A wide range of members of the public used the Parks and Wildlife Commission's July 18 public‑comment period to press the commission on wolf reintroduction, depredation response, compensation claims, and several wildlife management issues including prairie dogs, beaver, trapping and bighorn sheep.

Several ranchers, producer advocates and county officials told the commission that recent wolf depredations—particularly around the Copper Creek pack—have led to preventable livestock losses and that communication, carcass management and timely field response remain inadequate. Kelly Scritchfield, Rio Blanco County commissioner, read remarks from a ranching family on the ground fighting a fire and asked the commission to consider full impact compensation options available under the wolf plan. Club 20 Executive Director Brittney Dixon urged a pause in releases to allow communication, carcass disposal and compensation systems to be fully operational. Colorado Cattlemen's Association representatives said producers are exhausted and requested a pause to "give us space to get this right."

Other commenters called for using nonlethal deterrence and more field tools. A commenter asked for rubber buckshot, drones and trained range riders to be deployed more aggressively to deter wolves and reduce livestock losses; another urged that Wildlife Services be included in coordinated state responses. Multiple speakers supported the commission's approval of the compensation claims the day before; others said the payments set a dangerous precedent and urged stronger legal accountability.

Public comments also addressed other wildlife topics. Multiple speakers called for stronger protections or policy shifts for prairie dogs and black‑footed ferrets and asked that prairie dogs be removed from small‑game lists and be spared recreational shooting. Several commenters urged limiting or banning recreational fur trapping (including for bobcat and beaver), arguing the practice is outdated and harms ecosystem engineers such as beavers that can reduce wildfire risk. One commenter described beaver ponds’ role in post‑fire resilience and called for policy changes to encourage beaver reconnection with landscapes.

Conservation advocates asked the commission to defend staff from political interference in wolf management and emphasized collaborative solutions. John Swerdout, former GOCO director and longtime CPW collaborator, urged the commission to protect agency staff from political pressure so CPW can execute collaborative management. Others urged emphasis on nonlethal coexistence, expanded education programs and improved carcass and attractant management on ranches and landfills.

No formal actions were taken during the public comment period; commissioners and staff acknowledged the volume and intensity of remarks and indicated multiple follow‑up paths, including discussion of wolf‑related items on future agendas and internal coordination on communication and carcass disposal procedures.