Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The special session of the Colorado Legislature saw some bipartisan
compromise and work as they have redirected funds from the
state's gray Wolf reintroduction program to address rising healthcare costs.
Approximately two hundred and sixty thousand dollars have moved out
of Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Wolf's program. Lawmakers, particularly from
the Western Slope, argued that the state should not be
spending significant funds on wolf re introduction while facing a
(00:22):
large budget deficit and increasing health insurance costs for residents.
Joining us now on the KA Comments Spirit Health hotline.
Grand County rancher president of the Middle Park Stockware's Association,
it's Tim Rischchards. Tim. I appreciate you getting up with
me early this morning. I'm not sure that this funding
mechanism changes necessarily your calculus from your purview as a rancher,
but what was your reaction when you saw that they
(00:43):
were going to divert that funding?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thanks Martin, No, it was pretty interesting. I'm glad to
see taxpayer funds is not being put forward to the introduction.
You know, I think we've seen the first two releases
and the amount of conflict we've had, so you know,
it's good to see as a taxpayer that that funds
is not being used for that. Uh. You know, this
was the only bipartisan bill that was in the special session,
(01:09):
and so I'm glad to see that. I mean, I
wish it was a pause. That's what you know, our
organization and twenty five organizations asked for last winter and
didn't happen. So it's just good to see, you know,
no tax payer funding going to this. But it doesn't
really affect I mean, we're still dealing with conflicts of
wolves right now.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So yeah, you're seeing the conflicts. But I was curious
at my first thought and why I wanted to reach
out to you, because I was thinking, well, if they're
not going to have as much money to fund it,
maybe there's going to be less releases. But I think
you shared that's not necessarily case because there will be
other organizations that help fund that program.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Right. Yeah. My understanding is is that private private donations
or somewhere within CPW, they if they have some money somewhere,
that they'll be able to fund the next release, you know,
and I don't It was what two hundred little over
two undred thousand dollars turn thirty six thousand dollars I think,
and you know, I don't know how much that'll actually
cover because the program itself, just this year loans costs
(02:03):
three point five million, and I think since the start,
maybe right after the ballot initiative, they spin over eight
million on the project so far. So uh, you know,
it's it's a step in the right direction. I think
it really caused conversation among the legislation to really look
into this program. And you know, I really hope this
comes back again and we can you know, really dig
(02:24):
deep and say, okay, we need to find some checks
and balances in this program. It's you know, there's only
less than thirty wolves or thirty wolves on the ground,
and we're still having significant conflict.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
And let's talk about that. It's your plus into this
whole initiative and program. What are you seeing? What are
your fellow ranchers seeing in regarding the wolves and the
impacts it's having on on your livelihoods.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You know, it's it varies as pass western slope. You know,
there's the Pickton County guys are still having impacts. You know,
they're getting closer to start bringing their cows home to
see what's really going on with their cows with that
Copper Creek pack. You know, I'm sure everyone's seeing the
new is about the uncollared wolf in Real Blanco that
was killing sheep. So I mean it's more than just cattle.
AT's sheep too. And you know, there's still a pack
(03:07):
not far from where I am that's running around that
might have had a confirmed kill the other day. It
looks like on the depredation page there was a confirmed
kill in Jackson County. So you know, we're all it's
one of those deals that we're you know, we're getting
told kind of where they are and you kind of
sit there and go, great, am I going to find
a dead one today? And so we're still being impacted,
(03:27):
and it's it's mostly the packs that we're dealing with.
There's a few individual wolves still running around that aren't
causing quite as big issue as much as the packs
that are packed up right now. You know, the King
Mountain group, which is in North Eagle, South Route County,
you know, you don't hear much from them. I think
those producers are just deeping the themselves for the most part.
But you know, I talked to try to talk to
(03:50):
quite a few producers across the state just to see
how people are doing, because it's just a matter of
time before somebody else, there's somebody news getting affected and
we want to try to be there for them and
help them out.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
We can't go back in time, tim but if we
do go back and when this was talked about in discuss,
do you feel that your group, your organization, you even
personally had enough input into how this was going to
work and how that it was going to be impacted
or do you think those concerns that you all had
at the beginning, were they where they listened to and valued?
You know, I don't.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I think some of them are, and some of them are.
I think we're still looking at stuff that's not Carcass
management's one that you know, we questioned over a year ago,
and it's still in the air of what's the best option.
You know, a lot of times Green County doesn't have
a landfall, so we can't take carcasses to there, and
what happens on the ground freezers and we have a
foot of snell or two three feet of snell on
the ground, how do how do we remove those carcasses
(04:42):
from the landscape, and so there's you know, some of it, yes,
others of it. You know, I think there was alternative
motives behind some of that, and so we're just sitting there,
you know, we trying to do what we can. And
a lot of times, like this time year, our cows
are up on the high country up in the you know,
the forest and the BLM and all that, and you
can't go in there remove that carcass stuff, you know,
And I do think in writing is the best option.
(05:04):
But the problem is right now the state hired i
think originally thirteen range riders and they're down to eight
or nine. And if we're going to put more wolves
in Gunnison County, you know, can we get enough people
to even have you know, the non lethals and the
preventative measures in place to have them in there already?
And I just I think that still needs to be
worked out.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Final question, have you all thought about are you trying
to get a ballot measure to reverse this initiative of all?
Is that a course of action?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
No, you know that there was that initiative, and if
they just came out that they paused their program for now,
you know, I think, really I don't think it's a
bad idea. I think, you know, we have other fights coming.
There's a lot of legislat there's a lot of ballot
initiatives and that are coming you know, to in some
other stuff, and so we're trying to be smart about where,
you know, where we spend our money, and it's going
(05:52):
to cost a lot, so you know, we haven't really
I think that I really think the best way for
this is legislation again and trying to work through with
the legislators. But that's you know, like I said, there's
a bigger fight coming. There's a lot of other aspects,
not just the wolf that are coming down the pike
that we got to worry about.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
President of the Middle Park stock Ers Association in Grand
County Ranchers, Tim Richard. Thanks Tim, Thanks Marty
The special session of the Colorado Legislature saw some bipartisan
compromise and work as they have redirected funds from the
state's gray Wolf reintroduction program to address rising healthcare costs.
Approximately two hundred and sixty thousand dollars have moved out
of Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Wolf's program. Lawmakers, particularly from
the Western Slope, argued that the state should not be
spending significant funds on wolf re introduction while facing a
(00:22):
large budget deficit and increasing health insurance costs for residents.
Joining us now on the KA Comments Spirit Health hotline.
Grand County rancher president of the Middle Park Stockware's Association,
it's Tim Rischchards. Tim. I appreciate you getting up with
me early this morning. I'm not sure that this funding
mechanism changes necessarily your calculus from your purview as a rancher,
but what was your reaction when you saw that they
(00:43):
were going to divert that funding?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Thanks Martin, No, it was pretty interesting. I'm glad to
see taxpayer funds is not being put forward to the introduction.
You know, I think we've seen the first two releases
and the amount of conflict we've had, so you know,
it's good to see as a taxpayer that that funds
is not being used for that. Uh. You know, this
was the only bipartisan bill that was in the special session,
(01:09):
and so I'm glad to see that. I mean, I
wish it was a pause. That's what you know, our
organization and twenty five organizations asked for last winter and
didn't happen. So it's just good to see, you know,
no tax payer funding going to this. But it doesn't
really affect I mean, we're still dealing with conflicts of
wolves right now.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So yeah, you're seeing the conflicts. But I was curious
at my first thought and why I wanted to reach
out to you, because I was thinking, well, if they're
not going to have as much money to fund it,
maybe there's going to be less releases. But I think
you shared that's not necessarily case because there will be
other organizations that help fund that program.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Right. Yeah. My understanding is is that private private donations
or somewhere within CPW, they if they have some money somewhere,
that they'll be able to fund the next release, you know,
and I don't It was what two hundred little over
two undred thousand dollars turn thirty six thousand dollars I think,
and you know, I don't know how much that'll actually
cover because the program itself, just this year loans costs
(02:03):
three point five million, and I think since the start,
maybe right after the ballot initiative, they spin over eight
million on the project so far. So uh, you know,
it's it's a step in the right direction. I think
it really caused conversation among the legislation to really look
into this program. And you know, I really hope this
comes back again and we can you know, really dig
(02:24):
deep and say, okay, we need to find some checks
and balances in this program. It's you know, there's only
less than thirty wolves or thirty wolves on the ground,
and we're still having significant conflict.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
And let's talk about that. It's your plus into this
whole initiative and program. What are you seeing? What are
your fellow ranchers seeing in regarding the wolves and the
impacts it's having on on your livelihoods.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You know, it's it varies as pass western slope. You know,
there's the Pickton County guys are still having impacts. You know,
they're getting closer to start bringing their cows home to
see what's really going on with their cows with that
Copper Creek pack. You know, I'm sure everyone's seeing the
new is about the uncollared wolf in Real Blanco that
was killing sheep. So I mean it's more than just cattle.
AT's sheep too. And you know, there's still a pack
(03:07):
not far from where I am that's running around that
might have had a confirmed kill the other day. It
looks like on the depredation page there was a confirmed
kill in Jackson County. So you know, we're all it's
one of those deals that we're you know, we're getting
told kind of where they are and you kind of
sit there and go, great, am I going to find
a dead one today? And so we're still being impacted,
(03:27):
and it's it's mostly the packs that we're dealing with.
There's a few individual wolves still running around that aren't
causing quite as big issue as much as the packs
that are packed up right now. You know, the King
Mountain group, which is in North Eagle, South Route County,
you know, you don't hear much from them. I think
those producers are just deeping the themselves for the most part.
But you know, I talked to try to talk to
(03:50):
quite a few producers across the state just to see
how people are doing, because it's just a matter of
time before somebody else, there's somebody news getting affected and
we want to try to be there for them and
help them out.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
We can't go back in time, tim but if we
do go back and when this was talked about in discuss,
do you feel that your group, your organization, you even
personally had enough input into how this was going to
work and how that it was going to be impacted
or do you think those concerns that you all had
at the beginning, were they where they listened to and valued?
You know, I don't.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I think some of them are, and some of them are.
I think we're still looking at stuff that's not Carcass
management's one that you know, we questioned over a year ago,
and it's still in the air of what's the best option.
You know, a lot of times Green County doesn't have
a landfall, so we can't take carcasses to there, and
what happens on the ground freezers and we have a
foot of snell or two three feet of snell on
the ground, how do how do we remove those carcasses
(04:42):
from the landscape, and so there's you know, some of it, yes,
others of it. You know, I think there was alternative
motives behind some of that, and so we're just sitting there,
you know, we trying to do what we can. And
a lot of times, like this time year, our cows
are up on the high country up in the you know,
the forest and the BLM and all that, and you
can't go in there remove that carcass stuff, you know,
And I do think in writing is the best option.
(05:04):
But the problem is right now the state hired i
think originally thirteen range riders and they're down to eight
or nine. And if we're going to put more wolves
in Gunnison County, you know, can we get enough people
to even have you know, the non lethals and the
preventative measures in place to have them in there already?
And I just I think that still needs to be
worked out.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Final question, have you all thought about are you trying
to get a ballot measure to reverse this initiative of all?
Is that a course of action?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
No, you know that there was that initiative, and if
they just came out that they paused their program for now,
you know, I think, really I don't think it's a
bad idea. I think, you know, we have other fights coming.
There's a lot of legislat there's a lot of ballot
initiatives and that are coming you know, to in some
other stuff, and so we're trying to be smart about where,
you know, where we spend our money, and it's going
(05:52):
to cost a lot, so you know, we haven't really
I think that I really think the best way for
this is legislation again and trying to work through with
the legislators. But that's you know, like I said, there's
a bigger fight coming. There's a lot of other aspects,
not just the wolf that are coming down the pike
that we got to worry about.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
President of the Middle Park stock Ers Association in Grand
County Ranchers, Tim Richard. Thanks Tim, Thanks Marty
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