By Shannon Lukens.
Someone illegally shot the gray wolf that died in Grand County and U.S. Fish and Wildlife now wants to know who did it. They’ll pay a reward. The amount will depend on the value of the information provided. This is the male that was captured in late August as part of the Copper Creek Pack. A necropsy showed a gunshot wound and U.S. Fish and Wildlife says that’s what led to the wolf’s death. Gray wolves in Colorado are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act which means it is illegal to harass, harm, or kill them without authorization.
If you have any information on the death of the wolf, you can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hotline at 1-844-FWS-Tips (397-8477), FWS_TIPS@fws.gov, or https://www.fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips.
The picture above may or may not be the wolf that died. We asked for a picture. Travis Duncan with Colorado Parks and Wildlife says, “Thanks for your inquiry. CPW does not have any clear images that provide a good depiction of the animal.” Joe Szuszwalak, the Public Affairs Specialist for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Mountain Prairie Region writes, “I do not have a photo of this specific wolf.”
More on the Story — A reward is offered for the person who shot a gray wolf in Grand County
More folks are flying out of Yampa Valley Regional Airport, than into the airport. That was the case on Thursday, with 15 nonstop flights scheduled. Inbound flights had 1,468 passengers arriving. Outbound flights had 1,953 departing passengers. Three flights that were late were because of baggage taking longer than expected to load.
REPS, which is Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide, says Northwest Colorado had 19 suicide losses in 2024. Eleven were in Routt County and eight were in Moffat County. There is a free Suicide Prevention Training called “Talk Saves Lives,” next Thursday, Jan. 9. There are two sessions at noon and 5 p.m. at the Strings Music tent in Steamboat Springs. REPS is hosting it with UCHealth Yapa Valley Medical Center and Strings. It’s free and everyone is welcome.
More on the Story — Two Suicide Prevention Training sessions are Jan. 9
Courtesy photo
It’s a girl! The first baby born for the new year at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center is Isla Renee Moran, born to proud parents Daphne West and Ryan Moran of Steamboat Springs, at 3:11 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Isla weighed 7 pounds and 9 ounces, and is 19.6 inches long. Isla and her dad share the same birthday of Jan. 1. He was the first baby born at a hospital in Virginia back in 1997.
Isla was delivered by Dr. Laurie LeBleu Vaszily of UCHealth Women’s Care Clinic in Steamboat Springs. In 2024, there were 374 babies delivered at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs.
Sailor Hockey is this weekend. The Steamboat Sailors host Caprock Academy at 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Jan. 4, at Howelsen Ice Arena. Head Coach Brian Ripley says they’ve set some high expectations for the season with playoffs three years in a row.
“We’ve kind of established a high standard. The goal is to keep it there. Just worrying about kind of our own performance. Our method going through. What the priorities are. Defense first, transition fast, and then offense will come through that. But yeah, really excited.”
The Sailors are going into the game at 8-1, while Caprock Academy has not yet won a game this season.
The Moffat County Bulldogs Basketball Team host Grand Valley Saturday afternoon, Jan. 4. The girls play at 2:30 p.m. and the boys are right after that, at 4 p.m.
Check out what’s happening in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.