In my first column of 2025, I questioned whether I ought to keep writing in this climate of extreme political polarization. I wondered if I would be making any difference.

An outpouring of readers responded, telling me they understand my wanting to leave the proverbial marketplace of ideas that has seemingly run dry of the pursuit of truth, understanding or compromise. And with no back orders to restock the shelves.

But more compelling came the affirmative message to stick around, causing me to reflect on our shared history as Coloradans and Americans.

I took John Stuart Mill as one for inspiration. Back in 1859, he penned “On Liberty” to say a healthy and free society works tirelessly to separate falsehoods from fact, and that no one side of any issue knows the truth, embodies it, or its antithesis, and that truth untested slips into dogma.

I now see that my personal resiliency is better than hopeless lament and that no one, at any point in time, promised any of us this experiment in American democracy would ever be easy. Each of us, then, ought to participate more, and not less in times of great challenges.

I may regret it, but I am diving into the deep end of the statewide controversy over wolves, given the new arrivals this week.

The Denver Post reports that on Sunday, our wildlife agency, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, began trapping wolves in British Columbia, Canada, for transport to Colorado to stay on track with wolf restoration efforts.

As background, in 2020, Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 to restore a wild population of gray wolves, a native endangered species. Environmental champion, former U.S. Senator and Congressman Mark Udall explained well the benefits in his Denver Post opinion column: “Colorado needs a robust, sustainable wolf population to contribute to nature’s balance, healthy ecosystems, and reduced prevalence of disease in deer and elk. This is especially true as climate change threatens the existence of many native species, some of which are already in decline.”

He emphasized, “we need thoughtful management that helps prevent conflicts between wolves, people and livestock.”

Four years later, it appears to me Colorado Parks and Wildlife is doing a highly commendable job of carrying out the will of the people for a worthwhile broader goal. The wildlife agency has moved 10 wolves onto public land, and two mated. We have witnessed pups born, and reclaimed some of the wild with two local packs to call our own.

Sunday’s trapping is phase two, with about 15 wolves anticipated for release. This team of wildlife agency experts using the best science tells us they’ve established a critical timetable based on breeding season to get us to a “sustainable population” aka healthy and larger wolf packs on the ground that are also easier to track, observe, and manage.

What’s truly remarkable is that both the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Agriculture, which have historically been somewhat at odds, are now partnering in a noble endeavor to create a historic Colorado Range Rider Program made of trained community volunteers on horseback to ride the rural range, and prevent depredations. It’s actually kind of funny to think that today we have more range riders signed up than wolves on the ground.

Agencies and advocates have also worked hard together to establish a healthy compensation fund to pay ranchers for any losses from wolf depredation.

The story of wolves is also consistent with our state statute that enshrines into law the need for wildlife to be “protected, preserved, (and) enhanced” for the benefit of all Colorado citizens.

At the same time, I applaud our ranching community that has consistently reminded our wildlife agency not to forget that this is all new for multi-generational families, and to hear their concerns and address them. And they have.

Criticisms that come from ranchers as well as wolf advocates are all part of the free speech that only makes our government work better. It should be welcomed, not dismissed.

Wolf advocates are rightly concerned over reports that two wolves have died, reportedly from gunshot wounds, which is being investigated. And that no officials said anything when applause erupted weeks ago in support of the idea of running over wolves with snowmobiles.

This happened, according to local media, at a packed public meeting of about 300 residents in Garfield County weeks ago, where dozens of wildlife agency staff was there to educate the public on this next phase of wolves on the ground. A man in the audience stood up to point out that in Wyoming you can kill wolves with snowmobiles. Common sense tells us this comment was in reference to Cody Roberts, a Wyoming man widely reported for running over a young wolf with a snowmobile, then taping her mouth shut as she suffered before shooting her at a local bar.

It would be very wise for our wildlife agency to issue a public statement that Colorado has zero tolerance for killing endangered species with snowmobiles, or any act of hatred of our wildlife. Harming wolves is a federal crime.

It’s also troubling to read this past week, a group filed a ballot measure for 2026 that would repeal the law passed by voters to restore wolves and unravel the agency’s momentum to follow the law.

This new repeal effort and the call to kill endangered wolves is not at all reflective of the collaborative spirit we’ve seen among our wildlife and agricultural agencies, as well as wolf advocates and ranchers acting responsibly.

I think we can and should all work a little harder to come together to show respect for wildlife, for the law and for ranching in Colorado. Because we are all in this together.

Jim Martin can be reached at JimMartinesq@gmail.com.