Today, a U.S. District Court Judge denied a request by the Colorado livestock industry to block imminent wolf reintroductions to the state. Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association and Colorado Cattlemen’s Association filed a lawsuit on Monday against Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking to stop wolf releases that are slated to occur this month. The livestock groups also requested an immediate restraining order against the reintroduction effort, which has been years in the making and results from a voter-approved ballot measure in November 2020.
The court ruled against the restraining order, citing “[d]ata submitted to the Court by the Conservation Groups, and not rebutted by Petitioners, demonstrat[ing] that in other states with hundreds or thousands of wolves, predation affects mere fractions of a percent of total livestock populations” (order at 16). Conservation and animal welfare groups who moved to intervene in the lawsuit praised the court’s decision and vowed to continue fighting the industry’s lawsuit.
“We are looking forward to wolves being returned to their rightful place in Colorado,” said Delaney Rudy of Western Watersheds Project. “The agencies went through the full and proper process, and while none of us are 100 percent happy with the management plans for wolves in Colorado, trying to thwart the will of the voters with this last minute maneuver was poor form. We’re glad the court saw through it.”
“Livestock interests hostile to wolf coexistence are abusing the law to get their way, even when the state bent over backward to accommodate them in how wolf reintroduction — scientifically supported and democratically decided through a ballot measure — is accomplished,” said Kelly Nokes, attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. “The court made the right call here denying the livestock associations’ request to block wolf releases before the case is even heard. I will work on behalf of our clients to move wolf reintroduction forward in Colorado.”
“Rejecting this unfounded restraining order request is excellent news,” said Lindsay Larris, wildlife program director at WildEarth Guardians. “Colorado Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff have spent thousands of hours on this process, hundreds of them to ensure that livestock owner interests are heard. We’re more than happy to intervene on behalf of those agencies and wolves against this ill-intentioned lawsuit.”
“I’m relieved that the court saw right through the livestock industry’s self-serving and meritless arguments,” said Allison Henderson, Southern Rockies director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Both science and Colorado voters have very clearly told us that wolves belong here. Once wolves are reintroduced, they’ll help restore balance to our state’s ecosystems.”
“This meritless lawsuit is nothing more than a desperate attempt by those hostile to wolves to circumvent the will of Colorado voters at the eleventh hour,” said Nicholas Arrivo, managing attorney for the Humane Society of the United States. “Wolves belong in Colorado, and we stand ready to ensure their restoration can continue as planned.”
“The court’s opinion vindicates that the lawsuit ignores reality,” said Tom Delehanty, an attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain office. “State and federal personnel put years of work into preparing for wolves’ return to Colorado, and this misguided attack on that process has rightly failed.”
The non-profit organizations are represented in this litigation by Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center.
Contacts:
Kelly Nokes, Western Environmental Law Center, 575-613-8051,
Lindsay Larris, WildEarth Guardians, 720-468-0842,
Allison Henderson, Center for Biological Diversity, 970-309-2008,
Delaney Rudy, Western Watersheds Project, 970-648-4241,
Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, 202-792-6211,
Nicholas Arrivo, The Humane Society of the United States, 202-961-9446,
Background:
Colorado’s livestock owners have several revenue streams to underwrite non-lethal conflict reduction and for compensation. Most are unlikely to incur rare livestock losses.
- In May 2023, the state Legislature passed SB23-255, the Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund, which appropriates $525,000 for two years to cover costs as a result of livestock losses caused by wolves.
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf management plan, approved by the CPW Commission, gives livestock owners up to $15,000 for losses or to pay for injuries of domestic livestock and working animals such as cattle dogs. That level of compensation is unprecedented.
- Wolf license plate: Legislation (SB 1265) to create the Born to be Wild specialty license plate was signed by Governor Polis in mid-May 2023. The proceeds from this plate will fund nonlethal conflict prevention and reduction tools and initiatives. The plate will be available in early 2024, and all funds raised from the plate will go directly to CPW.
- Wolf-license-plate holders help fund conflict prevention between livestock owners and wolves. Front Range wolf lovers can help those on the Western Slope mitigate rare, potential livestock conflicts.
- Colorado State University is setting up its own Wolf Conflict Reduction Fund.
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