From The Fence Post:
In 2020, Colorado voters narrowly approved the reintroduction of gray wolves, which will happen later this year. New research from Colorado State University’s Regional Economic Development Institute estimates that the benefits to those who voted “yes” will be about $115 million per year, more than 50 times the estimated government spending for ranchers experiencing losses due to predation.
Almost 90% of those benefits fall in the Front Range, where very few people will ever encounter a wolf, explained Dana Hoag, lead author of the study and agriculture and resource economics professor. On the other side, about 5.4% of those same benefits fall on the Western Slope, where almost all of the costs will occur.
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Final approval to reintroduce wolves in the Western Slope
From Fox 21 News:
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Wednesday, May 3, the Parks and Wildlife Commission voted on the final approval for the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan meaning wolves will be reintroduced in the Western Slope by the end of this year.
“A really big deal for us, a milestone, kind of a monumental event,” Public Information Officer at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Travis Duncan, said. “It was the result, the culmination of more than two years of really extensive statewide stakeholder meetings and outreach with a series of public hearings and collecting feedback from folks from all over Colorado.”
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Balancing the economic wins, losses from the reintroduction of wolves
From The Fence Post:
In 2020, Colorado voters narrowly approved the reintroduction of gray wolves, which will happen later this year. New research from Colorado State University’s Regional Economic Development Institute estimates that the benefits to those who voted “yes” will be about $115 million per year, more than 50 times the estimated government spending for ranchers experiencing losses due to predation.
Almost 90% of those benefits fall in the Front Range, where very few people will ever encounter a wolf, explained Dana Hoag, lead author of the study and agriculture and resource economics professor. On the other side, about 5.4% of those same benefits fall on the Western Slope, where almost all of the costs will occur.
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Wolf re-introduction plan includes Aspen, Roaring Fork region for likely releases
From The Aspen Times:
The Highway 82 corridor from Glenwood Springs to Aspen and the I-70 corridor between Glenwood Springs and Vail are likely to be the first areas where gray wolves are re-introduced to the state.
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Wolf plan approved but finding states to provide wolves may be difficult
From The Fence Post:
The Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan was unanimously approved by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on May 3. The final approval inches CPW biologists closer to reintroducing wolves by the end of the year.
However, the states named in the plan that are potential sources of donor wolves may not be on board.
A spokesman for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Greg Lemon, said his state is not involved in any conversations with other states about moving wolves. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon told 9News he is opposed to sending wolves to Colorado.
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‘Trust the science’ on wolves, says Lauren Boebert
From DH News:
A bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert would usurp the authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and delist the gray wolf as an endangered species.
H.R. 764, known as the “Trust the Science Act,” would reinstate a Trump-era rule that removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list. Wolves were first federally protected in the late 1960s, and the gray wolf itself was reclassified as its own endangered species in 1978.
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Why Some Wolves Become Leaders of the Pack
From Explores Web:
A 20-year study has found a surprising reason why some gray wolves become the pack leader. Wolves infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii are far more likely to end up as the top dog.
The tiny parasites are well known to cat owners, where they are a common problem. Because T. gondii can only reproduce inside cats, its effect on other animals has been somewhat overlooked. Yet it can infect almost any warm-blooded animal.
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A Secret History of Mongolian Wolves
From History Today:
Mongolians have always lived with wolves. During the imperial era, the relationship was an ambiguous one. Under socialism, it became existential.
In Mongolia, where the dominant lifestyle is nomadic pastoralism, threat comes from the land. Wolves (chono) are found throughout the nation’s various ecosystems: steppe, semi-desert, mountains. Their existence has been lamented and romanticised for centuries.
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U.S. House committee passes bill to delist wolves
From The Brunswick News:
WASHINGTON — The House Natural Resources Committee last week passed a bill that would remove federal Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf.
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Wolves kill calf in E. Oregon
From the Capitol Press:
BAKER CITY, Ore. — Wolves from the Lookout Mountain area killed a six-week-old calf in the Daly Creek area south of Richland, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Colorado’s wolf reintroduction timeline is unclear even with final plan
From Axios:
The state wildlife board unanimously approved a plan Wednesday to reintroduce wolves in Colorado, but when paws will land on the ground remains a question mark.
The timeline for reintroduction is murky.
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