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Dear Guardian,
Colorado is less than 10 months away from reintroducing wolves, as directed by the majority of voters who said “yes” to Proposition 114 in November 2020. Since gray wolves are federally protected as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Colorado must receive permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to manage reintroductions. Colorado has requested what’s known as a “10(j) rule” to give the state greater flexibility for wolf “management.”
We need your help to ensure the 10(j) rule doesn’t sacrifice wolf protection and recovery as part of this flexibility. A robust Colorado wolf population is necessary for recovery of wolves across the West, and the rules that manage them need to reflect this obligation.
From now until April 18, 2023, the USFWS is taking comments on the proposed federal management rules for Colorado. It’s critical that any final rule holds the USFWS accountable for its legal requirement to conserve gray wolves.
We need your voice to ensure that the final federal management rule
- mandates nonlethal coexistence practices in wolf-livestock conflicts;
- allows the killing of wolves only in extremely limited circumstances and never on public lands;
- allows the USFWS to retain some oversight of management practices in the state; and
- is based on the best available science and prioritizes building a sustainable population of wolves in Colorado, not based on what’s most expedient and convenient for livestock owners.
A federal management rule that truly benefits Colorado wolves should include
- a narrow geographic boundary for the “10(j)” population of wolves of 50 miles around any reintroduction sites, leaving wolves already on the ground and those migrating into the state naturally as fully protected under the ESA;
- explicit language that makes clear that the USFWS retains enough management authority to fulfill its duty to conserve gray wolves in Colorado and does not delegate all management authority to the state;
- no allowance for the killing of wolves on public lands; and
- a requirement that multiple, documented, nonlethal coexistence practices are first used and proved unsuccessful before any wolf killing is allowed.
These are just a few improvements we want to see. We encourage you to submit your own comments or join Guardians in our request by signing this petition before April 18, 2023.
With your help, we can ensure that Colorado’s wolves will have a safe and sustainable future.
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