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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service issues final decision on Colorado’s reintroduction of gray wolves
The 10(j) rule under the Endangered Species Act will go into effect on Dec. 8, 2023
- Marianne Goodland marianne.goodland@coloradopolitics.com
- Nov 7, 2023 Updated 22 hrs ago
- 0
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Tuesday issued its final “record of decision” regarding Colorado’s reintroduction of gray wolves.
The final decision, known as a 10(j) rule under the Endangered Species Act, will go into effect in 30 days, on Dec. 8, 2023. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which recently announced they would get 10 wolves from Oregon, will bring those wolves onto public lands in an area bordered by Glenwood Springs and Vail on the north and Aspen on the south. The parks reintroduction plan calls for 30 to 50 wolves to be reintroduced over the next three to five years.
The state had sought private lands, in addition to state-owned land, for reintroduction, but got no takers from private landowners.
Sen. John Hickenlooper announced the final record of decision Tuesday, saying “This final rule respects the will of Colorado voters, farmers, ranchers, and conservationists, and sets our state up for responsible gray wolf reintroduction.”
“It is encouraging to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Colorado making progress towards fulfilling Colorado’s commitment to return meaningful gray wolf populations to the State,” said Michael Saul, Rockies and Plains field director for Defenders of Wildlife. “The return of the wolf to Colorado has the potential to be an historic ecological success, but the restoration program will require careful scientific monitoring and commitment by all stakeholders to ensure wolves and humans can share the landscape, and to give returning wolves a real chance to thrive and transform ecosystems.”
Colorado voters, primarily in urban and suburban counties, narrowly voted to allow the state to reintroduce wolves under Proposition 114 in 2020, on a vote of 50.91% to 49.09%. Rural voters who live in the areas where wolves will be sited overwhelming rejected the ballot measure.
Under the 10(j) rule, wolves would no longer be considered an endangered species in Colorado, although they are still considered endangered in other states. Colorado now joins a list of Western states where gray wolves are no longer endangered, such as Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, north-central Utah and parts of Oregon and Washington. Under the 10(j) rule, wolves are now considered an experimental population.
Without the 10(j) rule, wolves could be reintroduced in Colorado but only as an endangered species and under the management of U.S. Fish & Wildlife. Critics have said the federal agency doesn’t have the capacity to manage the wolf population.
Under the Colorado Parks and Wildlife reintroduction plan, wolves can be killed if they attack livestock, and ranchers can be compensated for livestock losses.
The Colorado General Assembly, during the 2023 session, approved bipartisan legislation setting up a $350,000 per year fund to pay ranchers who lose livestock to wolves.
The record of decision also clarifies that “taking” (killing) gray wolves that attack pets is not allowed but taking gray wolves that attack working dogs, or dogs that guard or herd livestock, is allowed. The record of decision recognizes the sovereignty of Tribal nations by adding a provision to allow taking of gray wolves that significantly impact “ungulate” populations (deer and elk) on the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribal lands. The decision also said takings would not be allowed if there is any evidence of baiting gray wolves through using “unusual attractants, artificial feeding or intentional feeding.”
Wolves started showing up in Colorado in 2021, in Jackson and Routt counties, where they were suspected in at least a half-dozen attacks on livestock and ranch dogs.
Local residents explode at Biden officials over plan to release grizzly bears near their communities
‘If any grizzly bear comes around my place, I’m shooting it,’ one resident told federal officials
Published November 8, 2023 4:00am EST
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Dozens of local residents in northern Washington recently voiced their strong opposition to a Biden administration plan to release grizzly bears, an apex predator, in a federally-managed forest area near their communities.
More than 200 local residents attended a public comment session in northern Washington hosted by the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Parks Service (NPS), with roughly 50 speaking in opposition of the federal grizzly bear proposal and just six voicing their support. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who represents local communities, was among the speakers voicing concerns about the plan’s potential consequences.
“As a farmer, I worry not only about the bears destroying my crops, but for the safety and well-being of myself, my family, and my on-farm hands,” Newhouse remarked during the session. “It is clear you all know that grizzlies can and probably will move out of the zone in which you drop them in, yet rather than letting common sense prevail, are continuing to push forward with this dangerous plan.”
“So tell me, what is the agency’s plan for dealing with crop loss and livestock depredation that is inevitable from the introduction of these predators? What is the timeline for issuing lethal permits? And how much will citizens have to lose before they can defend themselves from this predator in their backyard?” he continued.
BIDEN SIGNS BILL INTO LAW THAT REVERSES HIS ADMIN’S DEFUNDING OF SCHOOL HUNTING, SHOOTING PROGRAMS
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, speaks in opposition of the Biden administration plan to release grizzly bears near Washington communities during a public comment session last week. (Courtesy of Rep. Dan Newhouse)
In late September, the NPS and FWS proposed the rule and draft environmental impact statement opening the door to release the apex predator in North Cascades National Park in northern Washington along the U.S.-Canada border. The proposal was cheered by left-wing eco groups but criticized by local lawmakers like Newhouse and residents.
Under the proposal, the federal government would release up to seven grizzly bears annually into the North Cascades ecosystem over the course of the next five to 10 years. The federal government’s overarching goal would be to establish a grizzly bear population of roughly 200 bears in the coming decades.
REPUBLICANS URGE BIDEN NOT TO RELEASE DEADLY APEX PREDATOR NEAR RURAL COMMUNITY
“There’s not the habitat up there for the grizzly bear. There never has been and there never will be,” one resident said during the comment session last week, according to video obtained by Fox News Digital. “So, you’re going to put grizzly bears there, what are they going to do? They’re going to get right out in the winter. They’re going to go right down in Mazama and they’re going to go down in the rest of the area because they’re not going to stay up there. So, I’m opposed to it completely.”
“If you’re not willing to accept responsibility for what goes down in this county from the actions that you take, you have no business taking those actions,” another resident said, addressing the federal officials in attendance.
An estimated 200 Washington residents participated in the in-person comment session hosted by federal officials to hear feedback regarding the proposal to release grizzly bears in a nearby forest area. (Courtesy of Rep. Dan Newhouse)
The federal plan released in September includes three options, two that would involve actively restoring populations of the threatened grizzly bear species and one “no action” alternative that would maintain current management practices. As part of the announcement, the public is invited to comment on the proposed actions through mid-November.
Hugh Morrison, the regional FWS director, said grizzly bears are part of the region’s heritage and restoring them could be done in a way that ensures communities, residents and animals “can all coexist peacefully.”
BIDEN’S WAR ON HUNTING FACES BLOWBACK FROM REPUBLICANS, SPORTSMEN GROUPS
According to the NPS, Grizzly bears occupied the North Cascades and served as an “essential part of the ecosystem” for thousands of years. However, in the 20th century, as a result of aggressive hunting practices, the species was driven into near extinction and the last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the North Cascades ecosystem was in 1996.
“Nobody needs grizzlies, nobody needs wolves,” another resident added during the event last week. “And the thing we need even less than that is the Department of Fish and Wildlife. These guys know nothing about fish, they don’t care about wildlife. All they want to do is ruin the most important people, which is farmers and ranchers who grow our food. There’s no reason for these people, there’s no reason for grizzly bears.”
“If any grizzly bear comes around my place, I’m shooting it,” he said.
The Biden administration proposed a plan on Sept. 29 to release up to seven grizzly bears annually into the North Cascades ecosystem in northern Washington over the course of the next five to 10 years. (Getty Images)
Another resident, an 80-year-old man who said he frequently hunts in the area, said the federal officials who proposed the grizzly release plan are “super book smart, but dumber than hell” when it comes to on-the-ground conditions facing citizens.
While the plan would release grizzly bears near communities, according to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, unintentionally or intentionally killing a grizzly bear in the state can result in massive fines and penalties since the species is listed as federally threatened and state-listed as endangered.
“We have previously provided extensive comments opposing grizzly bear reintroduction into our local communities,” the commissioners of Chelan County, Washington, which is located near North Cascades, wrote to the NPS in December. “We continue to oppose grizzly bear reintroduction given the likely negative impacts to public safety, economic development, recreation opportunities and the overall livelihood of our rural communities.”
“The federal agencies leading this effort have generally failed to address these concerns and have failed to engage in any meaningful way Chelan County and other neighboring counties in the proposed grizzly bear restoration area,” they added in their letter.
A grizzly bear is photographed at the at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. While grizzly bears — which are apex predators — are classified as a threatened species in Washington, they are not in danger of extinction. (Trevor Hughes / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades dates back to the Obama administration. Then, after significant state opposition led by Newhouse, the Trump administration concluded that grizzly bears would not be restored in the ecosystem.
Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt noted in July 2020 that grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction and that his agency could manage populations across their existing range.
However, late last year, following extensive litigation from environmental groups, the Biden administration announced it would again review whether to move forward with restoration, a process that led to the proposal in September.
Federal agency finalizes rule that lets Colorado decide when people can kill gray wolves
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday published the decision, which designates gray wolves as a “nonessential experimental population.”
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Author: Jennifer Campbell-Hicks
Published: 1:39 PM MST November 7, 2023
Updated: 1:39 PM MST November 7, 2023
https://www.9news.com/article/life/animals/colorado-wolf-reintroduction-us-fish-wildlife-rule-finalized/73-068db520-a2f8-45ef-8961-ba7c34b601e7
DENVER — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) finalized a rule Tuesday that gives the state of Colorado authority to create its own rules for gray wolf management, including when someone would be allowed to kill a wolf.
The final 10(j) rule, which designates new gray wolves as a “nonessential experimental population, will go into effect Dec. 8. Colorado Parks and Wildlife intends to reintroduce wolves to the state by Dec. 31, because of a 2020 ballot proposition.
“Big news for our Colorado wolf reintroduction efforts,” CPW said on Twitter. “10j gives us gray wolf management flexibility, so we are on schedule to have wolves on the ground by 12/31/23.”
> The video above aired Sept. 15: Colorado will get to create rules for when people can kill grey wolves
This designation was sought after by ranchers. Anticipating receiving the 10(j) rule, the state’s management plan already sets conditions for when people could kill wolves. For example, the state intends to issue permits for ranchers to kill a wolf if they catch one actively trying to kill livestock.
USFWS said this rule does not apply to wolves already in Colorado because the wolves do not currently meet the criteria to be considered a population. The 10(j) will apply to the wolves the state plans to reintroduce later this year.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis previously vetoed a bill that would have required the rule to be in place before wolves get reintroduced.
Without this designation, the only scenario where a person could legally kill a wolf would be to save human life. That’s because gray wolves are federally listed as an endangered species.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado, released a statement praising the designation.
“This final rule respects the will of Colorado voters, farmers, ranchers and conservationists, and sets our state up for responsible gray wolf reintroduction,” Hickenlooper said.
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