Stop Wolf Funding Now in Colorado

Tracy Ross’ piece in The Colorado Sun reports that lawmakers tucked a message into the state budget telling Governor Jared Polis to stop using general fund dollars to bring more wolves into Colorado. The article explains that the footnote is not legally binding, but it would put Colorado Parks and Wildlife on notice that lawmakers want wolf reintroduction funded through gifts, grants, and donations instead of general tax money. Ross also notes this follows earlier budget and special-session fights over wolf funding, and that bipartisan lawmakers led by Sen. Dylan Roberts and Rep. Meghan Lukens are behind the latest move.

The article lays out the details clearly enough. Colorado Parks and Wildlife got $264,238 from the general fund in the current fiscal year to bring 15 wolves from British Columbia to Colorado. The Senate version of the budget footnote also cuts about $270,000 from the department’s general fund budget for next year, though the final language is still unsettled. Ross also reports that ranchers in affected districts have already received compensation for livestock losses, that federal officials have raised questions about the state’s wolf program, and that CPW still says it intends to bring more wolves here by the end of the year.

And that is what makes this whole thing so classic Colorado. Even after the costs have climbed, even after ranchers have taken the hit, even after federal scrutiny has intensified, the legislature still cannot quite bring itself to do the one thing it plainly has the power to do. Instead of using the power of the purse, it leaves Governor Polis a cute little note in the margins and hopes maybe he will take the hint. That is not governing. That is passive-aggressive budgeting.

The Bullet Point Brief

Lawmakers slipped a footnote into the budget telling Polis to stop using general fund money for new wolves. A footnote. Because apparently Colorado now handles apex predator policy the way a middle manager edits a memo.
The article says the footnote is not legally binding, which is the key detail here. It is a message, not a wall. More of a “pretty please” than a “thou shalt not.”
CPW got $264,238 in general fund money this fiscal year to bring 15 wolves from British Columbia, and the Senate version would cut about $270,000 next year to keep that from happening again. So yes, the legislature knows exactly where the money is and exactly how to touch it.
The article also reports that ranchers have already been paid $1.3 million in compensation claims since wolf reintroduction began, while only $875,000 has been allocated for such claims and the depredation fund is running thin. That is a fun little “math problem” when you are the one losing livestock.
Federal officials have complicated the picture further. Ross reports that U.S. Fish and Wildlife blocked CPW from getting more wolves from British Columbia, demanded an accounting of the program, and opened a request for information on how the state has handled wolf management. Yet somehow the people running this experiment still talk like the plan is humming along beautifully.

My Bottom Line

My favorite pet topic is back, and somehow it is even dumber than before. A couple of Democrats stuck a note in the budget telling Governor Polis to stop spending tax money on new wolves. Nice. Cute. Gold star for effort. But if you actually believe the state should stop funding this failed Boulder ballot-box biology experiment, then stop funding it. Do not leave a passive-aggressive Post-it on a multibillion-dollar budget and call that courage.

Dylan Roberts is a smart guy. Smart enough to know the legislature has the power of the purse. That is not theoretical. That is real power. Use it. Cut the funding. Zero it out. Tell Governor Polis and his husband they do not get one red cent more to play apex-predator puppy rescue with other people’s livelihoods. There is no mystery here. If you want to protect ranchers in your district, then protect them. Do not send vibes. Send a veto-proof number.

And the article makes clear there is every reason to do exactly that. The costs have exceeded what voters were originally told. Compensation claims are outpacing allocations. Federal officials are now nosing around the program hard enough to demand an accounting and solicit public input on how this thing has been handled. Yet CPW leadership still talks like more wolves are coming no matter what. That is not humility. That is bureaucracy with its fingers in its ears.

So enough with the footnotes. Enough with the symbolic gestures. Enough with the legislative version of throat-clearing. If these lawmakers really believe taxpayer dollars should not fund more wolves, then act like lawmakers and cut off the money. Period. Ranchers in the heart of their districts do not need another strongly worded suggestion. They need somebody willing to stand up, use the tools the legislature actually has, and put an end to this expensive, destructive nonsense.

Source: The Colorado Sun