By Shannon Lukens.

 

Saturday was a gathering of around 70 people on the Gittleson Ranch in Jackson County. This is where wolves have killed more cattle than anywhere else in Colorado.

State legislators were there along with many ranchers and producers from Northwest Colorado, media from throughout Colorado, Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherer, and top officials with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. They were all there to listen and learn how wolf reintroduction is affecting the ag community, in a non-confrontational setting.

Don Gittleson gave a tour of his ranch and home, showing where different cattle had been killed by wolves on the property.

 

After the tour, CPW Director Jeff Davis answered questions of legislators, ranchers, and media who were there.

“This meeting was great. I’m so glad that the Gittlesons hosted us. It’s so important to CPW with all of what’s going on that we are here to listen and understand and try to create some durable solutions with the ranching community and the rest of Colorado’s residents.”

Davis answered questions for about an hour until heavy rain, hail and wind blew through the Gittleson’s ranch, making any communication impossible in the metal barn. No one could hear. And then the mosquitos came out in force.

 

Merrit Linke was at the gathering. Linke is a Grand County Commissioner and also Vice President of the Middle Park Stockgrowers. He also explained how the wolves that have been killing cattle in Grand County do not have as much of a fear of humans than the wolves doing the killing of livestock in Jackson County. The Grand County wolves were reintroduced by CPW from Oregon in December. The wolves in Jackson County naturally migrated down from Wyoming.

 

Marie Haskett of Meeker attended the meeting. She is the current head of the CPW Commission. Haskett is an active Board Member of the Colorado Outfitters Association, and the Northwest Colorado Outfitters Association. She is a past board member of the Meeker Chamber of Commerce, White River Neighborhood Group, Platte River Chapter of the COA, and served 8 years on the DORA Outfitter Licensing Board.

 

Those legislators there were:

Pictured from left to right

Colorado State Representative Barbara McLachlan from House District 59 (Counties: Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan)

Colorado State Representative Meghan Lukens from House District 26 (Counties: Moffat, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Eagle)

Colorado Senator Perry Will from Senate District 5 (Counties: Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, and Pitkin)

Colorado Senator Dylan Roberts from Senate District 8 (Counties: Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Summit)

Colorado Senator Byron Pelton from Senate District 1 (Counties: Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma)

Colorado State Representative Marc Catlin from House District 58 (Counties: Delta, Dolores, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel)

Also pictured: Dan Gates, the Executive Director of Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management from Canon City, and Gaspar Perricone of Steamboat Springs, who is a partner at Freestone Strategies. He is also the current chair of the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project and a former Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioner. He served as policy advisor in the US Senate, a Legislative Director for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, and on the GOCO Board.

 

 

There will be extensive media coverage of the event in the next few weeks. Some of the outlets attending include: The Fence Post, The Coloradoan, The Colorado Sun, Swift Communications (which includes the Steamboat Pilot & Today, Craig Press, Sky-Hi News, Aspen Times, Vail Daily, Summit Daily, Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Snowmass Sun, and the Citizen Telegram), the Yampa Valley Bugle, Colorado Wolf Tracker Facebook page, Colorado Politics, and Rocky Mountain PBS.

And of course, Steamboat Radio News, who helped coordinate the event, which was hosted by the Gittleson Family, Senator Dylan Roberts, and Representative Meghan Lukens.

 

Steamboat Radio News Past Coverage of wolves in Colorado

• June 13, 2024 —  CPW TO FORM WORKING GROUP REGARDING WOLF RESTORATION
• June 12, 2024 — NORTH PARK PRODUCER WHO LOSES CALF SPEAKS OUT
• June 10, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS ANOTHER WOLF DEPREDATION IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEKEND
• June 5, 2024 — Wolf Video posted from Grand County
• May 26, 2024 —  DON GITTLESON SAYS ANOTHER CALF HAS BEEN KILLED BY WOLVES ON HIS RANCH 
• May 15, 2024 — HERE’S THE LATEST LETTER TO MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS FROM CPW DIRECTOR DAVIS 
• May 14, 2024 — Suspected mountain lion kills the collared wolf
• May 6, 2024 — MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS SEND EIGHT-PAGE LETTER TO CPW
• April 30, 2024 — GRAND COUNTY RANCHERS TO GET HELP WITH PROTECTING THEIR LIVESTOCK
• April 30, 2024 — NORTH PARK STOCKGROWERS SEND ANOTHER LETTER TO CPW AND GOV. POLIS
• April 28, 2024 —ANOTHER WOLF KILL IN GRAND COUNTY SUNDAY
• April 24-2024 —  COLLARED GRAY WOLF ACTIVITY MAP RELEASED FOR APRIL
• April 23, 2024 — A WOLF HAS DIED, AND MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS HEAR FROM CPW
• April 22, 2024 —  MULTIPLE LETTERS SENT TODAY TO GOVERNOR POLIS AND CPW ASKING FOR ACTION ON WOLVES
• April 18, 2024 —  FOUR MORE HEAD OF LIVESTOCK KILLED BY WOLVES IN GRAND COUNTY
• April 9, 2024 — AG PRODUCERS MEET WITH CPW OFFICIALS IN KREMMLING ABOUT WOLVES
• April 8, 2024 — ANOTHER CALF KILLED BY A WOLF OR WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY
• April 3, 2024 — A WOLF OR WOLVES HAVE KILLED A NEWBORN CALF IN GRAND COUNTY
• April 3, 2024 —  Denver 7  Calf killed in first confirmed report of gray wolf depredation since wolves were released in December
• Feb. 29, 2024 — COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE OFFICIALS COME TO STEAMBOAT SPRINGS TO TALK WOLVES
•  Jan. 30, 2024 — CPW SENDS UPDATE ON WOLF SIGHTINGS SINCE 2004, AND MORE ON THE MAP
• Jan. 24, 2024  — ELECTED OFFICIALS GRILL DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CPW AT HEARING WEDNESDAY
• Jan. 22, 2024 — CPW GETS HARSH LETTER DEMANDING ANSWERS FROM ROBERTS AND MCCLUSKIE
• Jan. 19, 2024 — COLORADO’S NEXT WOLVES TO BE REINTRODUCED WILL BE FROM TRIBAL LANDS IN WASHINGTON
• Jan. 12, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS WOLVES WERE IN SOUTH ROUTT BUT AREN’T (YET) IN MOFFAT
• Dec. 22, 2023 — FIVE MORE WOLVES ARE RELEASED BY COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
• Dec. 22, 2023 — CPW DENIES GITTLESON’S REQUEST TO IMPLEMENT 10(J) RULE ON JACKSON COUNTY WOLVES
• Dec. 21, 2023 — THREE OF THE FIVE WOLVES RELEASED IN COLORADO WERE IN PACKS THAT KILLED OR INJURED LIVESTOCK IN OREGON
• Dec. 19, 2023 — LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS RECEIVE WOLF UPDATE FROM CPW IN CRAIG MONDAY
• Dec. 13, 2023 — GITTLESON SAYS ANOTHER CALF WAS ATTACKED BY A WOLF TODAY
• Dec. 11, 2023 — COMPLAINT FILED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT TO STOP WOLF REINTRODUCTION IN COLORADO
• Dec. 4, 2023 — KEEP YOUR PETS CLOSE AND CARRY A BIG STICK – CPW HAS ADVICE FOR LIVING WITH WOLVES
• Nov. 19, 2023 — THREE LAMBS KILLED BY A WOLF IN JACKSON COUNTY, SAYS RANCHER
• Nov. 17, 2023 – CPW AND CDA ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO WORK TOGETHER ON WOLF REINTRODUCTION
• Nov. 7, 2023 – U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SETS DATE FOR 10J RULE FOR WOLVES
• Oct. 6, 2023 – COLORADO WILL RECEIVE WOLVES FROM OREGON
• May 16, 2023 –  POLIS VETOES 10J RULE WOLF BILL
• May 3, 2023 – CPW COMMISSION APPROVES FINAL WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN 
• May 2, 2023 – MANAGEMENT OF GRAY WOLVES REINTRODUCTION BILL PASSES IN STATE HOUSE
• May 2, 2023 –CPW MEETS THIS WEEK FOR FINAL WOLF MANAGEMENT PLAN 
• April 27, 2023 – CPW CONFIRMS WOLF SIGHTING EAST OF KREMMLING
• April 8, 2023 – CPW WOLF COMMISSION MEETS IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS 
• April 3, 2023 – CPW TO PRESENT FINAL DRAFT WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
• March 28, 2023 – THE SOUTHERN UTE TRIBE ASKS THAT CPW RELEASES WOLVES ALONG I-70 CORRIDOR
• March 15, 2023 – TWO DOGS DIE FROM WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEK
• March 3, 2023 –COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION RELEASES WOLF REINTRODUCTION MEETING RECAP 
• Feb. 10, 2022 – MONTANA STOCKGROWERS VOICE SUPPORT FOR COLORADO RANCHERS OVER THE WOLVES
• Feb. 9, 2022 – WOLF MANAGEMENT DISCUSSED BY LOCAL RANCHERS AND OFFICIALS AT FORUM IN STEAMBOAT
• Jan. 22, 2022 – WOLF MITIGATION OPTIONS
• Jan. 19, 2022 – ANOTHER COW KILLED OVERNIGHT IN NORTH PARK BY WOLVES
• Jan. 18, 2022 – TWO MORE COWS ATTACKED BY WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY TUESDAY
• Jan. 12, 2022 – CPW ALLOWS WOLVES TO BE HAZED IN EMERGENCY DECLARATION
• Jan. 10, 2022 – A WOLF PACK KILL IS REPORTED IN JACKSON COUNTY OVER THE WEEKEND
• June 9, 2021 – WOLF DEN WITH PUPS CONFIRMED IN NW COLORADO