If you go What: 10th Circuit Court of Appeals hears arguments
When: 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday
Where: University of Colorado's Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom
Cost: Free and open to the public
Law students at the University of Colorado will have a chance to watch the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals hear arguments in two cases on the campus this week.

Up on Wednesday is a patent case. On Thursday, the court will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by Broomfield's WildEarth Guardians to compel Rocky Mountain National Park to fully analyze introducing wolves to the park to control elk herds.

The court's visit coincides with CU's Gathering of the Bench and Bar Conference.
"Law school students have the opportunity to see the court in action, trying real cases," said law school spokeswoman Keri Ungemah. "They can see how attorneys develop their arguments and statements."

In the Rocky Mountain National Park case, WildEarth Guardians is represented by the University of Denver Sturm College of Law Environmental Law Clinic. DU law student Jenni Barnes plans to argue the case Thursday before the panel of judges.

Wendy Keefover, of WildEarth Guardians, said her organization sued after the national park, in creating its 2007 elk management plan, didn't fully consider releasing wolves as a management tool. The park service approved the 20-year plan to reduce the elk herd because overgrazing damaged habitat and threatened other species.

Now, sharpshooters are used to control the population. No elk were culled last winter, but a total of 131 elk were removed over the three previous winters. Some of the elk killed were used for research.
In the past, Rocky Mountain National Park officials said they considered using a small number of wolves to reduce the elk herd and keep the animals on the move so they couldn't damage the vegetation. But they have said they didn't have the necessary support from state and other federal agencies. They also said the park isn't big enough to contain the wolves long-term.

Keefover said the National Park Service failed to consider a reasonable range of alternatives to shooting elk. She said the agency's decision to allow hunting in a national park also violates the park's organic act, which prioritizes conservation.

Wolves, she said, can do what sharpshooters can't -- keep the elk vigilant and mobile so that they don't over-browse and harm aspen and willow groves. Wolves also kill the weak and the sick, she said, unlike sharpshooters.

"It's really important for Rocky Mountain National Park to consider bringing wolves back," she said.

source