Ranchers in Grand County hit Colorado Parks and Wildlife with a $582,000 bill for wolf kills and related impacts on cattle and sheep in the first year of reintroduction, and they are hoping the sum will convince the Parks and Wildlife Commission to pause the next phase of the program at its meeting in Denver on Jan. 8.
The claims are from three producers and center around attacks on livestock in 2024. A breakdown includes $18,411.71 for confirmed attacks resulting in injury or death of cows, calves and sheep; $173,526.63 for yearling cattle, calves and sheep reported missing from ranches with a confirmed attack or death; $216,772.20 for cattle from said ranches taken to market with a lower-than-normal weight; $172,754.64 for lower conception rates among sheep and cattle on ranches with a confirmed attack or kill; and $515 for one necropsy of a deceased calf.
Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, emailed the claims Tuesday with a letter to CPW commissioners.
In it, he referenced a petition the group submitted in September asking the commissioners to pause wolf reintroduction until CPW completed several tasks. Those included identifying a definition of chronic depredation that CPW could use as a framework in deciding when to kill problem wolves, a widespread range riding program to deter wolves from attacking livestock and a rapid response team to answer reports of problem wolves more expediently.
Coloradans voted by a slim margin in 2020 to bring wolves back to the state. Ten wolves were released in Summit and Grand County in December 2023, and the following year was marked by struggles and some successes.
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