On Thursday, January 19, Colorado Parks and Wildlife held the first of five meetings to collect feedback from the public on the Draft Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan.
A recording of the 6-hour meeting can be viewed on CPW’s YouTube channel here.
The meeting began with an introduction of the plan, followed by updates from CPW staff in response to Commissioner questions leading into Stakeholder Advisory Group and public comment. Each of the 27 members of the public who signed up to speak in Colorado Springs had three minutes to address the CPW Commission.
Three more meetings will be held to acquire information from the public to be considered in developing the Plan. Agendas for these meetings can be found online, here. Click on the meeting you’re interested in, and then click on ‘Agenda’ on that meeting page.
The hearing dates, tentative times and locations are listed below:
February 7, 2023 – Rifle – 8:30am – 3pm
February 16, 2023 – Virtual via Zoom – 5:30 – 8:30pm
February 22, 2023 – Denver – 8:30am – 3pm
All the hearings will provide time for Commissioner questions and discussion. Visit the CPW website for information on participating in these meetings.
Members of the public who aren’t able to attend in person are encouraged to comment on the plan online. The draft Plan is posted on CPW’s Wolves – Stay Informed page.
A form for public comment is posted at engagecpw.org and will remain open through February 22, 2023.
April 6, 2023 – Final Draft Plan and Regulations (Step 1 of 2), Steamboat Springs, Times TBD
CPW staff will present the final draft Plan and associated regulations. In-person public comment will be taken in a similar manner to the hearings and online comments may be made through engagecpw.org. The meeting will be streamed to YouTube to listen to live or by recording.
May 3 – 4, 2023 – Final Plan and Regulations (Step 2 of 2) Approval, Glenwood Springs – Times TBD
Commissioners will vote on approval of the final Plan and associated wolf regulations.
Visit CPW’s Stay Informed page and sign up for the Wolf Reintroduction eNews to stay up to date with CPW’s Wolf Restoration efforts.
Travis Duncan is public information supervisor with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. If you have a question, please email him at travis.duncan@state.co.us