designed to represent multiple herds, it could present problems if depredation occurs. A community member who manages permits added that grazing association permits are not recognized on National Forest land, which muddies the waters even more.

“The issue of herd versus owner is pretty muddy,” she said. “… Those animals in a pool are all equally vulnerable (to wolves), without a doubt.”

She encouraged cattlemen’s associations to get together and petition CPW for a change to the current rules.

Although Huntington agreed that grazing pools were complicated, he also told attendees that CPW was working on addressing their concerns. He explained to them how to begin a citizen petition process, which allows community members to become part of the wolf reintroduction plan.

“Anyone can petition the CPW commission for regulation changes,” he said. “That starts the process where our CPW commissioners … hear public feedback and make a decision.”

Community members can learn about how to submit a petition on CPW’s website by visiting the Citizen Petition page. Huntington said CPW is continually working on the plan.  

“I unfortunately don’t have all the answers. I’m right there with you, learning about this,” he added. “This is new to us, new to Colorado. But we’re going to work to provide more resources to have more clarity.”

Tools to protect herds

After Huntington’s presentation, Adam Baca spoke to the crowd about mitigating wolf encounters and wolf habitat. He’s new to Colorado but has experience piloting grizzly bear and wolf conflict prevention programs in Montana.

Baca explained that wolves are traditionally thought to live in heavily timbered landscapes, but they also travel through plains, sagebrush and up into mountains. He encouraged community members who spot wolves to report these sightings on CPW’s website.

Baca also clarified that CPW does not inform landowners when collared wolves are currently on their lands. Collars do not offer real-time location data, so a wolf could be miles away by the time wildlife officials access the collar data.

“They cover incredible distances … They could be on a walkabout,” he said. “I have personally seen this in Montana where a collared wolf traveled 150 miles in three days, over two mountain passes, for no particular reason.”

Additionally, wolves are a protected species – wildlife managers don’t inform landowners when a protected animal is moving across their lands, for the animal’s safety. However, wildlife managers will inform producers if wolves are establishing themselves in their area. For example, ranchers in Jackson County were informed of the resident wolves.

Next, Baca gave examples of non-lethal tools producers can use to minimize conflict, such as cracker shells, propane cannons and fladry – brightly colored flags hung on a wire around a pasture’s perimeter, with or without electrification. CPW provides these tools.

“I’m here to support ranchers, to try to figure out what we can do to minimize conflict on your property, while recognizing that not all these tools that are listed in the resource guide are going to work for you,” Baca said.

He stated that a producer’s first step towards protecting their animals is to contact the District Wildlife Manager for their region. Parks and Wildlife will then conduct a site visit and work with the producer to install fladry, cameras or any other minimization tools. 

Baca conceded that some of the tools may be too laborious or expensive for some operations. Fladry is an especially useful tool, but has a shelf life of about 90 days, before the wolves are no longer frightened of it. His job is to figure out which tools will work best for each rancher, then work on the ground with ranchers as reintroduction becomes a reality.

He then gave examples of successful conflict minimizations operations he led in both Colorado and Montana, where wolves were kept at bay.

“With wolves on the landscape, you can still ranch,” he said. “… There will be risks for sure, there will be depredations at some point. But there are producers in Jackson County who are figuring out what to do; they’re still operating and tweaking their operations.”

Lastly, Baca encouraged community members to reach out to CPW whenever they need assistance.

“We’re really trying to emphasize relationships and maintain those good communications between ourselves and you guys, as the producers,” he said. “Wolves aren’t the only animals on the landscape, and we want to continue to have that good relationship to manage all the species that we have.”

This is part one in a series from Sky-Hi News about wolf reintroduction. The second installment on the topic of wolf reintroduction will cover the last part of the Nov. 9 meeting in Kremmling, as well as resources for contacting CPW.