Don’t reintroduce the wolves

Recent articles and opinions promoting the reintroduction of wolves into Colorado are intended to play on the emotions of the uninformed public to solicit signatures for a ballot initiative. This tactic, in effect, would undermine the decision-making authority and the expertise of the very people and agencies we have entrusted to manage our wildlife. The ballot initiative bypasses the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) experts and the Colorado Wildlife Commission (CWC) appointed to make these decisions. The CPW and CWC take into account all aspects of wildlife and human interactions before making sound management decisions. Both of these organizations are firmly against the reintroduction of the wolf in Colorado.

Proponents of the forced introduction say that wolves would correct the balance of nature through predator-prey relationships as if to say there is currently an imbalance in Colorado. This statement is a slap in the face of both the CPW and CWC who work diligently to reach objectives of game and nongame species while balancing the human interaction component that is unavoidable in the wildlife management equation.

Let the real trained experts in the CPW and CWC make the wildlife management decisions, not the general uninformed public. Let’s not allow the ballot box to determine the future of our wildlife. Do not sign the petitions for forced introduction. And, if the measure makes it to the ballot box, vote no.

Craig E. Kimball, Fountain