In her recent guest column, Rep. Boebert claimed the “science is clear” in her argument for her ironically-named “Trust the Science Act” that would permanently delist wolves as an endangered species. The problem is that she’s wrong about the science, and is instead choosing to spread unnecessary fear and misinformation as part of a political agenda.
Boebert continues to repeat the notion that the presence of wolves results in the “countless killing of livestock.” Except that’s not true. A 2022 paper in Conservation Science and Practice refers to the U.S. Department of Agriculture data, showing that even in states with large wolf populations, wolves are responsible for a fraction of 1% of unwanted cattle deaths.
She also insists on ignoring the universally agreed-upon scientific consensus that wolves benefit nature. The reintroduction of wolf populations has been proven to initiate what’s known as “trophic cascades,” or positive spillover effects for the entire ecosystem. As recently documented in a 2022 paper in the journal Bioscience, wolves limit overgrazing by elk and deer, and lead to healthier grasslands, forests, streams.
As an ecologist who lives on Colorado’s Western Slope, it’s clear to me that Boebert has no interest in science. Her proposed bill is part of an agenda pushed by radical hunting groups. In Idaho and Montana, these groups have brought back snares, hunting bounties, baiting and trapping, and killed over 1,000 wolves, including over a third of Yellowstone’s beloved wolves.
Trust the science. Don’t trust Rep. Lauren Boebert.
Delia Malone
Redstone
