Colorado's GOP members of Congress call for stop to wolf reintroduction
As of Monday, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials were working to capture up to 15 gray wolves in British Columbia to be released into Colorado. However, not all of Colorado's legislators are for the reintroduction.
COLORADO (KDVR) -- Over the weekend, Colorado Parks and Wildlife began operations to bring up to 15 gray wolves to Colorado from British Columbia.
In response to these reports, House Representatives Lauren Boebert (CO-04), Jeff Crank (CO-05), Gabe Evans (CO-08) and Jeff Hurd (CO-03) released a joint statement calling on the incoming Trump Administration to take action by stopping further importation of wolves into the United States by delisting the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.
They said policymakers in Colorado have ignored livestock producers in this controversial program and "bureaucrats in Colorado have rushed through the importation of Canadian gray wolves and have set them loose in our state despite numerous protests and questions about the legality of this dysfunctional and chaotic approach."
Wolf advocates, and Rob Edwards, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, said this program was voted on by Colorado voters and should continue.
"It's political theater at its finest," Edwards said. "The fact is that Colorado had a legitimate Democratic vote to restore wolves to western Colorado beginning in late 2023."
The representatives' letter argues there is still no legitimate reason for wanting to bring these wolves into Colorado in the first place.
"We are demanding answers from the Department of Interior on why agencies like the Bureau of Land Management have failed to provide any evidence of statutorily required updates to Resource Management Plans to address the importation of wolves and how they will impact our agricultural producers, our sovereign Indian tribes, sportsmen, and our oil & gas producers across the state," it read.
Meanwhile, Edwards said he doesn't believe this effort will have an impact on the importation of Canadian wolves into Colorado.
"This is a world-class conservation program. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is doing amazing work and everyone in Colorado, including our agricultural producers, should be proud of what's happening here."
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