“They’re paying the ranchers WHAT?”
On March 5, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission approved two Grand County ranch claims for $343,415.37 in compensation for reportedly wolf-related livestock losses on two livestock operations.
In 2020, Colorado voters approved a ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves to Colorado to establish a permanent, self-sustaining population for the endangered gray wolf. CPW began the first reintroduction phase in December 2023 when it relocated 10 GPS-collared wolves to Summit and Grand counties. Since the first wolf release, CPW has confirmed 19 depredation events. A third of the claims we have evaluated appear to be unrelated to wolves and we reported our concerns to the CPW director, Jeff Davis, who heard these concerns and appears to be committed to strengthening their field investigation process.
Colorado’s Wolf Compensation Program
To compensate livestock producers’ losses due to the wolves released through CPW’s program, Colorado ranchers can apply for up to $15,000 per animal from the state’s Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund. It is the nation’s most purposefully inflated wolf/livestock compensation program to help appease livestock producers opposed the return of this native species.
In 2024, the fund was allotted $350,000 from the state of Colorado’s general fund, the Species Conservation Trust Fund, the Colorado Nongame Conservation and Wildlife Restoration Cash Funds, and other funding sources for non-game species. These two claims will deplete nearly all the state’s funding for livestock losses to wolves, leaving $3,000 for the rest of the year’s potential claims.
Where’s the Beef?
The issue is that these two reimbursement payments go far beyond paying for confirmed livestock losses but also cover unconfirmed “secondary losses,” which may be completely unrelated to the presence of wolves. These include decreased cow fertility and calf weaning weights. No peer-reviewed study proves the mere presence of wolves cause livestock weight loss and lower pregnancy rates. Certainly, other factors cause these impacts in cattle in areas with no wolves. Simply put, correlation is not the same as causation. Just because a dog walked by your neighbor’s house just as he started his car does not mean the dog caused the car to start, right?
I managed the Northern Rockies wolf and livestock compensation program from 2000 to 2010 for a nonprofit organization that reimbursed 1.1 million dollars to ranchers who submitted valid claims for confirmed and probable losses of 1,196 cattle and 2,195 sheep to wolves. This voluntary wolf program was the primary source of livestock compensation across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington. The minimum population of wolves across the Northern Rockies was 1700 when the program was taken over by the states. Colorado has fewer than 40 wolves today. How do two claims for fewer than 30 livestock losses to wolves in one year amount to nearly a third of the total compensation paid for 3,400 livestock across the northern Rockies over a decade?
What are cattle and sheep worth?
The two Colorado claims reportedly include compensation for 15 cows killed by wolves in spring 2024, another claim of a 36.5-pound decrease per calf over the last three years, and a 2.9% reduction in conception rates due to “stress” from wolves in the area. The average top market value for cattle is roughly $1500 per yearling and $5,000 per adult cow. At the top market value, these cattle are worth $9,000 for the six calves and $45,000 for the nine adult cows: the average roughly totalling $4,500 for six calves and $22,500 for the nine cows.
However, this livestock operation does not claim that these are all cattle losses. The CPW Commission is reimbursing $287,407.63 for sheep and cattle losses. The average market weight of sheep today varies. The average value of ewes and lambs is between $ 1.73 and $ 3.47 per pound. So, let’s estimate that these may have been healthy lambs and young, healthy ewes. Let’s say they weighed an average of 175 lb. and were valued at $303 and $607 each. If they lost 10 cattle and five sheep to wolves, the total market value is approximately $32,036.25.
Colorado’s Multiplier for Compensation Beyond Confirmed Losses
Colorado has adopted the country’s most generous multiplier for livestock losses to wolves. If the rancher uses appropriate nonlethal measures to protect their livestock from predation, they can qualify for seven times the market value to help cover the costs of possible unknown losses and proactive nonlethal livestock protection methods. That brings this cost to roughly $224,253.75, but they are being paid $287,407.63. And we don’t know if this ranching operation complied with nonlethal livestock protection methods required to secure the seven times multiplier. There are reports that they instead maintained an open carcass pit of dead livestock that attracted wolves to their property and refused to fence, cover or clean it up until after they were losing livestock to wolves. What is the purpose of this compensation payment scheme if it discourages ranchers from protecting their livestock?
The Information Was Withheld from the Public
Given that the state uses taxpayer funds and donations to support its wolf program, we submitted several requests under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA), which requires all public records to be inspected by any person at reasonable times unless a record has been made not public by law. CORA is found in state law as C.R.S. § 24-72-201 to 206. CPW refused to share this information before the CPW commission approved these claims for reimbursement. They now want us to pay $537.81 to receive these records electronically. So, in the interest of public knowledge and transparency, would you like to chip in and help us pay this fee? We will share the files publicly and together evaluate how CPW has determined to pay $343,415.37 to these two ranching operations in wolf-related compensation. Is this a fair way to reimburse ranchers for legitimate livestock losses to wolves or a boondoggle subsidy covering ranchers for weight and fertility programs unrelated to the wolves? Let’s find out.
I recently testified at the CPW meeting on Colorado’s wolf compensation program about these concerns. Listen here at the 8.00.36 mark
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