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House members hear about Endangered Species Act burdens

Farmers and ranchers let a U.S. House committee know how devastating wolves have been since being reintroduced by the Fish and Wildlife Service and protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Public Lands Council (PLC) Secretary and Colorado producer Robbie LeValley testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee Tuesday about the burdens borne by livestock producers in Western Colorado since the gray wolf was brought in.  “Wolves kill or severely injure cattle, and sheep, and dogs, and other pets leading to that direct economic loss. They impact allottments for the indirect loss, and even when compensation is available, proving causation is difficult.”

LeValley says under Section J10 of the Endangered Species Act, gray wolves, Mexican Gray Wolves, and Grizzly Bears were introduced in areas they were not previously found.

Dalton Dobson with Arizona Farm Bureau is a fifth-generation sheep and cow-calf operator who was only seven with the Mexican wolf was reintroduced in his area.  Dobson says direct and indirect costs of wolf predation have been high.  He has tried solar ear tags, bells, flashing lights, and they’ve cut grazing short when wolves encroach, “losing full access to our grazing allotments and lower cattle weights. We haul water to avoid wolf areas and patrol with radio antenae to track. Despite this, the costs are crushing.”

In late January, Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany and Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert reintroduced legislation that would delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List and return management of the wolf population to the states.  Their bill would not affect the Mexican gray wolf subspecies. The legislation would also remove the ability for a judge to again override the intent of Congress by placing wolves back on the endangered list.  The bipartisan legislation was introduced with 30 cosponsors.