Arizona Ranchers are sounding the alarm and appealing to Cochise County Supervisors for help as the successful program to reintroduce Mexican wolves to the wild in Southern Arizona has begun to have consequences. The increasing number is creating problems for the ranchers, leading to calls to change their conservation status. As reported by KOLD-TV, Cochise County rancher Mike Wear, the owner of the Wear Ranch which covers an 18 square-mile area south of Willcox, told reporters, “Every cow that I lose hurts my bottom line. Immensely.”
Wear went on to explain that the wolves near his ranch have taken two cows in recent days as the 30-year effort to reintroduce the Mexican wolf to Southern Arizona has progressed. The rancher is not alone in Cochise County, and the County Supervisors have launched a dialogue to address potential changes in the federal listing of the species this week.
“It’s clearly, this deal, this wolf, Mexican wolf experimental population is on a definite runaway. They’ve had an immense amount of growth and in doing so, their primary prey base is our cattle,” Wear told KOLD.
“It’s very hard to find them. It’s created labor intensity on our ranches. I’d say ten-fold. We have to watch and check our cattle that much more because we only learn about the wolves after the kill,” Wear said.
According to Citizen Portal, during a recent meeting, the county outlined a series of requirements that must be met before delisting the Mexican wolf from the Endangered Species List would be considered.
Ranchers in Cochise County urged local officials to seek changes to federal protections for the endangered Mexican gray wolf due to livestock deaths.
— The Arizona Flyover (@TheAZFlyover) May 12, 2025
A slide from the Cochise County Supervisors Meeting obtained by Citizen Portal entitled “Compliant delisting” stated:
“The Mexican wolf will be considered for delisting when:
1) A minimum of two populations meet all abundance and genetic criteria as follows: United States
a) The population average over an 8-year period is greater than or equal to 320 wolves;
b) The population must exceed 320 wolves each of the last 3 years of the 8-year period;
c) The annual population growth rate averaged over the 8-year period is stable or increasing; and
d) Gene diversity available from the captive population has been incorporated into the United States population through scheduled releases of a sufficient number of wolves to result in 22 released Mexican wolves surviving to breeding age in the United States population. ‘Surviving to breeding age’ means a pup that lives 2 years to the age of breeding or an adult or subadult that lives for a year following its release.”
The outlet reported that the present U.S. population stands at 286 individuals just 34 shy of the cutoff. Furthermore, 21 of 22 successful gene insertions have already been achieved.
Arizona Game & Fish reported in March that the 2024 minimum count of Mexican wolves revealed an 11% increase over the minimum of 257 wolves counted in 2023. The new survey found that the population was distributed with a minimum of 162 wolves in New Mexico and 124 in Arizona. The wolves were spread across sixty packs at the end of 2024, 37 in New Mexico and 23 in Arizona with 164 pups born in 2024 and 79 surviving their first year for a 48% survival rate. At the reported rate, it appears likely the population will exceed the delisting criteria within two years.
“Each year, the wild Mexican wolf population numbers increase, and the areas they occupy expands. Genetic management using pups from captivity is also showing results. In total, 126 pups carefully selected for their genetic value have been placed in 48 wild dens throughout the recovery area since 2016 and some of these fosters have produced litters of their own,” Chief of Wildlife for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Stewart Liley said in a statement. “As we evaluate Mexican wolf recovery efforts, examining the last decade of data certainly provides confidence that recovery will be achieved.”
Clay Crowder, Assistant Director for the Arizona Game and Fish Department indicated that the 2022 Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan is exceeding expectations. He said, “The results of this year’s count reflect the hard work of many people and agencies that lead recovery. It also supports the recovery strategies in the 2022 Mexican Wolf Recovery Plan as we see both demographic and genetic objectives being exceeded this year.” He noted that the program has seen the ninth consecutive year of population growth saying the wolves are “knocking on the door of recovery.”
Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project told KOLD, “Wolves inhabited this area until about 70 years ago when they were eradicated at the behest of the livestock industry by the federal government. So this is wolf habitat,. This is where wolves belong. This is their native wildlife in this area, and it’s really the humans that are the interlopers here.”
She added, “Livestock depredations that have occurred have all been pretty recent so this is kind of a new problem, but these wolves are not new.”
Anderson continued, pointing out that ranchers have options under the current conservancy status. “They’re allowed to lethally remove animals that are in the act, so to the extent that there’s already a difference in what you’re allowed to do on public and private land and I think one could say they have more flexibility because it is private land.”
The verdict is in on Governor Katie Hobbs’ “Operation Desert Guardian” from Arizona’s Border Sheriffs, and it isn’t good for the Democrat governor.
As the governor faces dwindling popularity poll numbers, fellow Democrat Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos bailed on a lengthy online conference about Hobbs’ border task force, saying “I don’t need another task force.” Noting his membership in four other collaborative efforts combating drugs and human trafficking, he noted, “I’m sorry, I just don’t. And so, I’m out.”
Nanos said his department will not be participating in a devastating blow to the governor’s initiative, given that Pima County covers approximately 31.6% or nearly a third of Arizona’s border with Mexico. The move also has serious political implications. Nanos was one of Hobbs’ biggest supporters during her campaign, even going so far as to cut a campaign ad for her.
Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot, a Republican, offered similar pushback saying, “Let’s not waste state tax payer money on building something that doesn’t need to be rebuilt.”
Both sheriffs were reportedly taken aback by Hobbs’ surprise Executive Order and offered serious criticism of her and the goals of the operation. They told reporters that the work the task force is set to tackle is already being done and would be duplicative, not an added benefit.
“The state is not going to come in to rescue us and be the savior of what we’ve been dealing with,” Wilmot said, noting that the border Sheriffs’ departments offer a wealth of ground-level experience. “They need to come in and be a partner.”
According to a follow up report from AZCentral, Yuma County will participate after a meeting with Hobbs earlier this week.
Speaking with KGUN, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels had his own doubts, “My budgets are already fulfilled. They’re maximized. And so if there are expectations that my office will be doing something without the budget, chances are we won’t do it… I can’t do it.”
Dannels asked, “What’s the cost to my agency? What’s it going to mean for resources? What are they going to take care of that I don’t already have?” He expressed that he wasn’t made aware of the task force, and though he has hopes it could complement his department’s actions, he said, “I don’t know. I have not seen an operational plan.”
Republican Governor’s Association Rapid Response Director Kollin Crompton suggested Hobbs’ political motives in a statement to AZ Free News saying, “Katie Hobbs’ desperate attempt to cover up her open border policies won’t work, and border county sheriffs of both parties know she’s a disaster. Arizonans want a secure border and safe communities, that’s not possible as long as Katie Hobbs is governor.”
Cochise County approved the election results, despite their hand count audit failing to count nearly 60 percent of the required number of ballots.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors accepted and certified their canvass during a brief special meeting on Wednesday.
The county’s election director, Marisol Renteria, presented the canvass alongside Joe Casey. Casey said that Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre gave election officials permission to certify the election despite the incorrect hand count total.
“On November 19, it was brought to our attention that there was an incorrect calculation done on the number of hand counts for early voters but at this time we had contacted the secretary of state and county attorney’s office and we’re in agreement that we are ready to certify the election,” said Casey.
Casey noted that the discrepancies found within their undercounted hand count audit were within the “acceptable margin of error.” Indeed, Fontes’ office has marked the status of the county’s hand count as “completed,” having discrepancies “within the acceptable margin.”
None of the supervisors questioned or challenged the audit undercount, contributing to the brevity of the meeting at just seven minutes long.
My Herald Review first reported on the county’s failure to audit all the required ballots.
Hand count audits ensure the accuracy of the machine ballot counting.
The report from the county’s election director, Marisol Renteria, showed that the county audited only 200 ballots rather than the nearly 500 required. State law requires auditing one percent of the total number of cast early ballots. Cochise County based their one percent off of the initial batch of early ballots tabulated on Election Day, rather than the total number of early ballots cast.
Casey noted that the county experienced other issues during the election as well. This included vote center wait times reaching well over two hours, a bomb threat on Election Day at vote center two, and a power outage on November 13 lasting about five hours.
“We did deal with some challenges, some abnormalities and some incidents throughout the last few weeks,” said Casey.
Supervisor Peggy Judd — who made the motion to accept the results — thanked the elections staff, and added that they weren’t at fault for the election issues, including the recently-discovered audit undercount.
“No one can be blamed, it was just something that was going to happen. It would have happened to anyone. I’m glad it wasn’t me,” said Judd.
Judd and fellow supervisor Tom Crosby faced indictments for felony-level election interference and conspiracy over their delaying certification of the 2022 election results. Judd and Crosby maintained concerns over election equipment malfunctions that occurred and desired a complete audit of in-person election day ballots.
Last month, Judd pleaded guilty to election interference and entered into a plea deal for a misdemeanor, avoiding the felony punishments: 90 days’ minimum unsupervised probation and a $500 fine.
Supervisor Ann English commended the elections staff for finding solutions to the problems presented during the election. English remarked that this time around, the county had “an efficient, effective election.”
This election, the county had 82,200 registered voters, with a 72 percent voter turnout (almost 60,000 voters).
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A dangerous foreign gang has been confirmed present in Arizona.
Last week, NewsNation Network Correspondent Ali Bradley reported that a “25 year-old suspected Tren de Aragua member was arrested for human smuggling in Cochise County, Arizona by the sheriff’s interdiction unit.”
NEW #Exclusive: Add Arizona to the growing list where Tren de Aragua is now present—A 25 y/o year old suspected #TdA member was arrested for human smuggling in Cochise county, Arizona by the sheriff’s interdiction unit—And it wasn’t his first time as the sheriff tells me he has…
Bradley added that this arrest wasn’t the individual’s “first time as the sheriff tells me he has priors for smuggling and organized retailed theft. He told deputies that he entered through the Brownsville Texas port of entry and claimed asylum. The Cochise County sheriff’s gang made the TdA connection.”
Art Del Cueto, Vice President of the National Border Patrol Council, confirmed Bradley’s revelation, writing, “They’re here and all they care about is to expand their criminal network and hurt Americans.”
Former President Donald J. Trump visited Aurora, Colorado, for a rally last week, where he shared his proposal to remove the threat of these gang members, who have victimized and terrorized unsuspecting American communities. He said, “In honor of Jocelyn Nungaray, Laken Riley, …Rachel Morin, and all of the others that are dead and/or mortally wounded at the hands of migrants who should never have been allowed into our country, I am announcing today that upon taking office, we will have an Operation Aurora at the Federal Level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs. And I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798…to target and dismantle every migrant criminal network operating on American Soil.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Nobody likes a bully, and yet some people relish playing such a role. Here in Arizona, perhaps no person has taken on that persona quite like Kris Mayes. When she began her political career with the Arizona Corporation Commission, Mayes quickly gained a reputation for bullying other people around, but since becoming Arizona’s Attorney General (AG) in January 2023, she has taken it to a whole other level.
Within months of occupying the AG office, Mayes began using her post to target and investigate the very people and entities she is constitutionally obligated to defend. First in her crosshairs was the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), a state agency she is legally obligated to represent and provide legal advice to. But because she wants to score political points with her radical environmental allies, she decided to threaten legal action against ADWR unless they provide her with documentation showing that the agency is in compliance with its water management responsibilities.
Mayes then turned around a few weeks later and went after the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program at the Department of Education. In a public tirade, she falsely claimed that the budget agreement that protected universal school choice would bankrupt the state, despite the expenditure data showing that the ESA program actually saves the state money. When that didn’t stop the Republican budget bill from being signed by Governor Hobbs, Mayes doubled down on her ESA assault by threatening legal action against her own client, the Arizona Department of Education, over the program.
And now that she has had more time to get comfortable in office, Mayes is discovering new and creative ways to abuse her power, including collusion and the usage of dirty tactics to target political opponents…
