Cochise County holds public hearing as residents split over Mexican gray wolf reintroduction

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors convened a special public-comment meeting May 13 in the Supervisor’s Hearing Room to collect community input on a proposed resolution concerning Mexican gray wolf recovery and management.

The hearing drew more than four dozen speakers and roughly equal numbers of proponents and opponents. Supporters of delisting and defunding told the board wolves threaten livestock and livelihoods in Cochise County; conservationists and wildlife scientists said protections should continue while state and federal programs fund coexistence measures.

The matter of the day was described by Chairman Crosby at the start of the meeting. Crosby said the meeting’s purpose was “to receive public comment regarding a proposed resolution that the board plans to present to both the state and federal governments, regarding the Mexican gray wolf and its impact on local residents, ranchers, and businesses within Cochise County.” No final vote on a resolution occurred at the session; supervisors said a draft resolution will be developed after additional review.

Why it matters: Ranching families told supervisors that wolves are killing cattle, depressing small‑ranch incomes and reducing the county’s tax base. Multiple speakers asked the county to press Congress and federal agencies to increase compensation for confirmed livestock losses, to allow…