With Costs Spiraling Out of Control, Colorado Lawmakers and Ranchers Pressure Officials on Future of Copper Creek Wolf Pack

It was a busy spring in Colorado, particularly in the Western Slope region, as the area’s lawmakers and cattle producers continue to battle the state’s recently reintroduced cow killers. With what is known as the Copper Creek Pack hogging the majority of the headlines back in May, Monday’s Water Resources and Agricultural Review Committee hearing seemed to be a great opportunity to dig up what some would hope would remain buried.

After setting an unexpected precedent by killing one of their own, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials dispatched a male gray wolf towards the end of May in Pitkin County. In an area where ranchers are reportedly literally living alongside their cattle in an effort to protect them, the state’s reintroduction efforts have been under fire since the program’s inception. 

During Monday’s legislative hearing, Colorado lawmakers made a point to go after CPW’s top brass regarding the recent decisions surrounding wolf management, along with future releases. While producers are pushing for more relief, they continue to voice their frustration around a lack of communication and support from the state . Alluding to the wolf reintroduction’s narrow victory back in 2020, bolstered by urban voters, Garfield County Commissioner Perry Will perfectly labeled the restoration effort as “East Slope directed, West Slope affected”.

As relationships across ranchers, CPW field operations and the general public have continued to deteriorate as the program progresses, the state’s wolf program has failed on virtually every front. Add in the fact that this thing is sucking back resources faster than anyone had anticipated, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are growing weary about their constituents' support, and rightfully so.

“This seems out of control,” said Frisco Democrat Sen. Dylan Roberts. “It’s money that, because it is state statute, because it was passed by the voters, that we have to spend, which means we’re cutting from other things … We are prioritizing wolves over classrooms. We’re prioritizing wolves over roads right now.”  

According to CPW, the agency has forked over $3 million on the wolf program between July 2024 and May 2025 - or about $2.2 million more than what Colorado voters were told it was going to cost in 2020. CPW head honcho Jeff Davis clapped back at the financial claims, stating that the rising costs were the result of a variety of factors realized in the wolf plan that was not approved until 2023, along with its compensation plan.

And while lawmakers should be perturbed about the flagrant budget missteps, as far as ranchers are concerned, they still believe this whole thing is more politically motivated than anything else. With constituents driving wolf policy from city centers, Western Slope county officials, legislators and livestock producers took every minute of the three-hour long meeting on Monday to voice their concerns about the choices made surrounding the Copper Creek pack in particular.

Despite clear wording in the state’s wolf management plan stating that “the translocation of depredating wolves to a different part of the state will not be considered, as this is viewed as translocating the problem,” the state did just that. After capturing the whole damn pack in Grand County on the heels of repeated depredation events, they were released in a hush-hush, late-night relocation effort in Pitkin County.

“(The stakeholders involved in the development of the Wolf Plan) put together a plan and agreed upon by a broad range of recreation, sportsmen, at large members, agriculture, CPW — a lot of time and effort, volunteer time and effort went into that,” said Tom Harrington, president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. “And yet, because of a rushed agenda, in my opinion, by the governor, to get at headlines instead of following the plan, now we’re dealing with the fallout.”

If CPW director Jeff Davis has done anything right through this entire thing, taking ownership over the decision to release the Copper Creek pack in Pitkin County - which he did on Monday - might be it. Confirming that the decision was his and his alone, Davis went on to state that he and his office are committed to keeping the lines of communication open to all stakeholders affected by the wolf reintroduction program.

While Davis seems engaged, ranchers and producers remain skeptical. Despite promising to follow the guidelines outlined in the wolf management plan, the opposition pressured CPW specifically on the Copper Creek Pack and were able to forced the hand of wildlife officials. Agreeing to discuss even the possibility of removing the Copper Creek Pack from the landscape, the commission scheduled a special meeting on Monday, July 7th to discuss the fate of these wolves.

“Whether they are lethally removed or they’re captured and put in a sanctuary forever to never be back on the landscape to impact livestock,” Harrington said. “Either way, that’s what needs to happen to solve this problem. For them to keep protecting these wolves that have chosen to prey on livestock, to me, I just don’t understand it.” 

The meeting is set to be held virtually on Monday and live streamed on the agency’s YouTube channel.