I’ve witnessed the devastation farmers and ranchers face due to wolf attacks. People in the Denver suburbs do not understand wolf attacks. They only see images filtered through the media of cute wolf pups. However, the reality is that wolf attacks are gruesome.
I have received letters from families, farmers and ranchers across Colorado who have nowhere else to go. I am providing a voice for these ranchers. I shared their stories that the left doesn’t want people to hear at a recent hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
I told Carlos Atencio’s story, a rancher and lifelong Colorado native whose dogs have been hunted and stalked by a vicious wolf pack. In the past two years, he has lost two pet dogs to wolf attacks and has had a third dog severely injured.
I shared Donna Sykes’ story. She has lived in Walden for 28 years. With the protections liberals have enacted for wolves, she cannot defend her livestock and pets. Recently, two wolves killed her border collie “Cisco.” The next day, they injured her neighbor’s dog. The dog survived but, later, was put down since the injuries were too severe.
I testified about Johnny Schmidt’s wolf problems. Schmidt is a rancher in Walden. In November, a wolf pack attacked his calves. He discovered the attack by hearing one of his heifers moaning in pain. He then discovered three additional calves that were severely maimed.
For each of these stories, there are hundreds of other Coloradans who are too afraid to speak up.
I’m sick of liberals in Washington, D.C., Boulder and Denver dictating how rural Colorado manages its wolves, so I am advocating for farmers and ranchers, and making sure their stories are heard.
Recently, my bill to delist gray wolves from the Endangered Species List, the Trust the Science Act, received a subcommittee hearing. My bill follows the advice of experts who have found that the gray wolf is fully recovered. This gets the federal bureaucracy out of the way and restores some power to local communities.
Additionally, I spoke out at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s so-called public comment session in Grand Junction. The agency were supposed to hear from concerned citizens but, instead, they tried to silence people. I wasn’t having it, so I spoke up and blasted their plan to bring predators back to hunt in our communities.
While my bill won’t solve Colorado’s specific problem because of state laws, I am submitting comments for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule, making clear that while I am opposed to introducing wolves in Colorado, I support managing an experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act. This should allow for lethal removal of problem wolves. There also should be a provision to ensure full compensation for livestock producers whose animals are killed. Finally, a National Environmental Policy Act analysis should be done prior to any wolves being introduced. This would take time to ensure we know the consequences and can consider the alternatives prior to these predators being released.
The science is clear, the gray wolf is fully recovered. For too long, activist judges and environmentalists have weaponized the Endangered Species Act to lock up our land and regulate private property rights. The gray wolf listing has led to countless killings of livestock and pets. I am working to put people ahead of violent predators. Farmers and ranchers have been left powerless to defend their livestock for too long.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert represents the 3rd Congressional District.
