A proposed bill in the Colorado Senate would prohibit the reintroduction of gray wolves. Urge your State Senator to oppose SB-23-256!
Proposition 114 passed in 2020 and requires that the reintroduction of wolves begins by December 31, 2023. We must ensure that our State Senate honors the wishes of its voters.
SB23-256 prohibits the reintroduction of gray wolves in Colorado if the U.S. Secretary of the Interior has not made “final determination” that the gray wolf population is a nonessential experimental population (10(j)) in accordance with 16 USC sec. 1539 (j) of the Endangered Species Act.
It states that the “final determination” cannot be made until “the time for an appeal or review has passed without an appeal or review being filed or the determination has been finally affirmed with all appellate remedies having been exhausted.” The timeframe for an appeal for federal rules is six years. Even if nobody appeals the final 10(j) rule, this bill will delay restoration of wolves to Colorado until 2029. The delay could be even longer if opponents of wolf restoration wait until the end of that six-year period to file a challenge.
Here’s what you can do:
Find your Colorado State Senator’s email and phone number.
Check out SB-23-256.
Main points to make in your email or phone message:
- Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 which requires restoration of wolves by the end of 2023
- SB 23-256 subverts the wishes of voters
- Please oppose SB 23-256
Questions?
Contact Gary Skiba at gary@sanjuancitizens.org or (720) 301-7895
