Wolf Reintroduction Threatens Western Slope Economy as Natural Law Expert Calls for Philosophical Return to Founding Principles

On November 6, 2025, Kim Monson welcomed Gregory LaPoint of the Center for Natural Law to explore the philosophical underpinnings of American liberty, followed by former Congressman Greg Lopez with an urgent warning about the unintended consequences of Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program on the Western Slope’s agricultural economy.

Natural Law as the Foundation of American Liberty

Start listening at 35:00 – Hour 1

Gregory LaPoint, a scholar with degrees in philosophy and theology from Regis University, Holy Apostles College, and Bertram University, explains why natural law precedes and limits government authority. LaPoint traces this philosophical tradition from the ancient Greeks through the American founding, arguing that the nation’s current political divisions stem from abandoning these first principles.

LaPoint describes natural law as “a higher law” that establishes the standard by which government should conform itself, both legislatively and judicially. He warns that anti-realist philosophies taught in universities since Descartes have undermined this understanding, leading to ideologies that support excessive government power.

The conversation explores how natural law touches not just government limits but also family strength, economic opportunity, personal virtue, and education. LaPoint emphasizes that civility itself is grounded in natural law, making today’s breakdown in civil discourse a violation of these timeless principles.

“Natural law certainly is supposed to limit government, no doubt about that, and that’s very relevant today.”

Gregory LaPoint, Center for Natural Law

Canadian Wolves Endanger Colorado’s Western Slope Economy

Start listening at 85:00 – Hour 2

Greg Lopez, former Congressman and 2026 gubernatorial candidate, sounds the alarm about Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program after meeting with concerned ranchers and farmers across the Western Slope. Lopez reveals that the fifteen wolves brought from Canada may carry tapeworms capable of spreading to elk, mule deer, and even domestic pets through scat contamination.

Lopez explains that Colorado Parks and Wildlife performs only heartworm tests before releasing wolves within 24 hours of capture, leaving no mechanism to prevent tapeworm spread. The designation as a “non-essential experimental population” under the Endangered Species Act means the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could potentially halt the program if coexistence proves impossible.

The gubernatorial candidate notes that urban voters who approved the wolf measure by 51 percent failed to grasp the economic impact on mountain communities. Outfitters, hunters, and agricultural operations face mounting losses as the apex predators multiply and expand their territory across Colorado’s high country.

“They don’t fully understand the totality of how this wolf is going to impact the economic livelihood of all those small businesses up in the mountains, all those outfitters, all the hunters. Everything that goes with our recreational outdoor activity is going to be negatively impacted because of this apex predator.”

Greg Lopez, Former Congressman