DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed a bipartisan bill that Colorado Parks and Wildlife says "more or less codifies existing practice" for the state's wolf damage program by ensuring all personal information is kept confidential for an individual who requests compensation for destruction caused by wildlife.
While the bill stemmed from wolf depredations on livestock over the past year, this new law encompasses damage by any wildlife.
Senate Bill 25-038, titled "Wildlife Damage Protection of Personal Information," was introduced on Jan. 8. It passed in the Colorado Senate unanimously on Feb. 5 and passed in the Colorado House of Representatives on Feb. 28. It was signed into law administratively on Thursday by Gov. Polis.
"Personal information" is defined as a person's name, phone number, home address, business address, personal email address, business email address or any other information that would reveal their identity or their business' identity.
Colorado law already allowed any person to file a claim with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) if wildlife damages their property, which includes livestock injuries and death. CPW is then responsible for investigating the claim. This bill would change the law by requiring that the personal information for the claimant, as well as any personal details related to proactive non-lethal measures against the wildlife, is kept confidential. That information would not be available via the Colorado Open Records Act either.
Under a few exceptions, that information could be released to the public:
- Details about the measures to reduce conflicts between predators and livestock that do not reveal the identity of a person or their business
- County-level data about the number of damage claims — as well as the dollar total — that does not contain identifying information
- The number of claims that were settled and monetary amounts, the number that are pending, and the number that were denied, as well as the reason for the denial
- Any personal information that the claimant publicizes themselves, or through their agent
The bill's fiscal note says it would require a minimal increase in workload for CPW, so it would not have fiscal impacts.
"Now that gray wolves have been released and are present in Colorado, along with depredation by other wildlife, livestock and working animals have been killed by wolves, entitling ranchers to compensation for the losses," the bill text reads. "Ranchers in the state have been reluctant to participate in site assessments and file claims for compensation due to the fear of their personal information being made public through open records requests brought by individuals and organizations with the intent of: Traveling to the rancher's home or business to view gray wolves and other wildlife; Contacting the rancher directly; or using the rancher's personal information to conduct other invasions of the rancher's privacy."
This new law will protect their personal information, which will help ranchers become more comfortable submitting the claims, the bill text continues.
During a hearing in late January, a few amendments were made to the bill before it was sent to the Colorado House of Representatives, where it passed in late February.
Sen. Dylan Roberts, one of the primary sponsors, said during that hearing that the state has a legal and statutory obligation to fairly compensate ranchers for their losses due to wildlife, which includes the reintroduced gray wolves.
"As depredation started occurring in my district to my constituents, I started hearing from those folks that they were uncomfortable and nervous about filling out those compensation claims, because those compensation claims, of course, go to the state government, and they could then be subject to the Colorado Open Records Act, which means their name and personal information and address could be made available to the general public through a CORA request," Sen. Roberts explained.
He said he has heard of people showing up on Jackson County properties because they wanted to see a wolf, but there was fear among ranchers that these people were trespassing and might have come to confront the rancher or harass them.
"That is not fair, in my opinion, no matter where you fall on the wolf reintroduction issue," he said. "I believe, I hope, you can support that somebody should have their privacy protected for simply accessing a government program that they are legally entitled to."
That is how he arrived at Senate Bill 25-038, the senator said. It would allow more privacy for those ranchers who want to file compensation by protecting personal information, and would "strike the right balance between personal privacy and government transparency," Roberts said.
Multiple people spoke in favor of the bill that day, including Tyler Garrett with the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Ashley House with the Colorado Farm Bureau, Grand County Commissioner Merrit Linke and Erin Karney with the Colorado Cattlemen's Association. Nobody present at the time spoke in opposition to the bill.
"Some of our producers have had unscheduled visitors and trespassers that maybe wanted to see a wolf or maybe wanted to just harass the ranchers livestock or whatever else, and I think that this would just be another tool to maintain that privacy that is deserved by any citizen on any issue in our country," Linke told the room.
A few others spoke in support of some amendments.
Reid DeWalt, deputy director of policy with CPW, said the bill "more or less codifies existing practice for the wolf damage program," since CPW already does not provide personal information for wolf claims.
He said the agency supports an amended version of the bill, and worked with Sen. Roberts to solidify the new verbiage. This will clarify that Senate Bill 25-038 does not prevent CPW from releasing data and information about depredation and damage claims, site assessments and the use of proactive non-lethal measures, but will continue to not publish personal information.
"CPW supports the confidentiality of personal information for individuals who claim wolf damage compensation or request proactive non-lethal measures or site assessments," DeWalt said. "... In closing, this bill is seeking to do a good thing by protecting the personal information of individuals who file claims under CPW's game damage program or our wolf program. With the approval of these amendments being brought forward today, CPW will strongly support this effort."
In addition, Kate Greenberg with the Department of Agriculture and Colorado Broadcasters Association President and CEO Justin Sasso spoke in support of amendments.
Senate Bill 25-038, as amended, was passed in the Colorado Senate unanimously on Feb. 5 and was introduced in the Colorado House the following day. On Feb. 28, it passed in the Colorado House. Gov. Polis signed it into law on March 20.
Want to learn more about Colorado's wolf reintroduction? You can explore the timeline below, which outlines all of Denver7's coverage since the very beginning. The timeline starts with our most recent story.
In late February, Denver7 reported that CPW had recommended the approval of two high-value claims made by ranchers who lost livestock to gray wolves in 2024, including one claim of nearly $300,000.
Rachael Gonzales, CPW's northwest region public information officer, told Denver7 on Feb. 27 that the $287K claim recommended for approval is one of the higher ones the agency has seen for wolf-specific damage. CPW only began compensating for livestock depredations by wolves in 2021. The compensation structure for wolves is higher than it is for bears and mountain lions.
The CPW Commission met in early March and discussed CPW's recommendation to approve the two claims. The commission voted unanimously to approve them.
“The request for payment on this is not a bonus to anybody," CPW Commissioner Chair Dallas May explained. "It’s simply trying to recover some of the cost that has been lost and actually should have been to these producers last fall.”
Read more about this development, and hear directly from the two ranchers whose claims were approved, in our story below.
Environment
