A rogue motion by Commissioner Ty Jacober at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in early June sparked a discussion about lethal control of grey wolves in Colorado. “I want to make a motion to remove the pack that’s causing the problem,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t have to be lethal but that’s what I’m suggesting.
Jacober was talking about the Copper Creek Pack, a family of grey wolves that CPW relocated last winter from Grand County to Pitkin County. On May 29, CPW shot and killed Wolf #2405, one of the pack’s yearling males suspected of local livestock predation over the Memorial Day weekend.
Jacober’s comment triggered a heated discussion among commission members about what to do with wolves who take down livestock, particularly the Copper Creek Pack. “I will say one of my last acts as Chair will be to rule that out of order,” said out-going Commission Chair Dallas May. “I don’t think it’s proper. I don’t think it’s properly presented[ [and it] hasn’t been before the Commission.”
Commissioner Murphy Robinson seconded the motion. “We’ve heard from Senators. We’ve heard from 20 counties. We’ve heard from the [agriculture] community at a rate that is starting to puzzle me,” said Robinson. “I feel like we continue to hear and do the same thing over and over every month. We hear the same type of comments every month but have the same result.”
Garfield County Commissioner Perry Will was one of those referred to by Robinson. “It’s not fair to the wolves. Not Colorado - we’re too populated,” he told the Commission. Will presented a letter from Garfield County and said wolf reintroduction in Colorado is politically motivated and has failed the voters and the wolves. “This entire process seemed like it was ready, shoot, aim,” he said. “The Commission, this body, had the ability to course correct for the health and success of wolves in Colorado.”
Will, who spent 40 years with the agency, added that the program has strained relationships between CPW staff and livestock producers. “Our field staff has spent years developing these relationships to benefit wildlife and landowners,” he said. “Private land contributions to wildlife cannot be measured in this state, and reintroduction of wolves is hurting the very same producers that provide all this habitat.”
State Senator for the 5th District Marc Catlin echoed Will’s sentiments, adding that the Copper Creek Pack should not have been moved from one county to another. “One of the things that I want to suggest to you is that we start to follow the [Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan] and follow it directly,” he said.
The Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan explicitly states, "The translocation of depredating wolves to a different part of the state will not be considered as this is viewed as translocating the problem along with the wolves.” The Copper Creek Pack was moved into a sanctuary late last summer after five pups were born in the spring and the adult male was suspected of multiple livestock predations in Middle Park. The adult male died due to a gunshot wound shortly after relocation and one pup was inadvertently left behind.
At the time, CPW Director Jeff Davis said at a press conference that the male was crucial to the survival of the pups. “Removing the male at that time, while he was the sole source of food and the female was denning, would likely have been fatal to the pups and counter to the restoration mandate that we have,” he said.
CPW made the decision to release the pack into Pitkin County in January. At the June meeting, Davis said he empathized with livestock producers and agreed that 2024 was a difficult year. But, he added, “I’m really struggling with the surprise motion for this body to vote on, maybe outside your authority - but I’ll leave that to the counselor - when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a say in that because our plan also says that we’ll consult with the Service.”
A member of the commission mentioned that since there was no wolf update on the June meeting agenda, the public was not informed about the discussion. Chair May said the motion was premature and that the commission must follow procedure and the law. Jacober eventually withdrew his motion for five reasons .
First, he said, his intention was to support CPW staff. “Secondly, I think the wolf program has been good, regardless of one issue,” he added. “Thirdly, I don’t take it lightly. Removing a pack does not, like, make me feel good and fourth, the motion would definitely be to remove the pack alive and put them in a sanctuary like we had done before, which, by the way, was a deviation from our management plan.”
He continued, “Fifth, I’m not about to make a motion that's illegal. So, if it’s illegal and we don’t have the authority, I can’t make the motion.”
The commission has scheduled a special virtual meeting on July 7 to continue the discussion.
Meanwhile, two days after CPW killed #2405 in late May, another wolf, relocated last winter from Canada, died in northwestern Colorado. Cause of death has not yet been determined. CPW is also monitoring four grey wolf dens and has reported new pups but has not revealed their location. The agency also reports no confirmed wolf predations since the death of #2405.
