Two years ago, the latch of a metal crate clicked, sending a wolf running back into the Colorado wilderness for the first time since the animals were eradicated from the state in the 1940s. The lone wolf was soon joined by others, bringing the total to 15 new predators relocated from Oregon to the rugged peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountain state. The release in Grand and Summit counties was the first step in a major conservation initiative to establish a resident wolf population, bringing wolves back to their historical range from northern Canada to the southwest.
“Today, history was made in Colorado,” Governor Jared Polis said following the release. “For the first time since the 1940s, the howl of wolves will officially return to western Colorado.”
The following year, 15 more wolves from British Columbia were released in Eagle and Pitkin counties. Now, the third wave of Colorado’s voter-approved wolf reintroduction is set to come this winter as 15 more wolves are expected to be released soon in the state’s southwest corner, which could include Gunnison County.
CPW’s wolf management plan recommends the state wildlife agency release 30 to 50 wolves over the course of three to five years, with 25 animals relocated to Colorado since December 2023. Two years into the effort, Colorado’s wolf population stands at roughly 20 adult or yearling gray wolves, with a handful of pups born to four breeding packs this year.
While pups are encouraging signs in terms of the success of reintroduction, the program has met its fair share of challenges. Ten of the translocated wolves have died, and CPW is currently scrambling to source this year’s wolves after a new federal limit on where wolves can be sourced went into effect. The program has also spent $3 million for relocation, double the expected cost when voters took to the polls in 2020, approving the wolf reintroduction measure.
The latest wave of newcomers will add numbers to the state population further south than the past releases, and tensions are running high as ranchers who deal with the presence of wolves on the ground bear the brunt of the reality of the introduction.
In the past two years, in response to concerns from Colorado ranchers about livestock depredation, CPW launched a Conflict Minimization Program, which included measures such as free site assessments to identify non-lethal measures for deterring wolf and livestock encounters, incorporating a Range Rider program and hiring more personnel. However, as the recent citizen petition to the CPW Commission states, many believe this hasn’t been enough.
New federal limits challenge sourcing of wolves
Ahead of the third phase of reintroduction, CPW entered an agreement with British Columbia’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship to obtain the next 10 to 15 animals for this winter’s release, but this October, the Trump administration introduced limits on where wolves can come from, excluding Canada.
Brian Nesvik, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, issued a letter to CPW Director Jeff Davis, confirming that wolves could only be sourced from northern Rockies states where they are not listed as endangered. This would include Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington and Utah.
“We have reason to believe,” Nesvik’s letter said, “that CPW may be seeking to capture, transport, and/or release one or more wolves from areas outside of the specified NRM Areas outlined in the 10(j) rule.”
If that was the case, the letter stated, “CPW must immediately cease and desist any and all efforts related to the capture, transport, and/or release of gray wolves.”
Environmental groups have opposed the letter, stating that while these states are “preferred,” there is nothing preventing Colorado from looking further afield, and the Rocky Mountain state has since looked to Washington as a potential translocation partner.
Early this November, Washington state wildlife officials voted against the effort as the most recent count of the state’s 200 wolf population saw a decline in numbers from previous years. States such as Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have previously said they won’t help Colorado’s reintroduction efforts.
With the agreement for the Canadian wolves in place prior to the federal limits, it is still unclear if the partnership with British Columbia will forge ahead for this year’s fast approaching winter deadline. An announcement from Davis this November that he would be stepping down from his role at the helm of CPW has further thrown the release into uncertainty.
“When there are changes in federal administrations, we can see different interpretations,” Davis said at a recent Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting. “We are working very diligently to be consistent with the letter that I received from Director Nesvik at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and we’ll continue to work to implement our Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, which means another round of up to 15 animals for this next season.”
Citizen petition calls for a one-year pause in reintroduction
This November, the CPW Commission heard a citizen petition requesting a pause in the anticipated wolf release. Submitted by a group of 29 agricultural groups, such as the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association and Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, hunting organizations and county commissioners from Grand, Delta, Moffat, Garfield, Rio Blanco, Mesa, Montrose and Jackson counties, the petition requested a one-year window in the current reintroduction schedule to give the agency time to address concerns.
“Ranchers are doing everything we can to coexist, but the state has not held up its end of the deal,” said Tim Ritschard, representing one of the petition’s signing organizations, Middle Park Stockgrowers, in a news release. “When wolves kill our cattle, our families pay the price emotionally, financially and generationally. Until (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) can demonstrate it can manage the wolves already here, adding more is irresponsible.”
The petition points to shortfalls in the program, such as communication and funding, along with the biggest concern on how to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. It specifically states the current plan does not fully meet the intent of the reintroduction bill passed by voters in 2020, stating that Proposition 114 outlined that the program “must be designed to resolve conflicts.”
“The division’s management of chronic depredations by the Copper Creek Pack and other chronically depredating wolves underscores that the Division currently lacks the ability to effectively prevent and resolve conflicts with persons engaged in farming and ranching activities in Colorado,” according to the petition.
A similar petition was submitted to the commission in September 2024, which was ultimately denied in January of this year, ahead of the second release of wolves from Canada. CPW stated in the denial that the agency had met the petition’s criteria, emphasizing the need to release more animals to establish a population of wolves in the state.
During the Nov. 13 commission meeting, Andy Spann, president of the Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association, warned of the potential consequences of moving forward with reintroduction.
“How does slow walking the petition build trust?” Spann said. “While some may consider the efforts by producers and others from across the state as fighting and not cooperating, producers have cooperated and partnered with (parks and wildlife) for decades … . Cooperation and relationships are not only up to staff on the ground but can be greatly affected by the actions of this commission.”
(Meryl Phair can be contacted at mphair@orourkemediagroup.com.)
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