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CPW area manager reviews wildlife operations, public safety and wolf presence in Lake County
Summary
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Area 13) manager reviewed local CPW staffing, state wildlife area management, and recent wolf movements; CPW reiterated that wolves remain protected and described non‑lethal deterrence, compensation and chronic‑depredator removal policies.
Sean Shepherd, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Area 13), and Jackson Brownie, the local district wildlife manager (conservation officer), briefed commissioners on CPW operations, property management and recent predator activity in Lake County.
Staffing and geography: Shepherd said Area 13 covers Lake, Chaffee, Fremont and parts of Park and Custer counties and includes multiple district wildlife managers, wildlife technicians and a Salida office. He described roles: local conservation officers handle enforcement, education and landowner contacts; property technicians maintain state wildlife areas and infrastructure.
State wildlife areas and access: Shepherd explained that state wildlife areas are managed for wildlife habitat and wildlife‑oriented recreation; rules can vary by easement and landowner agreement, and some easements restrict public use to active fishing or specified hunting seasons. Shepherd used the Headwaters Ranch fishing easement as an example: the landowner retains title and the easement allows public fishing only in defined locations and under specific conditions.
Predator issues and wolves: Shepherd addressed recent wolf activity. He described GPS-collar limitations (the collars upload intermittent locations, not continuous tracking), seasonal constraints on recapturing or re‑collaring wolves (CPW typically avoids sedating wolves in summer because of overheating risk) and the agency’s approach to minimizing conflicts. "Our goals are to reduce conflict, minimize damages, compensate losses and remove animals only when necessary," Shepherd said.
CPW deterrence and compensation: CPW described a toolkit of nonlethal deterrents — range riders, carcass management, flagging, electrified flagging and guardian/herding dogs — and a compensation program for eligible livestock losses; compensation typically covers certain livestock categories and does not cover pets or companion animals. Shepherd said chronic depredators may be removed after investigation; CPW has removed at least one wolf judged to be a chronic depredator in another valley.
Why it matters locally: Shepherd and Brownie said wolves have transiently occupied parts of Lake County and are dispersing broadly across Colorado. They cautioned that much public reporting conflates wolf sightings with dogs or wolf-dog hybrids. Officials encouraged landowners to request site assessments and to use available deterrents and compensation channels.
Ending: CPW offered to return with more detailed parcel- or park-level briefings and said area staff remain available to coordinate on easements, public parking and access management for state wildlife areas.
