Smart Wolf Policy Responds to Stakeholders March 17 Letter

April 15, 2025

Fellow Concerned Citizens,

Thank you for your recent letter that shares your coalition’s perspective and concerns regarding our citizen initiative to end Gray Wolf reintroduction in Colorado by December 31, 2026.  Most noteworthy in the letter is how our common goals so greatly outweigh any procedural differences we might have.  We would like to share a handful of incontrovertible facts to make clear our respectful, collaborative approach and one we’d like to form as a mutual way ahead.  Together, we will be virtually unstoppable, and all stakeholders will enjoy a significant return of common-sense wildlife management for all the State of Colorado.

Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy arrived upon the current ballot title language through a series of stakeholder engagements.  Such an engagement has been —and will always be— a priority in our process. 

Conversations with elected, agriculture and hunting stakeholders began on December 9, 2024, via a simple text message exchange with two Garfield County Commissioners, asking if they would support repeal of the 2020 wolf reintroduction law. Both responded positively with “yes” and “absolutely.” That early affirmation encouraged us to begin formalizing the initiative.

To ensure we met state deadlines, we filed our initial language with Legislative Council Staff in early January.  A few days later, we had a very productive conversation with a former leader of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), through which we gleaned essential components of current law, including such hard-fought features as depredation compensation funding, wolf population management funding, and 10(j) protections.

We immediately incorporated that guidance by amending our initiative with the second version focused solely on ending Gray Wolf reintroduction by December 31, 2026, taking great care to retain all compensatory features of the existing law, CRS 33-2-105.8, while expanding the definition of livestock to include livestock guard and herding animals.

As promised, we shared the new language, and it was received favorably via text message exchange on 15 & 16 January with current CCA leadership. That same week, we also participated in a Zoom call with Commissioners from Grand, Mesa, and Rio Blanco Counties and a representative from the Colorado Wool Growers Association. This equally informative and frank conversation confirmed our collaborative approach.

Followed by constructive feedback on the second version from Legislative Council Staff on February 4, we proceeded to the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City on February 14.  There, conversation with Dan Gates of Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management led us to add two key elements to the final version:

1. Removal of “nongame” from the statutory definition of gray wolf to help return management flexibility to Colorado Parks and Wildlife

2. Inclusion of “livestock guard and herding animals” in the definition of livestock for purposes of compensation for losses caused by gray wolves.

   
   

Derived through this extensive coordination, the title board approved this single subject measure:

“Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the presence of wolves in Colorado, and, in connection therewith, ending the reintroduction of gray wolves by December 31, 2026; removing 'nongame' from the definition of gray wolf; including livestock guard and herding animals as livestock for the purposes of compensation for losses caused by a gray wolf; and prohibiting the importation of wolves into Colorado?”

While we understand and appreciate the vital importance of unity and broad-based support in advancing policy, at every step, we have worked hard for input from community leaders, producers, and wildlife managers who have consistently voiced frustration with the direction and pace of Gray Wolf reintroduction.

Instead of conflict and division, we see the synergy of a multi-action approach that includes 1) your recommendation for better management, 2) our ballot measure which helps return management flexibility to CPW and preserves compensatory measures within existing law, 3) the potential for delisting at the federal level, and 4) the recent recommendations from the state legislature. These approaches combined are important, powerful, mutually reinforcing, and comprise a serious strategy for better outcomes.  We support all-of-the-above and hope you will too.

As to your concerns regarding campaign viability, resource constraints and the risks of a divided front, since January our campaign has recruited over 1000 volunteers to circulate our petition, raised over $25,000 from over 200 donors and built a robust social media presence.  We have built a five stage, 19-month campaign strategy which begins with petition gathering in spring of 2025 and concludes with a full-blown media campaign in the summer and fall of 2026.  We would be happy to share these operational details with you as a transparent and eager partner.

To rely on the state’s management plan alone to end wolf reintroduction portends unacceptable risk.  That plan does not carry the force of law and can be amended by state elected leadership that is unduly influenced by outside interests.  One need only review the Governor's comments at last December's CCI conference to know a legally binding end, as expressed in our ballot measure, is an essential component of our mutual success. 

Be it through this citizen initiative, the continued push for federal delisting, common-sense management efforts, and state legislative efforts, we are committed to unity of effort with our friends, neighbors, and fellow advocates—to bring an end to the reintroduction of Gray Wolves into Colorado once and for all.

With respect and appreciation,

Spencer Thomas       Stan VanderWerf  Patrick Davis

Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy SmartWolfPolicyCO.com