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PRESS RELEASE
WOLF SANCTUARY THANKS THE PUBLIC & THE COMMISSIONERS
Larimer County , CO – March 18, 2009 – |
WOLF was informed yesterday that Larimer County will not pursue shutting down
the Sanctuary. WOLF will be granted a previously denied building permit by the
County that will allow the fences to remain. Frank Wendland, Cofounder of the
Sanctuary, stated, “We wish to thank the public outpouring of support for WOLF, and the
commissioners for their re-evaluation of the fencing issues. Although we think there has
been misunderstanding and miscommunication in the past, on both sides, we very much
look forward to the opportunity to meet with the commissioners to resolve any issues in a
manner acceptable to all involved.”
WOLF still has some questions about the need for fence permits for its situation, however
it will be picking up the permits and paying the county fees in the spirit of good faith and
compromise. These permits were originally applied for in January of 2008, prior to The
Sanctuary’s expansion hearing with the County Commissioners. WOLF will continue to
operate under the guidelines of its current special review and the enclosures outside of the
approved 5 acres of the Sanctuary’s 182 acres will remain vacant.
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In 2007 Wolf began building new enclosures on property owned by Wolf. but not in the original 5 acres approved by our County. Wolf owns a total of 182 acres. There are four enclosures, each 1/2 acre in size. It took over a year and a half to complete them. They were built to accommodate the animals we had at a temporary site in Gilpin County, Colordao. It was plain to see that these animals would not be placeable at other facilities and also obvious that where they were was going to be very problematic in the long term. The Land Use Code for the County is very clear that fencing for Agricultural uses, which is how the Sanctuary is classified, do not require any permits to construct.
Wolf had applied for an Amended Special Review to expand the Sanctuary. After 7 plus years without a single complaint against the Sanctuary and no violations of the conditions placed on the Sanctuary by the County, we were pretty confident our request would be approved -- after all what speaks better than historical facts. We further believed that even at the very outside, if the county did not allow us to have more animals, the new enclosures would allow us to spread out some of the animals that were in somewhat smaller areas. You guessed it, the County denied all of the items we had requested, including being able to use more than 5 acres of our own land.
Now we had 4 outstanding enclosures that we could not use. The County had very little justification for their denial, so Wolf filed an appeal to challenge their decision. Not content to allow the law suit to reach its conclusion, Larimer County has now demanded that we tear down the new enclosures or face having the entire Sanctuary shut down. And even though it took us a year and half to build them, they want them gone by March 20th. Although we have requested an explanation of the authority under which they are demanding this action, we have yet to receive any sort of rule, law or ordinace that backs up their demands.
It certainly seems to us that there is something seriously out of wack here and for the lives of the wolves in our guardianship, we cannot allow it to continue. PLEASE HELP!
The following documents should help you understand more if you are so inclined -- otherwise please go down to the section that explains how you can help. THANK YOU! |
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| YOU can make a difference and SAVE THE SANCTUARY |
- Forward this link to anyone you know who is concerned about animals or
their private property rights.
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- Send an email and/or letter to the Larimer County Commissioners voicing your opinions.
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(email/USPS addresses below – it is better to send your own words, however there is a suggested letter if your time is limited)
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- Send a news tip/opinion/editorial to the local newspapers/TV stations.
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(names/addresses below)
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Tom Donnelly |
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Steve Johnson |
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Kathay Rennels |
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USPS Mailing Address |
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Fort Collins Coloradoan |
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Fort Collins Coloradoan |
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Boulder Daily Camera |
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Fort Collins Now |
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Loveland Reporter Herald |
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North Forty News |
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Denver Post |
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Ch 2 WB News - Denver |
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Ch 2 WB News - Denver |
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Ch 20 Fox News - Denver |
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Ch 4 CBS News -Denver |
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Ch 5 Northern Colorado - Fort Collins |
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Ch 7 KMGH News - Denver |
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Ch 9 NBC News - Denver |
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Dear Board of County Commissioners:
Please do not schedule a show-cause hearing to potentially revoke the W.O.L.F. special review approval. This seems like a severe exaggeration considering the basis is fencing, located on their own property, which is not even in use. The County Land Use Code is very specific, in section 8.16. FENCES, that agricultural uses are exempt from fence permits. W.O.L.F. is classified as a Pet Animal Care Facility, which is clearly an agricultural use. Therefore, what basis do you have to make these demands?
W.O.L.F. has gone above and beyond in their efforts to meet County demands, going so far as to remove animals from the Sanctuary. Removing the extra fencing would take substantial time and money. There is no way for them to accomplish this in your stated time frame. In the public view, it seems as though you are intentionally looking for an issue to shut the facility down. I implore you, stop the discrimination and unrealistic demands, and allow W.O.L.F. to continue their world renowned work. Thank you.
(Your comments here)
Respectfully,
(Your name here)
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