Add the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union to those who don’t want wolves reintroduced to Colorado. The 20,000-member organization has joined the Colorado Stop the Wolf Coalition campaign against Initiative 107 on the 2020 ballot. 

“Colorado embraces the economic and cultural value of livestock ranching, and the forced introduction of wolves will create too many headaches with no real way to resolve things should they get out of hand,” said Dr. Dale McCall, the president of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, in a statement.

“What may appear to be a good idea seems burdened with unanswered questions and unintended consequences. We can’t afford to get this wrong.” 

The measure pits wildlife lovers against those concerned about the wolves preying on livestock and other domestic animals.

Advocates for the ballot measure, led by the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, say bringing back the gray wolves would restore balance to Colorado’s wilderness ecosystem.

They must turn in the signatures of 124,632 registered Colorado voters – representative of 5% of those who voted in the last secretary of state’s race – by Dec. 13 to qualify for the ballot the next November.

If voters then approved Initiative 107, they would authorize the state legislature to pay for “fair compensation for livestock losses” caused by the wolves.

The full text of the proposed ballot measure can be found by clicking here.

“We are thankful to have Rocky Mountain Farmers Union join our growing coalition as we mobilize more and more Coloradans who understand the real danger and inevitable disaster that forced introduction of wolves will bring to our state,” stated Denny Behrens, co-chair of the Colorado Stop the Wolf Coalition.