The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado continues to be a hot topic since the November election when Proposition 114 narrowly passed in Colorado, mandating the reintroduction. Just 13 counties out of Colorado’s 64 counties voted YES for the Proposition and among those opposed many are demonstrating continued opposition, especially in Western Colorado. Putting action to words, the Rio Blanco County Commission made their stance official with the passing of a resolution last week that states that the county will not allow for the artificial reintroduction of wolves into Rio Blanco County. The resolution does allow for the natural migration and repopulation of Gray Wolves but made it clear that Rio Blanco County must not be included on the list of “designated lands” for the reintroduction and further stated that no other county that adopts the resolution can be on the “designated lands” list. The County press release states that among the top concerns from Rio Blanco County is the significant economic impact from the Wolf Reintroduction. The County is already facing depressed county revenues due to regulations on the fossil fuel industry. According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Rio Blanco County maintains a 18.8 million dollar agriculture industry from cattle, sheep and hay production. The Northwest Region of Colorado, including Rio Blanco County, reports the largest amount of outdoor recreation in the state spending at $10.3 billion dollars. The resolution makes the Rio Blanco County the first ‘Wolf Reintroduction Sanctuary County’ in the state though more are invited and expected to follow.
