A federal court on Friday denied a motion to block authorities from reintroducing gray wolves in Colorado after ranchers argued the consequences on livestock and rural communities hadn’t been adequately assessed.
U.S. District Judge Regina Rodriguez found that the concerns raised by the ranchers, who have lived and worked on the affected land for many years, were not sufficient to grant the extraordinary relief they sought.
“Petitioners now ask the Court to halt the release of wolves and enjoin CPW from carrying out the will of Colorado voters,” Judge Rodriguez wrote in her ruling, referring to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).
“Doing so would be contrary to the public interest,” she added.
The decision clears the way for CPW to go ahead with a planned reintroduction of gray wolves on the western side of the state, a move mandated by a 2020 ballot initiative with a deadline of the end of 2023.
The Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association filed a lawsuit against Colorado’s wildlife agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on Monday, arguing that a more comprehensive environmental analysis should have been conducted before implementing the state’s plan to reintroduce wolves over the next several years.
“Releasing wolves in Colorado is a controversial and irreversible action that will have significant impacts on wildlife and the way of life and livelihoods of rural Coloradans,” reads a legal filing by the rancher group, reported Deseret News.
“The rush by the defendants to release a controversial apex predator without preparing an EIS [environmental impact statement] to understand the full impacts of this action is an irreversible action that will harm Plaintiffs and their members.”
The court rejected the ranchers’ argument that the FWS failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) during the renewal of a new agreement with CPW. The group said its lawsuit aimed to ensure “the economic, ecosystem, and animal welfare concerns of livestock producers” are properly addressed, which they say didn’t adequately happen during the ballot initiative.
Andy Spann, president of the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association, responded to the ruling on Friday, saying in a statement that while they are disappointed, they respect the court’s decision.
“GCSA will continue to look closely at the impacts that wolf reintroduction will have on its members, as well as other livestock producers across the state of Colorado,” Mr. Spann said. “We know there remain major outstanding issues regarding wolf interaction with the livestock industry across Western Colorado. A serious effort to resolve those conflicts remains to be undertaken.”
The case revolves around a ballot measure approved by Colorado voters in November 2020. The measure mandates the CPW to restore gray wolves to the state. CPW developed a plan for reintroduction, unanimously approved on May 3, 2023, that involves transferring thirty to fifty wolves over a three-to-five-year period onto private and state-owned land.
The court, in denying the temporary restraining order, emphasized that the ranchers had waited over three years after the ballot measure passed to file their lawsuit.
The decision comes just weeks before the statutory deadline for Colorado to begin wolf releases. The court’s ruling means that the CPW can proceed with its planned reintroduction of gray wolves in accordance with the approved plan.
Judge Rodriguez’s ruling against the ranchers prompted positive reactions from environmental advocacy groups, who viewed the decision as a victory for the democratic process.
Delaney Rudy of the Western Watersheds Project said, “We are looking forward to wolves being returned to their rightful place in Colorado.”
She noted that “none of us are 100 percent happy with the management plans for wolves in Colorado.” However, she decried the ranchers’ attempt to “thwart the will of the voters with this last minute maneuver,” calling it “poor form.”
“We’re glad the court saw through it,” she added.
Lindsay Larris, wildlife program director at WildEarth Guardians, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the voters’ will as expressed in the 2020 ballot initiative.
“Colorado Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff have spent thousands of hours on this process, hundreds of them to ensure that livestock owner interests are heard,” she said, reported Deseret News. “The court agrees that the public interest in seeing wolves reintroduced by the end of 2023, as intended by ballot measure and statue, is a priority.”
The Epoch Times contacted the Western Watersheds Project, Earth Justice, the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association, and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association for further comment.
