The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approved nearly $350,000 in compensation to two Grand County ranchers who suffered livestock losses relating to wolves last year. 

The claims included a $287,407.63 payment to Farrell Livestock LLC — the first part of a request that totals over $400,000 — as well as a $56,008.74 payment to Bruchez and Sons LLC.

The claims prompted a discussion with commissioners about the high value of these losses and the agency’s process for compensating ranchers.   

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For losses from wolves, Colorado ranchers are eligible for compensation up to $15,000 per animal from the state’s Wolf Depredation Compensation fund. These funds cover not only direct losses of livestock and working dogs by wolves but also indirect losses related to the predator’s presence on the landscape. The latter of which can include impacts on livestock conception rates and weight. 

Compensation for these types of losses is unique to Colorado, according to Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis. 

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“We are the only Western state that does itemized claims to my knowledge,” Davis said. “That’s not just paying for the lost animals, that’s also compensating for the impact of wolf presence and interactions with livestock.” 

While Parks and Wildlife staff oversee and make recommendations on all wolf and wildlife damage claims, the commission must approve claims greater than $20,000.

On Wednesday, Travis Black, the northwest regional wildlife manager for Parks and Wildlife, broke down the $287,407.63 claim. 

This claim represents only a portion of the total $422,784 requested by the ranch, Black said. The remaining $135,000 or so is related to missing cattle from the operation, a matter that still needs to be resolved by the agency and Grand County ranch. Black said the parties needed additional time to work through the remaining amount. 

What is not disputed is the more than $287,000 that “the division believes is due and owed to the claimant,” according to Black. 

This number included direct compensation — around $15,500 — for 15 cows that the agency confirmed were killed by a wolf as well as $3,500 relating to missing sheep during the time wolves were known to be in the area. 

“Right now, livestock prices are relatively high, so when you start adding up the number of animals times their market value, it can get expensive in a hurry,” Black said. 

It also included $178,000 in compensation related to the reduced weight of calves, which the agency verifies against the ranch’s average weight over the previous three years. 

“This year with a presence of wolves in the area, at the end of the season, when they gather their cattle off the range and they separate their calves and they weigh those calves to go to market, there’s a difference in weight,” Black said, adding that this claim’s loss equated to 36.5 pounds per animal. 

Similarly, the number included around $90,000 related to reduced conception rates of cattle on the ranch. This is also verified against the ranch’s historical data. Black reported that with the presence of wolves, the Grand County ranch saw a 2.9% reduction in its cattle conception rates.

Commissioner Karen Bailey applauded the level of transparency offered on the claims, saying that it helps show the impact of wolves on livestock. 

Looking ahead, Bailey asked the agency to provide “clarity on what can be shared publicly that doesn’t violate privacy and that recognizes the rights of ranching operations and allows the public to understand what’s going on and the processes that (Parks and Wildlife) goes through.”

A bill that would hide the names of ranchers who file for compensation from public view is heading to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Proponents argue it will help ranchers feel safer in filing claims.   

Davis said that the agency and Colorado State University are forming a working group to standardize the livestock data needed for claims. This, he added, would hopefully increase efficiencies for ranchers as well as provide clarity on what data is needed and how to collect it. 

“So that next time we get to the damage filing season, we’ll be in a different place than we are,” Davis said. 

Dallas May, the commission’s chair, pushed back against comments Wednesday about the high dollar amount the claims carried.  

“People have to understand what this does to an operation,” May said. “The request for a payment on this is not a bonus to anybody. It’s simply trying to recover some of the costs that have been lost and actually should have been to these producers last fall …. it has a huge impact on the people who are affected.”

The true value of the cattle lost or the reduced weight and conception rates is likely 25% more than what is being paid, May claimed.  

Rather than a “bonus,” the wolf compensation program is “simply trying to help people stay in business,” May said. 

“It is the cost of wolves on the landscape,” said Commissioner Marie Haskett. 

Davis acknowledged the size of these claims and added that “last year, we didn’t have a lot of things in place that we do now,” including site assessments and other conflict mitigation programs. 

Since wolves were reintroduced in December 2023, Parks and Wildlife has confirmed 19 depredation events — including the death of a cow in Jackson County in February. The approval of the two claims on Wednesday brings Parks and Wildlife’s total payout of claims to just over $347,000. It previously had paid out three claims totaling over $3,850. Six claims are still pending, in addition to the remaining portion of the Farrell ranch claim.

This brings the total close to the total amount budgeted for the Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund. In the first year, 2023-24, the fund received a $175,000 transfer from the state general fund and is set to receive $350,000 in subsequent years. Amid a state budget crisis, the Joint Budget Committee has debated keeping this allocation at $175,000 in future years.