RBC I Rio Blanco Stockgrowers Association, Rio Blanco County Farm Bureau members, and Rio Blanco County Woolgrowers Association are joining forces to oppose the dangerous ballot initiative that will force wolf introduction on Colorado’s Western Slope. These local agriculture organizations are coordinating Dance Without Wolves, a fundraiser to provide information and education about the negative impacts wolves would bring to our rural communities.
“Our community and others like ours on the Western Slope are the…
Although some people repeatedly claim that wolves will “”put ranchers out of business,”” this is not supported by facts. Based on over 25 years of data from Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, we know that 99.95% of livestock that share territory with wolves will not ever have a negative encounter with wolves.
Wolves do kill livestock, but these incidents are infrequent and largely preventable when ranchers take proper measures. Under current plans, when depredation does occur, ranchers will be compensated at fair market value. Good animal husbandry practices go a long way toward minimizing conflicts between large carnivores and livestock.
In Colorado, we have the opportunity to pioneer new and innovative ways of fostering coexistence with wolves. For example, why couldn’t we pay ranchers who host wolves on their private land, rather than only if they experience a depredation event?
Resources: https://defenders.org/issues/promoting-coexistence
The claim that wolves have “decimated” their prey populations in the states where they were reintroduced is patently false. Here are the numbers, starting with 1995, when wolves were reintroduced.
Wyoming
1995 elk population = 103,448
2017 elk population = 104, 800
1995 elk harvest = 17,695
2017 elk harvest = 24,535, average hunter success rate = 35%
Montana
1995 elk population = 109,500
2018 elk population = 138,470
No harvest data for 1995
2017 elk harvest = 30,348
Idaho
1995 elk population = 112,333
2017 elk population = 116,800
1995 elk harvest = 22,400
2017 elk harvest = 22,751
Source: State Fish & Game agencies.