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Rio Blanco BOCC signs onto multiple letters opposing wolf transfers, supporting oil and gas leases and commenting on CPW beaver plan and ESA rule changes
Summary
The board ratified a coalition letter opposing Washington Fish and Wildlife wolf transfers to Colorado, approved a support letter for a BLM oil and gas lease sale, amended and approved comments supporting CPW’s beaver conservation scoping, and approved four comment letters concerning proposed Endangered Species Act regulatory changes.
At its Dec. 9 meeting, the Rio Blanco County Board of County Commissioners approved several letters and policy actions directed at federal and state resource agencies.
Wolves: The board ratified a letter to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission opposing the transfer of wolves to Colorado. Reese reported the Washington regulators chose not to provide wolves to Colorado Parks and Wildlife and that Rio Blanco had signed onto a coalition letter supporting Washington’s decision.
BLM oil and gas lease sale: Commissioners voted to ratify a letter of support to the Bureau of Land Management for Colorado’s March 2026 competitive oil and gas lease sale (BLM sale referenced in the record as BLM‑2025‑0007‑EA). Commissioners discussed potential longer‑term impacts from state energy policy changes but supported the letter.
CPW beaver conservation plan: County staff (Reese) briefed the board on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s draft beaver conservation/management strategy. Reese said the draft is voluntary and praised CPW’s stakeholder engagement; staff proposed comment language asking for adaptive management, protections for private property rights and clarity on state response capacity. The board added language thanking CPW for thorough scoping and approved the comment letter.
Endangered Species Act regulations: Staff explained four separate draft comment letters responding to proposed U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service regulatory changes (50 CFR parts referenced) that would emphasize consideration of economic impacts and require species‑specific determinations. Commissioners discussed alignment with the county Land and Natural Resources Plan and approved the letters.
The board instructed staff to finalize the text and submit the letters to the relevant agencies.
