Repopulation of wolves in Colorado

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The repopulation of wolves in Colorado resulted from the natural expansion of the gray wolf into habitats in Colorado they occupied prior to the wolf's near extirpated from the conterminous United States. In the 1940s, the species was nearly eradicated from the Southern Rockies. Wolves were reintroduced in the northern Rocky Mountains in the 1990s and since at least 2014, solitary wolves have entered Colorado. A resident group in northwestern Colorado was confirmed in early 2020. In June 2021, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported that the first litter of wolf pups had been born in the state since the 1940s. With a November 2020 ballot measure, voters approved reintroducing wolves by the end of 2023.

Before federal protection[]

photo of Breckenridge naturalist Edwin Carter standing next to a taxidermied gray wolf killed in the Colorado Rockies, circa. 1890–1900.
Breckenridge naturalist Edwin Carter with a mounted gray wolf killed in the Colorado Rockies, ca. 1890–1900.

Wolves once thrived here due to the availability of a number of big game species such as American bison, elk, and deer. Other prey for the wolves included a number of small game species like rabbits and rodents. Extirpation was caused by the decimation of the wolf's main prey species like bison, the expansion of agriculture, and extermination campaigns.[1] Colorado established a bounty for killing wolves in 1869.[2] After the trapping and poisoning of wolves in Colorado in the 1930s, the last wild wolf in the state was shot in 1945.[3]

Wolves in the United States were protected under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1978 as they were in danger of going extinct and needed protection to aid their recovery.[4] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed gray wolves’ endangered species status at the beginning of January 2021 when more than 6,000 wolves were living in nine states.[5] After federal wolf protection ended, the states and tribes again became responsible to manage the animal and regulate hunting.[6] In Colorado wolves continue to be classified as a protected endangered species.[7] Fines, jail time and a loss of hunting license privileges can result from violations.[8]

Natural recolonization[]

Wolves have been dispersing from the northern Rocky Mountains since they were introduced there in the 1990s.[9] A Wolf Working Group was formed in 2004 to create a management plan that provides policy for wildlife managers as they handle potential conflicts between the wolves, humans, and livestock.[10] Their report recommended that any wolves that migrate to Colorado “should be allowed to live with no boundaries where they find habitat".[11] They also decided against pursuing wolf reintroduction.[2] They recommended using various types of technology for monitoring their movements (GPS animal tracking and Camera traps) along with a management plan that would provide flexibility for ranchers concerned about attacks on livestock and deal with concerns that wolves might impact the population of other species like elk.[12][13]

Six gray wolves were photographed or killed in Colorado between 2004 and 2019.[14] These animals are most likely from the natural dispersion of those reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Wildlife officials made a number of additional sightings in 2019.[15] By 2021, some 3,000 wolves were living in portions of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Northern California.[8] The economy of rural northwestern Colorado includes vineyards, wineries, fruit orchards, and sheep and cattle ranches.[16] Ranchers have expressed concern that a returning wolf population potentially threatens their herds.[17] A group of six wolves was confirmed in Moffat County in northwestern Colorado in early 2020.[18] A pair of adult wolves known as M2101 and F1084 became a breeding pair. Governor Jared Polis dubbed the animals “John” and “Jane”, respectively and welcomed the pair to Colorado.[19] Officials confirmed that a litter of their pups was living in the state in June 2021, the first known since the 1940s.[19][20]

Western slope reintroduction[]

See also: 2020 Colorado Proposition 114

In early 2020, a petition to reintroduce wolves to public land in the Colorado Western Slope was certified. Less than a month after this ballot measure was scheduled for the November ballot, the establishment of a group of wolves in northwestern Colorado was confirmed by Parks and Wildlife.[14] In November 2020, the ballot measure was narrowly approved by voters.[21] The measure directed the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a reintroduction plan using the best scientific data available for gray wolf reintroduction in western Colorado, west of the Continental Divide by the end of 2023.[3] The Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which is overseen by the commission, began public outreach to gather input as a plan, management strategies, and a program to reimburse ranchers for livestock killed by wolves are being formed.[22]

One of the arguments in favor of wolf reintroduction was that they help maintain healthy ecosystems.[23] As an apex predator and keystone species, they help maintain healthy and sustainable populations of other species by preventing overpopulation and overgrazing.[24] Passage of the referendum was opposed by many cattle ranchers, elk hunters, farmers and others in rural areas that argue wolf reintroduction is bad policy which will threaten the raising of livestock and a $1 billion hunting industry.[8][25] The rural Western Slope, were the wolves will be reintroduced, voted heavily against the measure, while the more populous Front Range mostly supported the measure.[26][27]

In June 2021, Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported that the first litter of wolf pups had been born in the state since the 1940s. They were born to a pair of wolves that had naturally entered and settled in the state.[28]

The Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan Summer 2021 Public Engagement Report was released in November 2021 by Keystone Policy Center.[29] Also in November, the Technical Working Group, composed of elected officials from the Western Slope, Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel and wolf experts involved in previous restoration efforts, released a report with recommendations.[30]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ McKee, Spencer (June 23, 2020). "The Modern History of the Wolf in Colorado". OutThere Colorado. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Roy, Adam (September 29, 2020). "Wolves Won't Wait". Backpacker. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Purtell, Joe (November 18, 2020). "Wolves Are Coming Back to Colorado. Now Comes the Tricky Part". Sierra. Sierra Club. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  4. ^ Rott, Nathan (October 29, 2020). "Gray Wolves To Be Removed From Endangered Species List". Milwaukee: WUWM. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "Colorado Officials Hear Options On Restoring Gray Wolves". CBS Denver. November 19, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Cole, Abi (November 11, 2020). "Colorado Voted to Reintroduce Gray Wolves. Here's What You Need to Know". Outdoor Life. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Weiser, Scott (July 26, 2021). "Colorado voters spoke, but ranchers remain wary of wolf reintroduction". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "Gray wolf pups spotted in Colorado for 1st time in 80 years". KVAL. The Associated Press. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Brown, Jennifer (July 13, 2021). "Wolf reintroduction happened so fast in Montana and Idaho, the states are expanding hunting. Here's what Colorado can learn". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Colorado Wolf Management Working Group (December 28, 2004). Findings and Recommendations for Managing Wolves that Migrate into Colorado (PDF) (Report). Colorado Division of Wildlife.
  11. ^ Brasch, Sam (October 29, 2020). "What Stripping Endangered Species Protections Means For Colorado's Wolf Reintroduction Initiative". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Phillips, Noelle (March 21, 2021). "As Colorado starts planning to bring back wolves, Rio Blanco County's leaders say they won't allow it". The Denver Post. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  13. ^ McCrimmon, Cormac (May 14, 2021). "Scientists offer advice for Colorado's gray wolf reintroduction effort". The Catalyst. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  14. ^ a b West, Dan (April 5, 2021). "Moffat County wolves open up a new pack of issues". The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Colorado's first gray wolf pack since 1940s now has 6 pups". The Colorado Sun. The Associated Press. July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "Northwest Colorado Region". Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Brasch, Sam (February 3, 2021). "Colorado Just Collared A Gray Wolf, Signaling A New Era Of Wildlife Management". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  18. ^ Bruce Finley (January 22, 2020). "Polis welcomes wolves back to Colorado after wildlife officers confirm pack of 6 in Moffat County". The Denver Post.
  19. ^ a b Brasch, Sam (June 9, 2021). "It's Official: Colorado Has Its First Wild Wolf Pups Since The 1940s". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  20. ^ Tabachnik, Sam (July 9, 2021). "Gray wolf pups are multiplying near Steamboat Springs". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  21. ^ Brasch, Sam (November 6, 2020). "Colorado Voters Want Wolves Back In Colorado. Now Comes The Hard Part". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Blevins, Jason (June 11, 2021). "Discovery of gray wolf pups won't change Colorado Parks and Wildlife's reintroduction work". Durango Herald. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  23. ^ Rodriguez, Alicita (October 29, 2019). "Initiative 107 and the case for returning gray wolves to Colorado". CU Denver News. University of Colorado Denver. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  24. ^ Rao, Evan (November 20, 2020). "Grey Wolves: Who Voted for What and Why They Matter". The Catalyst. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  25. ^ McNally, Bob (June 23, 2021). "Gray Wolf Pups Spotted in Colorado". Outdoor Life. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  26. ^ Miller, Faith (February 27, 2021). "Gray wolf reintroduction wasn't popular with Western Slope voters. Some lawmakers want guardrails". Colorado Newsline. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  27. ^ Erku, Ray K. (July 15, 2021). "Visitors provide differing opinions on wolf restoration during open house in Glenwood Springs". Post Independent. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  28. ^ Óscar Contreras (June 9, 2021). "'Colorado is now home to our first wolf litter since the 1940s,' parks and wildlife officials say". Denver 7. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  29. ^ Hannon, Aedan (November 15, 2021). "Report: Common ground can be found among those who support, oppose wolf reintroduction". Durango Herald. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  30. ^ Anderson, Dylan (November 22, 2021). "How will it work? Working group outlines possible logistics for Colorado wolf reintroduction". Steamboat Pilot. Retrieved November 23, 2021.

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