Wolves killed their livestock, so Colorado wildlife officials cut these ranchers a check

In The NoCo

Wolves killed their livestock, so Colorado wildlife officials cut these ranchers a check

By In The NoCo,

Published March 12, 2025 at 5:40 AM MDT

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A closeup of two wolf paw prints in dried soil. — A photograph of wolf tracks in Grand County in April 2023. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officials confirmed the death for one of Colorado's recently introduced wolves in Larimer County this week. An investigation is ongoing, but the agency said it appears the wolf died of natural causes.

State wildlife officials will pay nearly in Colorado鈥檚 high country who saw their livestock killed or harmed by wolves last year.

The voted to approve those claims recently. It鈥檚 a key part of the state鈥檚 program to reintroduce wolves. And it gets less attention than photos of newly released wolves turned loose by wildlife officials. It鈥檚 an acknowledgment that while voters support wolf reintroduction, actual wolves make life harder for ranchers.

We wanted to look at these reimbursements, so we reached out to KUNC鈥檚 very own wolf reintroduction expert, Scott Franz. He has been covering the wolf reintroduction for KUNC since they were first released on Colorado鈥檚 Western Slope in December of 2023.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University鈥檚 NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family鈥檚 financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS 暗黑爆料hour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC鈥檚 new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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