The Fish and Wildlife Service is pressing Colorado for more information about the gray wolves released into the state’s Western Slope and their run-ins with livestock, the latest in a series of questions raised by the Trump administration about the program.
The agency, overseen by Director Brian Nesvik, released a notice Monday asking for details about the “conflict risk” of endangered gray wolves brought to Colorado through the state’s wolf reintroduction program.
Nesvik and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have already threatened to take over the initiative, which has faced backlash from ranchers about wolf attacks on cattle. Burgum in December posted on social media that “Colorado is prioritizing WOLVES over American ranchers!”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which has overseen the program for the state, and advocacy groups argue it’s essential for restoring long-term ecological health, saying that wolves will keep elk and deer populations in check.
