Colorado
Colorado officials relent to rancher pressure to remove pack formed by released wolves
Video is first look of pups from Colorado’s released wolves
Colorado resident Mike Usalavage happened upon the Copper Creek pack at an undisclosed location the week of Aug. 11-17, 2024, and provided this video to the Coloradoan.
Colorado’s only wolf pack produced by released wolves is being removed from its Grand County location.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife along with technical support from federal partners have begun an operation to capture and relocate wolves from the Copper Creek pack, the state wildlife agency announced in a Tuesday night news release.
The pack consists of two parents from among 10 wolves captured in Oregon and released in Colorado in late December of 2023 and at least three wolf pups the pair had this spring. “The decision to capture and relocate the Copper Creek pack was made with the careful consideration of multiple factors and feedback from many different stakeholders,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis stated in the news release. “Our options in this unique case were very limited, and this action is by no means a precedent for how CPW will resolve wolf-livestock conflict moving forward. The ultimate goal of the operation is to relocate the pack to another location while we assess our best options for them to continue to contribute to the successful restoration of wolves in Colorado.”
The option to remove the wolves is allowed under the federal 10(j) rule issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which designates Colorado’s released wolves as an experimental population.
The parents of the pack have largely been responsible for 16 confirmed wolf depredations of cattle and sheep near the pack’s den and rendezvous sites in Grand County since April 2, according to area ranchers.
The Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, which represents Grand County ranchers, has repeatedly asked the state wildlife agency to remove at least the parents of the pack over the past several months, and later the pups as well. The latest request from the association and other stockgrowers groups was sent to Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis on Aug. 15.
The agency has repeatedly refused the request, citing the need to grow the state’s wolf population in accordance to the state’s wolf recovery plan before finally relenting to ranchers’ pressure Tuesday.
That state’s recovery plan calls for releasing 30 to 50 wolves over the next three to five years with a goal of a minimum of 150 to 200 wolves.
“Colorado Parks and Wildlife is committed to fulfilling the will of Colorado voters to successfully restore the gray wolf population while meeting the needs of Colorado communities,” the release read. “As we have throughout the implementation of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, CPW is working with wildlife biologists, federal partners and producers to develop solutions that will reduce the risk of additional wolf depredations.”
Tim Ritschard, a Grand County rancher and president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association, said the association is pleased with the decision.
“If a wolf wanders in and kills a cow or calf, that’s tolerable, “Ritschard told the Coloradoan on Tuesday night. “When they set up camp and repeatedly depredate on livestock that’s where the problem is.
“I’m glad the feds stepped in and took action before a rancher or local Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff had to. Hopefully CPW can learn from this and prevent something similar happening in the future.”
The Coloradoan reached out to pro wolf groups for comment. Those messages were not immediately returned.
Ritschard questioned what the state wildlife agency will do with the wolves.
That was not detailed in the agency’s news release.
“For the safety of these animals and staff, CPW will not be sharing the location of the pack members or operation,” the agency’s news release read. “CPW will provide more information and details at the conclusion of the operation.”
The news of the pack removal comes days after the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission was told by Colorado Parks and Wildlife the next planned wolf release would occur in the the same general area as the first releases in Grand and Summit counties.
Reid DeWalt, Colorado Parks and Wildlife assistant director, told the commissioners at their Friday meeting in Colorado Springs that the next release will take place in the northern zone.
The northern zone roughly encompasses from Glenwood Springs on the west, Kremmling on the north, Vail on the east and Aspen on the south. The area includes Interstate 70 running through the middle.
First, though, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has to secure wolves for its next release planned for late this year or early next year. Something which has been difficult to do.
That sourcing was made more difficult after the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington notified Colorado Parks and Wildlife in a June letter that it was rescinding an earlier agreement to send 15 wolves to Colorado later this year and in early 2025.
A powerful search engine that organizes and provides access to vast information on the internet.
Colorado
Julian Lewis Says Deion Sanders’ Colorado ‘Wasn’t Really Looking at Defenses Much’ Last Season
Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis made a stunning admission that could explain the team’s 3-9 finish to the 2025 season.
While speaking to ESPNU at Big 12 media days, Lewis was asked what the biggest difference was between last year and this year, and he revealed that the Deion Sanders-coached Buffaloes typically didn’t watch film during his first season with the team.
“My play, I’m actually looking at the defenses now,” Lewis said. “Last year, we wasn’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun.”
Before taking a redshirt year, Lewis played in four games as a true freshman with two starts and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. He should fare even better this season with the benefit of film study.
Lewis will enter the 2026 campaign as Colorado’s starting quarterback, so he will have the opportunity to show his improvements when the Buffaloes open the year against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.
State and federal agencies are starting to reopen public lands, state wildlife areas and a segment of the Colorado River that were closed in light of the Snyder Fire in Mesa County.
Stage 2 fire restrictions — banning all open fire or flames, including charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves — remain in effect as extreme fire danger, spurred on by hot and dry conditions, persists across the region.
The Snyder Fire started on Friday, June 26, when several smaller fires burning on the Colorado-Utah border combined. As of July 7, the fire was 98% contained after burning over 30,200 acres and killing three wildland firefighters.
With fire activity decreasing and containment increasing, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management shared their plans Tuesday to reopen lands impacted by the wildfire.
Parks and Wildlife said in a news release that it, alongside the Bureau of Land Management, had lifted the closure for public access and downstream recreation on the Colorado River, starting at the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita and extending to the Utah state line. It also reopened the boat ramp at the Fruita section of the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita to downstream traffic.
The state agency’s Horsethief State Wildlife Area in Fruita and the Loma Boat Launch State Wildlife Area also reopened.
The BLM said in a news release that all lands within the perimeter of the Snyder Fire burn area remain closed to ensure public and firefighter safety.
“The burned landscape — including vegetation — remains dynamic and unpredictable as it naturally recovers from the fire impacts. This order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the order is rescinded,” the BLM said.
Both agencies also warned that fire danger remains extremely elevated and Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place.
A map of current federal and state fire restrictions is available on the Rocky Mountain Area Interagency Fire Restriction Dashboard or by visiting DFPC.Colorado.Gov/sections/wildfire-information-center. The Colorado Trails Explorer (or COTREX) app also has wildfire closure alerts.
Under current conditions, Parks and Wildlife advised the following actions to prevent sparking wildfires:
- Use established rings: Where permitted, only build campfires inside permanent metal fire rings in designated campgrounds.
- Clear nearby debris: Remove all dry grass, leaves and pine needles within a 10-foot radius of any flame.
- Drown and stir: Extinguish fires completely with water, stir the ashes, and ensure the debris is cold to the touch.
- Watch campfires constantly: Never leave a fire or portable stove unattended. If you see an unattended fire, call 911.
- Keep vehicles off brush: Avoid parking or idling cars on tall, dry grass where hot exhaust systems can ignite a fire.
- Secure towing equipment: Ensure trailer safety chains do not drag and spark against asphalt. Check them at every stop.
The BLM added that under its Stage 2 restrictions, smoking is prohibited except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Gas-powered stoves or grills with a shut-off valve are still allowed in cleared areas under this stage.
Violating Stage 2 fire restrictions by lighting a campfire is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Violators face an immediate citation, a mandatory court appearance, steep fines and potential jail time. Additionally, you can be held financially liable for all fire suppression costs and property damage if the campfire sparks a wildfire.
-
Business40 seconds ago
Commentary: Trump wants to let companies make fewer disclosures, thus keeping investors in the dark
-
Entertainment8 minutes agoJustin Baldoni and wife break silence after ‘It Ends With Us’ legal battle with Blake Lively
-
Lifestyle10 minutes agoA meal with an animated Mona Lisa? Immersive dining goes high tech — but will L.A. eat it up?
-
Politics16 minutes agoNexstar launches its first digital subscription service with The Hill Insider, aimed at political junkies
-
Science23 minutes agoNot everyone is leaving California. A new commercial battery maker just landed in Sacramento
-
Sports26 minutes agoMookie Betts’ eighth-inning single gives Dodgers the win over the Rockies
-
World38 minutes ago
From sewers to swimming sites: how Europe's cities reclaim their rivers
-
News1 hour agoThree more people charged with damaging Reflecting Pool after Trump’s multimillion-dollar restoration | CNN Politics
