Las Animas County tackles wolves, wildfire and behavioral health

Las Animas County commissioners opened their first regular meeting of 2026 focusing on three policy areas that carry immediate operational and budget consequences for the county: potential federal intervention in wolf management, an expanding wildfire mitigation effort tied to grant eligibility, and concerns about a newly regionalized behavioral-health administration.

The board reviewed a federal notice to Colorado Parks and Wildlife that could trigger federal oversight of the state's wolf reintroduction program unless CPW documents its management actions and releases required materials. Commissioners framed the issue around livestock depredation and local management authority. For ranchers and landowners across the county, shifts in federal or state control could alter compensation processes, enforcement protocols and who responds to depredation incidents.

Wildfire planning drew unusually strong turnout during county outreach for the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. County staff reported record participation, including 58 attendees at a Trinidad urban meeting and 37 in Primero. Commissioners emphasized that a completed CWPP is more than planning paperwork: it is frequently a precondition for mitigation grant funding and helps align projects with Wildland-Urban Interface legislation. Higher public engagement strengthens the county's competitiveness for grants that pay for fuels reduction, defensible-space projects and community preparedness efforts.

Behavioral health prompted pointed institutional scrutiny. Commissioners raised concerns about the Behavioral Health Administration Service Organizations structure that consolidates administration into a 31-county region. They questioned whether a single large BASO can reliably meet rural needs, citing gaps in 24/7 emergency behavioral-health access and the need for greater transparency in how state funds will be allocated across vast, sparsely populated areas. For Las Animas County residents, those allocation decisions will determine local crisis response capacity and the flow of dollars for outpatient and supportive services.

The board also acted on routine administrative matters: designating official emergency radio and legal newspapers, appointing the county auditor, approving a lease for the county farm at the airport, authorizing change orders tied to facility improvements, and signing off on payroll and bills. The meeting packet reiterates the board's regular schedule: first and third Tuesdays at 9 a.m.

Policy implications are clear. Federal-state interactions over wildlife could impose new regulatory burdens or protections; CWPP completion affects eligibility for mitigation dollars that reduce risk and property loss; and behavioral-health regionalization will test governance models for delivering crisis care in rural counties. Residents can follow the commission's next steps at the board's upcoming meetings, where commissioners said they will continue to monitor federal actions on wolves, advance CWPP outreach and press state officials for clearer funding and service commitments under the BASO structure.