SCIENCE AND NATURE Colorado more essential than ever for restoration. It turns Colorado into a kind of sanctuary.” tainly feel better about the state’s ability to handle it. … They know the lay of the land, they have local relationships on the ground, and they can respond to things when ranchers, hunters have concerns.” Mr. Washburn is also optimistic that CPW will come up with a plan using significant input from the ranching and hunting communities. “Maybe at the end of the day they’re not going to be thrilled with the plan,” the Proposition 114 campaign manager says. “But I think they’ll see that it’s fair, that it addresses their concerns appropriately.” for conservation at the state level. When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, says Dr. Fischman, the states, which had historically led conservation efforts, became “junior partners” to the federal government. “So I think this is a story of a revival for states taking the lead in managing not just their game populations, which they have continued to do through the 1970s, but now to have a renaissance of conservation efforts, and a renaissance of local extinction reversal efforts,” he says. Having relationships locally is key, says Jason Shogren, chair of natural resource conservation and management at the University of Wyoming, and it can work well in less-populated states like Wyoming. “Everybody knows everybody” there, he says. “So there can be lots of exchange and in- Who decides? To Proposition 114’s opponents, like Shawn Martini, vice president of advocacy for the Colorado Farm Bureau, it wasn’t a question of “do I like wolves or not?” Rather, Mr. Martini says, it comes down to who should decide. The strongest opposition to the measure, he points out, came from Colorado’s less-populous Western Slope, where the wolves would be reintroduced. With the next steps in the state’s hands rather than federal agencies, Mr. Henning is hopeful. “Yeah, I didn’t like the process,” he says. “But, given that the decision is made, I cer- “A revival for states” Robert Fischman, a professor of law and public and environmental affairs at Indiana University, says Colorado’s move might herald something of a rejuvenation “Yeah, I didn’t like the process. ... But, given that the decision is made, I certainly feel better about the state’s ability to handle it.” – Blake Henning, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teraction, and all of the players that need to be involved can get involved.” In a much more populated state like Colorado, Dr. Shogren cautions, “getting all the key players together is probably the biggest trick.” Mr. Li of the Environmental Policy Innovation Center says Proposition 114 could suggest how to strike a balance between federal and state conservation endeavors. The Endangered Species Act was designed to keep imperiled species from going extinct, he points out. “To some degree, it’s taking where the federal government left off under the ESA,” Mr. Li says. Gray wolves are no longer about to blink out of existence, he says, but they probably still need some kind of management. “I think states are precisely where it’s appropriate to continue moving conservation progress forward for wolves.” r r Questions? Comments? Email the science team at sci@csmonitor.com. DAWN VILLELLA/AP/FILE THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR WEEKLY | DECEMBER 7, 2020 19 PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER PressReader.com +1 604 278 4604 ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY . ORIGINAL COPY COPYRIGHT AND PROTECTED BY APPLICABLE LAW