Ten wolves are expected to arrive in Colorado this month. On Nov. 9, wildlife officials prepared local citizens for the wolf’s reintroduction in an open space at Colorado State University’s Kremmling Extension Hall.
The assembly was chaired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff: Jeromy Huntington, Regional Wildlife Manager; Ellen Brandell, a scientist who studies wildlife; and Adam Baca, wolf conflict coordinator. USDA Wildlife Specialist Lauren Emerick and Philip Anderson, president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and a Walden rancher, also led the assembly.
After Huntington and Baca made their presentations, a panel of speakers addressed the crowd. The panel discussion was moderated by Jonathan Boydston, CPW Public Engagement Specialist. Each stakeholder had their own attitude about handling wolves.
Wildlife scientist Brandell began the panel discussion by describing how 10 gray wolves would trek the roughly 1,000-mile adventure from their homes in Oregon to the West Slope. Several participants asked questions about logistics, from how the animals would be captured to how they would be captured. be tracked.
“We’re going to send them from a helicopter . . . it’s the most productive way to catch them in the winter,” Brandell explained, adding that paw traps can injure wolves in bloodless weather because it cuts off the flow from the limbs.
The tranquilized wolves will undergo health checks to ensure they are suitable for relocation before their long journey.
“We’re going to put them in a box,” he says. They will be flown to Colorado and then the boxes will be opened. It’s going to be pretty fast for those animals.
Wolves will be treated as part of a hardArray rather than a comfortable one where they will be kept in enclosures and fed until they get used to their new environment. By the time the wolves reach Colorado, their tranquilizing medicine will be gone.
“The wolves will be petrified when they come out of those cages,” Brandell said. “Your first intuition will be to run away. . . They need to get away from other people as temporarily as possible. “
Since only 4 caged wolves can have compatibility on an airplane at a time, there will be versions from December to March. Brandell added that wolves may not necessarily be released as a pack. If the specialists know that the captured animals belong to the same herd, they will be released in the same place. If they are not sure, those wolves will be released separately.
“Wolves are very social animals and we’re not going to try to artificially impose a certain type of social structure,” he said, adding that the company probably doesn’t know much about the relationships of the wolves they capture.
“The thing about wolves is. . . that we release them separately,” he said. “But they have a lot of tactics to communicate, and if they need to meet after they’re released, they can do that. “
The goal is to incorporate an equal proportion of men and women. None of the females captured before February will become pregnant, as this is before the spring mating season.
Brandell then explained how the reintroduction procedure will be extended over the years. This December, CPW will release wolves north of the reintroduction domain. It’s possible that this domain will only come with Grand County, depending on the number of release sites used this year. Over the next three to five years, the company will continue to release 10 to 15 wolves per year, until the ideal number of 30 to 50 wolves is reached.
“Until we know how many remain in the domain, settling and breeding, we will not have made a decision on the exact number or the precise locations where we plan to release them in the coming years,” he said.
After Brandell went over the reintroduction process, one user in attendance said the released wolves would not remain in Colorado. CPW will release the wolves into a buffer zone 60 miles from state lines — “bad science,” according to this participant. As Adam Baca stated earlier at the meeting, wolves are known to have a diversity of up to a hundred miles.
“We’ve already had documented wolf sightings in Grand County,” the attendee said. “Why make (the buffer) 60 miles? They certainly have a much wider territory … we already have collared wolves in Walden that aren’t staying where you think they’re staying.”
Currently, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has shown that two wolves in Jackson County’s Walden Domain; They came here from Wyoming.
“Our purpose is to allow wolves to re-establish themselves in the state. That’s what we have a mandate to do,” Brandell responded. . . . Our purpose in hitting them within a 60-mile radius is to hope that “It will remain in the state in the short term and recover. “
She then discussed the GPS tracking collars that each released wolf will be fitted with. Not all wolves in Colorado will be collared, but each wolf from Oregon will have a collar as it lands in the state. Collars allow CPW to monitor the animals’ movement — with some limitations.
“There’s a balance between the amount of knowledge they collect and the battery life,” Brandell said. “We want to know how long we want the battery to last and how much knowledge we want to collect. “
The more data points collected, the faster the battery drains. For example, if a wolf’s location is collected every hour (as close to real-time as a collar can get), the battery would die in less than a year, Brandell explained. Currently, collars collect a data point on the wolf’s location every few hours, then once or twice a day, that information is transmitted to CPW’s servers via satellite.
“We only get information retroactively,” she said. “I can’t look online and tell you where a wolf is right now, but I can tell you where a wolf was eight hours ago.”
She said CPW can’t determine the precise path the wolf took between knowledge points, so it’s hard to say what personal land the wolf would possibly have crossed. This led one player to explicitly express his feeling that the collars were ineffective.
“Why can’t we have collars to know the exact day and time of those predators?” asked Brandell. Here it is about the livelihood of the people, the sheep and the cattle. They did what they had to do, that’s why the wolves were eliminated from Colorado.
He added that farm animals can have electronic identification tags attached to their ears, making it possible to track their location anywhere there is a satellite, even in the mountains.
“You’re bringing a vicious monster, and we can only know we have problems to deal with eight hours later,” he said.
Brandell replied that the ear markings that are painted on farm animals are not suitable for the wolf’s anatomy, as they would bend or tear the wolf’s ear. He clarified that CPW uses the most productive collars available.
“We’re limited by batteries,” he explained of why real-time knowledge is rarely available.
Using a larger battery would allow for more knowledge and a longer lifespan, but the collar would be too heavy for the wolf to use. Second, the collars will have to last longer than a year, as the CPW can’t capture wolves to upgrade dead batteries.
“We can’t do that from a logistical and monetary standpoint,” he said. “Wolves are intelligent. They are informed about the helicopter. They are informed about the flight. They are informed about the obstacles.
After Brandell spoke, Anderson spoke about his reports on wolf country grazing in Walden, adding how he worked with Adam Baca and other CPW workers to mitigate the conflict.
“We all want to work with our neighbors. We want to work with the government. We want to work with CPW,” he said, explaining that all Western Slope citizens want to be prepared for wolves near their homes.
“They will be released on the continental divide; they will be released where there is food,” he said. “Guess what the food is? Moose, moose, and cattle.
Anderson is no stranger to wolf attacks. In fact, less than two weeks after Kremmling’s open house, 3 of his lambs were slaughtered on the ranch he runs with his son, Brian Anderson. CPW investigated and proved that the lambs had been killed by at least one wolf.
At the open house, Anderson said he and other North Park citizens would continue to operate their ranch, despite wolf attacks, thanks to crash mitigation equipment provided through wildlife officials.
“If you’re not willing to check those non-lethal tools, then you’ll be in a bad position because wolves will come at you,” he said.
He clarified that every tool has its pluses and minuses. For example, fladry has a shelf life of about 90 days before wolves figure out how to get around it. “They are intelligent beings,” he said.
Guard dogs have been used with some good luck in North Park, as have diversity riders, other people who roam the landscape on horseback to proactively monitor livestock and look for symptoms of predators.
Although organizations like Working Circle offer diversity clauses in Colorado, it’s hard to find enough people to take on this responsibility.
“This is not a holiday at all,” he said. “People think, ‘I’m going to ride horses all the time and there’s going to be lollipops and chewing gum. ‘This is not the case. “
He concluded by saying that communication is key for successful wolf conflict mitigation. Ranchers who believe wolves are near their property should reach out to fellow ranchers, as well as CPW, right away.
“Don’t bury your head in the sand,” he told the crowd of mostly Grand County residents. “He’s been here for a long time. It’s time. . . I assure you, in 12 months we will have wolves.
Emerick, a USDA wildlife specialist, spoke after Anderson about the various non-lethal equipment provided through USDA Wildlife Services. This includes fladrys, trail cameras, cookie casings, and propane cannons. Wildlife Services will work with CPW to distribute that equipment in the state.
Emerick said the USDA has non-lethal systems that CPW doesn’t offer and that “could potentially be smart solutions. “The most important thing might be your dog coverage program.
“We offer Kangal farm animal cover dogs to producers. It’s absolutely free,” he said. You’ll get two free puppies, the first year’s medical expenses are covered, and we’ll train you. “
Kangal sheepdogs can be useful in protecting farm animals and sheep from wolves. The program is new as Wildlife Services has placed about 23 dogs so far.
“Some have been very successful, others have encountered obstacles, but we have learned a lot and this is a program that we must continue,” Emerick said. “But we want interested manufacturers to make it happen. “
She encouraged interested ranchers to contact her or wildlife services. Emerick also handed participants a flyer describing the program. According to the flyer, those large dogs were bred in Turkey and have a long history of bonding and protecting herds of farm animals.
Emerick added that Wildlife Services is actively looking for riders the company can match with breeders.
“Having human eyes in the field, able to attend to situations, is one of the most productive things you can do for your livestock,” he said.
These riders will need to be well-trained, committed to their work, and willing to work long hours to ensure the protection of livestock.
“My task is to implement shock (minimization) teams that don’t involve killing the predator,” he said. “So if there are things they need to see from us, my job is to find a solution to make this happen. “”.
Huntington works for CPW as Area Nine’s wildlife manager. Since Area Nine represents Grand and Summit counties, Huntington made sure an assembly was held on wolf reintroduction in KremmlingArray.
During the panel discussion, he outlined the benefits of surveillance cameras. CPW, along with Wildlife Services, will work with property owners to install cameras around their properties. He said the cameras would offer more up-to-date insights into the wolves’ movements. He added that having human eyes on the ground is also an effective way to track the movements of wolves.
“When the collared North Park wolves came to Grand County, we received a call from a landowner who reported this sighting before we knew anything about the collar or the animal in Middle Park,” he said.
Following the panel discussion, member and local rancher Jani Phillips Wood spoke to the crowd about her family’s considerations regarding wolves.
“I need to introduce you to my diversity riders,” she said of her two young children by her side. “They’re nine and 11 years old. We’re looking to raise our little ones with that lifestyle. “
Wood explained that her children don’t have the equipment to themselves while she tries to teach them how to care for livestock.
“As a mother, I can no longer responsibly send my children to monitor the calving season of their cows because it’s not safe,” she said.
She added that she wants to be respectful of the law and be a team player in the wolf reintroduction process, but “there are people in this state who value an animal’s life and an animal’s lifestyle above my children’s. And that’s wrong.”
Wood’s remarks were applauded by the crowd.
“If it’s about my children’s lives, I’m done,” he concluded.
As wolf reintroduction becomes a truth in Colorado, CPW has a booklet titled “Living with Wolves: How to Avoid Conflict with Wildlife. “
The booklet provides tips on what to do in the event of an encounter with a wolf, as well as how to safely recreate in wolf country. Visit CPW. State. Co. Us to read the brochure.
To report a wolf sighting in Grand County, stop at CPW. Info/Wolf-Sighting or call your local Hot Sulphur Springs CPW at 970-725-6200. CPW can also provide citizens with more data on non-lethal confrontation minimization equipment and how to get reimbursed for slaughtered livestock.
For more information on horseback riding or Kangal farm animal guard dogs, contact Specialist Lauren Emerick at Lauren. Emerick@usda. gov.
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