The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission met July 7 to discuss the potential removal of the Copper Creek, know referred to as the Capital Creek wolf pack that has been attacking, harassing and killing livestock in Pitkin County after being re-released. No decisions were made and no policy changes enacted by the commission earlier this week.
Commissioner Tai Jacober, an ag representative from the area in question, said the level of management ranchers have been forced to employ is unsustainable.
“We recaptured (the pack) knowing they were depredating, we let them out and they’re behaving the same way that they were before, and so treating as though this is a bear that decided to move down out of the oak trees because food was scarce and it became a trash problem… and, you know, I can’t compare those the same way,” Commissioner Jacober said.
Jacober said Capital Creek rancher Brad Day’s cows were chased on July 4, within hours of the range rider leaving the area. In turn, Day spent all weekend gathering cattle and dealing with the repercussions.
“There’s been an extreme amount of resources poured into managing those particular wolves up there now with several range riders and I think what’s really important for people to know is that the range riders were pulled Thursday night,” he said. “Well, by Friday morning, (Day’s) cows were chased out of the woods, over cattle guards, scattered throughout the valley. He had to go trespassing through different properties in order to gather them back. This is one night removed without visual guard of animals, and he spent all weekend away from his family, dealing with the cattle that were chased out of the woods. Is it realistic to have all of these cattle herds around, these types of packs managed in a way that’s that extensive, when we have removal of human presence in one night, and it changes dramatically.”
Commissioner Jack Murphy, who specializes in nonlethal control of small animals, said “there’s still stuff to learn, and I think all sides need to relax a little bit and allow this to kind of play out a little bit more.” He said he feels for the ranchers who are having problems, including the rancher Jacober told the commission about. Other problems were documented in a letter requesting a chronic depredation permit by Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Routt County Cattlemen’s Association, Middle Park Stockgrowers and North Park Stockgrowers Association. In the letter, the groups said since April 2, CPW has confirmed 24 cattle and sheep killed by wolves, including the July 28 killing of eight sheep in Grand County.
“Yes, it is a tough situation,” Murphy said. “Change is always difficult. I mean, I live in the city, and I’m having to put up with traffic, and it gets on my nerves too.”
DEFENDING RANCHERS
Murphy’s comment prompted Commissioner Murphy Robinson to defend ranchers.
“I will make one note, though, I don’t think we can bring a nexus between driving through traffic and people losing livestock, which is their livelihood,” Robinson said. “I just don’t think that’s the same thing, and I think we have to be very cautious on how we kind of equivocate that, you know, these producers, oh, they’ll be fine. They’ll get over it one day. This is, I think, a little heavier than we realize.”
Commissioner Jay Tutchton, who drew criticism for his comments at the March 13, 2024, meeting where Tutchton said, “I remember some whiny politicians kind of pandering to the newspapers and complaining that we need to define chronic depredation, and so I’m wondering, well, one of two things. Are we caving in to those folks who just whined or did they have a point (chuckles). I’m not going to discount the possibility that whining and pandering politicians are occasionally making a valid point. So did we change our mind that we want to define chronic depredation now, or are we just knuckling under to some political rhetoric?” said it isn’t the job of the commission to intervene in making decisions about removal of wolves. He also clarified that killing wolves without evidence of involvement in depredations, such as pups in a den, would be a violation of the 10(J) rule that allows the state the flexibility to remove chronically depredating wolves.
“You know, I don’t know why this guy’s cows took off on a Friday night,” Tutchton said. I do know it was the Fourth of July, but if it’s National Forest, all sorts of crap goes down on the national forest on a holiday weekend.”
Jacober asked Tutchton if he was questioning the ranchers, which Tutchton said he wasn’t.
Jacober said there are videos of cattle being harassed on private ranches, two big ranches side by side, and the Capital Creek drainages, and then, most recently, the cattle have been moved up to Forest Service allotments and/or Bureau of Land Management allotments.
CPW District Wildlife Manager Matt Yamashita confirmed that the wolves are active on a mix of private and public land in the Capital Creek area.
“What Commissioner Jacober was referencing was primarily on the public land allotments,” Yamashita said. “That was part of the question there. The other question that (Tutchton) had, was wolf activity, and where that was primarily fixed and based on collar information, which I’ll remind you know that the commission that collar information is great, but there’s holes in that collar information, and it is historical data, but a lot of that is it’s a mix of both. There’s movement both back and forth across private and public alike. So it’s not like they’re showing preference for one or the other at this point.”
NEW COMMISSIONERS
The two most recently appointed commissioners were on the call. John Emerick of Redstone to an at-large seat, replacing Karen Bailey of Denver, who served one term.
According to a Polis Administration statement, Emerick is a retired professor of environmental biology and “a leading voice in stream, riparian and wetland ecology.” Emerick has authored books on Colorado’s ecosystems and “founded multiple watershed health and restoration efforts in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys.” Emerick is tied to the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, a major contributor to Proposition 114, which brought wolves to the state. His partner, Delia Malone, who is the wildlife chair of the Colorado Sierra Club, a frequent commenter at commission meetings, has been lauded as the woman who successfully brought wolves to Colorado via the ballot box.
According to reporting by Marianne Goodland of Colorado Politics, Frances Silva Blayney of Colorado Springs was nominated to represent the outfitting industry. Though, long-time outfitters, including the president of the state outfitting association, say they have no idea who she is.
The governor’s press release said Silva Blayney is “a professional fly-fishing outfitter, small business owner, and longtime public lands advocate. She co-owns Canopy Fly Fishing, the only mother-daughter outfitting business in Colorado, where she helps clients of all ages and skill levels connect to the state’s rivers and wildlife. A recognized leader in the outdoor community, Silva Blayney serves as co-chair of Wild Watershed Broads, is an active volunteer in CPW’s River Watch Program, and has held leadership positions with the Colorado Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, and numerous local environmental and water protection initiatives. Silva Blayney brings to the commission firsthand knowledge of public land use, deep experience working with Colorado’s outfitting and angling communities, and a passion for protecting ecosystems while maintaining access for sustainable recreation.”
Goodland reported that Silva Blayney’s “deep experience” as an outfitter is unclear. Silva Blayney’s flyfishing company, Canopy, was registered with the Secretary of State on May 30, 2023. Outfitters are required to be registered with the Department of Regulatory Agencies, which Silva Blayney obtained on April 1, 2025. That registration is required before an outfitter can obtain a river access permit. She is also active in Sierra Club.
Jennifer Burbey, president of the Colorado Outfitters Association and an outfitter in Colorado for 37 years, told Colorado Politics she doesn’t know Blayney but “I look forward to meeting her and creating a relationship, since she is now our only rep on the commission.”
She’s a “full unknown,” Burbey said. “She’s willing to serve, and that’s worth a positive note; it’s a difficult job. Because she’s new to the outfitting industry, she will learn a lot.”
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