Over a year ago, local papers welcomed a family of wolves reintroducing themselves in northern Colorado and having pups.

Early this year, three were tortured and killed by Wyoming hunters, and now the last of our Colorado small family met the same fate. I mourn the death of our Colorado wolves: keystone species improving the health of an entire ecosystem by keeping elk in check, allowing trees to flourish along creeks decreasing erosion with the shade causing biodiversity to increase.

Colorado voted to reintroduce wolves, but will they meet the same fate as our little family? Wolves don’t stay within state boundaries and for Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives no protection to wolves. Instead, it’s all out war on wolves allowing barbaric “harvesting” methods: killing pups in dens – even dynamiting dens – snaring. Twenty-five wolves in Yellowstone wolves were lured across park boundaries to meet similar fate. This is wrong.

Federal protection has been reinstated in other states, but U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert is introducing a bill to Congress to strip federal protection and give states the power of wolf management, which has been disastrous in the Northern Rockies. We, Colorado, voted to introduce wolves. Contact Boebert to oppose her bill.

Ranchers need to employ dog breeds, as have proven successful in France to protect livestock from wolves introduced there. And mourn the short lives of our family of wolves in Colorado.

Margaret Mayer

Durango