The RMBS does not support Ballot Proposition 114 that, if passed on the 2020 Colorado Ballot, would direct the State of Colorado to transplant and restore gray wolves to public lands west of the Continental Divide. Gray wolf transplantation to Colorado is in contradiction to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission Resolution 16-01 which endorses natural wolf migration into Colorado and subsequent repopulation of suitable habitat while opposing the intentional release of wolves. CPW professionals have recently confirmed the presence of a wolf pack in northwestern Colorado, underscoring the species ability to migrate to the state.
Background on wildlife management in Colorado: CPW wildlife management decisions conform to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation—a set of seven foundational principles that represent wildlife values and guides how wildlife is to be appropriately conserved and managed. The model has been widely accepted by wildlife professionals, incorporated into U.S. state agencies policy and procedures, and endorsed by professional organizations and teaching institutions. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society (RMBS) supports the North American Model as a proven system of management which has contributed to the abundant wildlife populations we enjoy today.
One of the primary tenets of the North American Model states that wildlife management decisions will be made by trained wildlife professionals using the best-available science rather than emotion, opinion, or conjecture.
Accordingly, and because ballot initiatives subvert longstanding application of the North American Model for Colorado wildlife management, the RMBS does not support Ballot Proposition 114.