DENVER — At a federal court hearing Thursday on a lawsuit aimed to stop or delay the reintroduction of wolves in Colorado, lawyers for Colorado Parks and Wildlife said that capture operations in Oregon are supposed to begin Sunday.
Previous to the court hearing, CPW had refused to say when staff will go to Oregon to capture 10 wolves to release in Colorado before the Dec. 31 deadline mandated by state law. Oregon is the only state, so far, to let Colorado take some of its wolves.
Federal Judge Regina M. Rodriguez said she would decide by Friday whether to temporarily halt the reintroduction.
The Gunnison County Stockgrowers' Association and Colorado Cattlemen's Association filed the lawsuit Monday against the federal and state governments over grey wolf reintroduction. The ranchers argue that the federal government did not follow its own regulations, asserting that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately study the environmental impact grey wolves will have.
The ranchers asked a federal judge to halt the reintroduction efforts until the case gets resolved. At Thursday's hearing, Rodriguez asked CPW what the impact would be if she delayed the reintroduction. Their lawyers said the capture and release efforts were massively complicated, with many variables.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lawyers argued the ranchers' claims should be dismissed because of timing.
"Plaintiffs now claim imminent harm because the State is about to comply with the deadline in state law," their lawyer wrote in its response to the lawsuit.
They also argued the lawsuit should be dismissed because wolves will not cause the plaintiffs' "Irreparable harm."
"They are capable of monetary compensation," the federal government wrote, if a wolf kills livestock.
The Gunnison County Stockgrowers' Association president, Andy Spann, said he believes the government isn't fully considering the impacts.
“The dad stays up all night trying to protect his cattle, they get a divorce, the ranch goes under, those are irreparable harms," Spann said.
Colorado has permission from the state of Oregon to capture up to 10 wolves. CPW plans to immediately release the wolves in Grand, Summit or Eagle counties.
> Read the full lawsuit below:
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