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Rewilding the American West

Posted on August 31, 2022

After taking office, President Biden signed an executive order announcing his America the Beautiful plan to conserve 30% of US land and water by 2030. He challenged Americans to collaboratively “conserve, connect, and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend” at a national scale (US Departments 2021, p. 9). Here, we take a major step in advancing President Biden’s plan by envisioning a bold and science-based rewilding of publicly owned federal lands (hereafter, federal lands) in the American West. Beyond concerns for human survival and flourishing, a principled commitment to the natural world and a sense of moral urgency underpins the motivation for our proposal.

Document: Rewilding-the-American-West.pdf

Author(s): WILLIAM J. RIPPLE, CHRISTOPHER WOLF, MICHAEL K. PHILLIPS, ROBERT L. BESCHTA, JOHN A. VUCETICH, J. BOONE KAUFFMAN, BEVERLY E. LAW, AARON J. WIRSING, JOANNA E. LAMBERT, ELAINE LESLIE, CARLY VYNNE, ERIC DINERSTEIN, REED NOSS, GEORGE WUERTHNER, DOMINICK A. DELLASALA, JEREMY T. BRUSKOTTER, MICHAEL PAUL NELSON, EILEEN CRIST, CHRIS DARIMONT, AND DANIEL M. ASHE

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A group of agricultural, livestock producers ask British Columbia to reconsider sending wolves to Coloradotinyurl.com/4bhe28v6A majority of these groups are part of a pending petition with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, requesting a pause in restoration efforts.After a group of 26 organizations petitioned Colorado Parks and Wildlife this September to pause wolf introductions, a similar group is making their plea to wildlife officials in British Columbia.On Tuesday, Nov. 26, Tim Ritschard, president of the Middle Park Stockgrowers, sent a letter to several British Columbia officials on behalf of 26 industry organizations and associations, asking them to reconsider supplying Colorado with up to 15 wolves.The Rio Blanco Wool Growers Association, Rio Blanco Stockgrowers Association, Delta County Livestock Association and Colorado Farm Bureau signed the petition but not theis letter to Canadian officials.Notice here the cattle industry and wool growers are asking for the halt. Their reasoning it’s not good for the community and the cattle industry.British Columbia’s Ministry of Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship reached an agreement with Parks and Wildlife earlier this year to supply Colorado with its next 15 wolves. The capture and release operations are planned for January through March.They have asked the state wildlife agency to have more conflict mitigation measures in place before the next wolves are brought to Colorado.Wanted are 7 specific requirements ranging from defining chronic depredation to fully developing programs for carcass management, range riding and other nonlethal approaches.These last requirements could and should be managed by the ranchers. Chronic depredation has been a request from the first, but the others are in the hands of ranchers for development.range riders is a ranch specific request for a certain herd and carcass management needs to be done by the specific rancher. A rancher I would think knows if he wants to protect his herd he can’t leave the steak out on the land. Dispose of the carcass is a beginning requirement for protection from the wolves. I would think Colorado is going to take responsibility as they they are running the program and hopefully place responsibility on the ranching or ranchers. While Parks and Wildlife has started the process of planning for many of the requested items, the organizations want to see them fully up and running first. Where is it established it is “up and running” by the ranchers and Wolfwatcher suspects,the ok by the ranchers might will be up and moving and wanting more. Colorado might find its difficult,but in the end Colorado has to take the reins.The commission is waiting for a staff recommendation before discussing whether to deny the petition or consider any rulemaking.The last thought in the article “The agency has indicated that having more wolves in Colorado will help it better address and respond to conflict”They are drawing the line, but it’s difficult and there will be more of this and that and In the end the wolves will appear and we continue to the next saga of ranchers wolves and conversations.When we began Colorado and the wolves Wolfwatcher made a point the story is written,dead cows, mad ranchers and it’s a story of wolfIntroduction and the story had been written many times In the west. The story is being played outIn Colorado.You are wolfwatchers and I’m pretty confident you understand and can repeat the woe is me from the ranchers.Ranchers made a decision to have the cattle so responsibility in the end is theirs and wildlife has been present in Colorado before that decision we made. “Oh Colorado I just didn’t understand the rules and help!”Photo: Getty Images ... See MoreSee Less

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