Colo. panel to decide on $343,000 for wolf kills at ranches

Controversial wolf compensation claims of more than $343,000 by two ranchers are scheduled to be heard at the March 5 and 6 Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in Denver.

One of those claims, $287,407 by Farrell Livestock, is by far the largest compensation sought since the passage of Proposition 114 in 2020, which authorized the reintroduction of wolves and compensation for livestock losses due to the predator.

The other claim scheduled to be heard is for $56,000 from Bruchez and Sons. Both Farrell Livestock and Bruchez and Sons ranch in Grand County, in the north central part of Colorado.

The compensation amount sparked controversy from some wolf advocacy groups that claimed compensation requests submitted are overstated and that there needs to be more proof of livestock loss before these claims should be paid by the state.

If approved by the commission, those two claims would nearly wipe out the $350,000 the state budgeted for wolf compensation, which is required under the state’s wolf recovery plan.

But there are more.

Farrell Livestock’s current claim is for documented weight loss and reduced conception rates of cattle due to the stress wolves have placed on the herd. But that nearly $290,000 claim is only part of the producer’s total claim as of the end of December 2024.

Farrell Livestock’s Conway Farrell is also claiming roughly $135,000 for killed, injured, and missing livestock, bringing his total to around $422,000. That amount and a $100,000 claim by another Grand County rancher could be heard at the May commission meeting in Cortez.

The Middle Park Stockgrowers Association sent a letter to commissioners in late December indicating three ranchers alone (those mentioned above) in Grand County at the time had depredation claims totaling more than $575,000 in 2024. Some of those claims have been adjusted since then.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf depredation report, there are pending claims received for 18 livestock confirmed to have been killed or injured by wolves and six cases for which no claim was submitted in 2024. Three claims totaling $3,855 have been paid to ranchers.

Ranchers had until Dec. 31, 2024, to file claims for that year.

How Colorado’s wolf compensation for livestock loss claims work

The state’s wolf recovery plan allows for compensation of “fair market value” up to $15,000 per animal for Colorado Parks and Wildlife-confirmed deaths and injuries to livestock by wolves.

The plan includes additional compensation for those ranchers with a confirmed wolf depredation for losses due to missing livestock, reduced pregnancy rates, and weight loss compared to the three previous years.

Farrell previously told The Coloradoan his initial claim submitted at the end of 2024 consisted of nine sheep and six cattle confirmed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to have been killed by wolves and 14 sheep and 88 calves missing, compared to an average of 23 calves missing each of the three previous years.

Ranchers submit initial claims to their district wildlife manager, who can accept, deny, or work to rectify the claim. Once a claim is accepted initially, it moves up the Colorado Parks and Wildlife chain of command through an area wildlife manager, regional wildlife manager and on to the agency’s game damage program manager.

The claim can be accepted, denied, or rectified at each level.

The $343,000 in claims on this week’s meeting agenda have been approved for payment by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, but the commission has the final say by voting whether to accept or deny the state wildlife agency’s compensation claims recommendation.

A commission member can choose to remove the compensation claim from the commission’s consent agenda so that further discussion of the matter can take place.

The time or day the compensation item will be heard by commissioners is not listed on the meeting agenda. There is a wolf update agenda item scheduled for 1:35 p.m. Wednesday.

That meeting can be viewed by clicking here.

Where does funding for the Wolf Depredation and Compensation Fund come?

A bill created the fund using the state’s general fund, species conservation trust fund, Colorado nongame conservation and wildlife restoration cash funds, and wildlife cash fund, excluding money within the wildlife cash fund generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife previously told The Coloradoan if there is not enough money in the fund to pay compensation, the deficit will be covered from the same sources.

The state wildlife agency has a separate program to pay for damages by mountain lions, bears, elk, and deer. That program is funded entirely by hunting and fishing license revenue through an annual appropriation from Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Game Cash Fund.

The program paid livestock producers $748,337 for 184 claims in fiscal year 2022-23, the last year for which data is available.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

• Wolves: $40,510 from 2021-2023. Those depredations included 13 cattle, three sheep, and three working cattle dogs. Known numbers of wolves fluctuated between a high of eight and low of two during this period. Note: There are claims of nearly $580,000 for 2024 for 17 cattle, nine sheep, and one llama depredations with as many as 12 adult wolves known in Colorado.
• Mountain lions: $123,345 fiscal year 2023 for 77 sheep, 51 goats, 22 alpacas, four llamas, four turkeys, one cow, one pig, and eight other multispecies. There are an estimated 4,000 mountain lions in the state.
• Bears: $199,863 the fiscal year 2023 or 721 sheep, 72 poultry, 15 goats, seven cattle, one llama, one horse, one rabbit, one fallow deer, and 94 multispecies. There are an estimated 20,000 black bears in the state.
• Lions/bears (either/or): $74,666 for 234 sheep and one cow.

Reporting by Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan