The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission, replete with two new members Dr. John Emerick and Frances Silva Blayney, continued the discussion at a special meeting on Monday, July 7, about the Copper Creek grey wolf pack. The discussion wasn’t much different than a discussion at the regular June meeting. The usual wolf update wasn’t on the June agenda but the commission spent about 43 minutes right off the bat talking about wolves.
It wasn’t clear why no time had been set aside in June for an update but its absence seemed intentional. Travis Duncan, CPW public information supervisor, told The Sopris Sun in a June 3 email that “staff did not have additional information to report” at the time the agenda was prepared. Duncan also stated that staff has given comprehensive updates at recent commission meetings and that there were no regulatory items related to wolves on the June agenda.
“It is important for CPW to share information about our many programs and operations, which the commission has encouraged the agency to do,” he said.
At the June meeting, CPW Director Jeff Davis did not tell the commission exactly why a wolf update was not on the agenda but decided to give one anyway.
Commissioner Marie Haskett, who has now termed out of her position, told Davis at the June meeting that too much time has been spent talking about the canids. “I am glad not to see wolves on the agenda this time,” she said. “Wolves have taken over this agency and we’re not getting the business done at this commission for all the other species that we manage.” With that, she and the rest of the commission continued the wolf discussion for another 23 minutes.
Haskett referred to Pitkin County predation events that occurred in May and were attributed to a male from the Copper Creek Pack. CPW killed wolf #2405 from the pack on May 29 to try to modify the behavior of the pack. Discussions have centered on whether CPW violated the Grey Wolf Restoration and Management Plan by relocating the Copper Creek Pack from Grand County to Pitkin County last winter, if the pack needs to be removed and who has the authority to make that decision.
At the end of the second day of the June meeting, Commissioner Ty Jacober put forward a motion to remove the Copper Creek pack either lethally or by putting them in a sanctuary. 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. Outgoing Commission Chair Dallas May put the kibosh on Jacober’s motion, stating that it was out of order. Jacober eventually withdrew his motion and the commission agreed to schedule a virtual meeting to discuss the issue.
So that brings us to last week’s special meeting. Davis set the stage for a discussion about whether or not the commission has authority to direct CPW staff to remove wolves. He said that regulations surrounding the Grey Wolf Restoration and Management Plan are clear on the role of the commission.
“The regulations issued by the commission in preparation for the wolf reintroduction specifically identified [CPW staff] as the entity that will make the decision on lethal wolf removal,” he explained. “So the commission has already delegated this type of decision on wolves to [CPW staff].”
Commissioner James Jay Tutchton brought up the 10(j) rule, put in place by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service just before the first wolves were brought into Colorado in December 2023. The rule changes how CPW can manage grey wolves. If the wolves were reintroduced before the 10(j) rule was in place, they would be managed as federally endangered species. But the 10(j) rule was established before paws were on the ground, so the new wolves are managed as a nonessential, threatened species. This allows for lethal take under certain circumstances. For example, if a wolf is caught in the act of taking down livestock, it can be shot on the spot.
Tutchton was concerned about overstepping on the 10(j) rule.
“If we were to start killing wolves for which we had no evidence or insufficient evidence that they had been involved in depredations, I think we would violate the 10(j) rule,” he said. “I think that rule gives us flexibility to kill wolves involved in depredations, but a bunch of puppies in a den? I do not think that’s in line with the 10(j) rule.”
The commission brainstormed about predation on private versus public land, the use of range riders, non-lethal injurious methods such as rubber buckshot, maintaining relationships with ranchers and advocates and sticking to science-based decisions. The upshot was that it isn’t up to the commission to tell CPW staff what actions to take, but no decisions were made about the Copper Creek Pack.
The commission holds its next regular meeting on July 17-18 in Grand Junction; a wolf update is on the agenda