Out in the wide, wind-raked stretches of western Colorado, ranchers are being left to fend for themselves as wolves, flown in from Canada by state wildlife officials, tear through herds and livelihoods with government approval and activist applause. And now, with blood in the snow and carcasses rotting in the field, the bureaucrats in Denver offer nothing but clipboards, excuses, and checks still “pending.”
This is what happens when radical environmentalism overrides common sense and the needs of working Americans. The state of Colorado, under Governor Jared Polis, unleashed a predator reintroduction program—by ballot measure, no less—that has already turned into a slow-motion disaster for ranchers like Conway Farrell and Caitlyn Taussig. And predictably, it’s the people who wake before dawn, work in the mud, and feed the nation who are paying the price.
Take Farrell’s ranch: 65 extra calves never came back from summer pastures last year. Nine cows and 14 sheep vanished. The surviving cattle were stressed and underweight, and breeding rates dropped. All from “a couple little packs of wolves,” as Farrell said. And how much compensation has he received? Not a dime.
But here’s what really tells the tale: while these ranchers beg the state to pause wolf imports until they get some support and protection, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted 10-1 against that petition. Within days, state agents were back in British Columbia capturing more wolves to drop into the middle of Colorado’s ranchlands. That’s not environmental stewardship—it’s ideological sabotage.
Let’s be honest: this isn’t about balance or biodiversity. It’s about control. Control of land, of industry, and of people who still believe in property rights and making a living off the land. The so-called “compassionate” solution offered by activists like Rob Edward is for ranchers to just adapt. Install flags. Hire “range riders.” Put wolves ahead of cattle, ahead of dogs, ahead of your family’s security. And if you don’t like it? You’re the problem.
Meanwhile, the wolves are federally protected. You can’t shoot them. You can’t haze them effectively. And if you try to defend your livelihood and accidentally break one of the countless rules surrounding wolf interaction? Expect a SWAT team and a court date.
This isn’t conservation—it’s a coordinated, government-sanctioned war on rural America.
That’s why ranchers like Tim Ritschard are now turning to the one place that still seems to understand their plight: Washington, D.C., under the incoming Trump administration. They’ve raised flags, printed banners, and issued a call: Mr. President, help us.
And make no mistake, federal intervention is warranted. Wolves are listed as endangered not just in Colorado, but nationally, giving the federal government both the authority and the responsibility to step in when state policies go off the rails. And that’s exactly what has happened here.
The so-called “reintroduction” was never about coexisting with nature. It was about urban activists telling rural families how to live, while never having to face the consequences of their own votes.
