Read the draft plan for bringing wolves back to Colorado
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife dropped its 293-page draft plan after voters approved Proposition 114 in 2020.
The measure, now a law, calls for the reintroduction of gray wolves in western Colorado. The draft plan released Friday highlights social tolerance for wolves, economic impacts, wolf-livestock interactions, and livestock loss to wolves.
What will that reintroduction look like? Here are some examples from the draft plan-
- CPW will reintroduce 30 to 50 wolves in total over the next 3 - 5 years (10-15 animals per year).
- The plan does not permit a regulated wolf hunt.
- If a depredation incident is confirmed by CPW, livestock owners can be reimbursed the fair market value of the animal, up to $8,000. The plan allows for reimbursement of veterinarian costs for the treatment of injured livestock or guard/herding animals.
Head over to the parks and wildlife site for more information, and to read the whole draft plan.
Someone who has been keeping up on Colorado’s plan to bring back wolves is local rancher Janie VanWinkle. “That’s probably one of the biggest concerns for me, is that one segment of the population is making decisions that they will have not have any impacts from whatsoever. And we will be living with those impacts on a daily basis,” said VanWinkle.
On Friday, CPW hosted a meeting to discuss the draft and take feedback from the public. A final plan will be proposed February 2023, and approved in May.
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