Colorado’s next batch of wolves are on their way from Canada.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials began gray wolf capture operations on Jan. 10 in British Columbia (B.C.) and were expected to continue operations for up to two weeks. The agency plans to capture up to 15 wolves in the Canadian province to release in Colorado this year.
CPW has not released specific whereabouts of where wolves were being released, citing safety of the animals and CPW staff. Wolves were likely released in Garfield, Eagle and/or Pitkin counties. The agency plans to issue a press release and hold a press conference when the operation is completed.
“We are excited to be working with B.C. to bring together our combined experience and expertise while ensuring the safety of animals and staff,” said CPW Wolf Conservation Program Manager Eric Odell. “This new source population of gray wolves will provide additional genetic diversity to Colorado’s wolf population.”
Details
CPW plans to release 10-15 gray wolves on the West Slope per year, for a total of three to five years. The agency said capturing wolves from B.C. will increase the likelihood of pairing, breeding and pack formation.
“Established wolf packs defend territories, which will allow CPW to monitor patterns within a territory and will improve the agency’s ability to collaborate with producers on active behavior and coexistence strategies to best protect livestock,” CPW said.
Wolves were to be examined and treated for disease, collared, transported in crates via aircraft and released in Colorado as soon as possible once they arrived. The agency said the wolves from the area of B.C. did not overlap with areas where livestock are present, “so there are no concerns about reintroducing wolves that are from packs that are involved in situations of repeated livestock depredations.”
During a joint Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources and House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources committee meeting on Jan. 15, CPW Deputy Director Reid Dewalt voiced safety concerns for CPW staff.
“The fact is that we have been pretty heavily threatened during this operation, which is sad to say,” Dewalt said. “We’ve been followed during the operation. We have people staking out our offices. There have been threats of violence on social media and through phone calls.”
Industry petition
At its Jan. 8-9 meeting, the CPW Commission denied a petition by ag industry groups seeking to halt wolf releases in the state. Earlier in December, CPW Director Jeff Davis gave the recommendation to deny the petition, citing that CPW has already made the requested management changes.
“Halting wolf reintroduction would be contrary to the biological principles guiding the reintroduction process, the intent of Proposition 114, now codified at section 33-2-105.8, C.R.S., and the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan,” Davis wrote in a memo to the commission dated Dec. 21.
Ranching groups requested seven specific conditions be met before wolves were released, which included adopting more specific terms and definitions regarding depredation and non-lethal measures, developing programs to help with managing wolf conflicts, and increasing collaboration effort between agencies, communities and livestock producers.
Davis said the concerns addressed in the petition had been addressed through an updated Conflict Minimization Program, the addition of new staff and strengthened partnerships and guidelines.
Environmental groups had urged the commission to reject the petition, saying a delay in releasing wolves would be inconsistent with the law’s requirement to establish a self-sustaining population.
“Livestock owners have been given a seat of privilege at the decision-making table,” said Lindsay Larris of WildEarth Guardians. “And generous compensation and coexistence resources are available to those who want them.”
The Wolf Depredation Compensation Fund was established in 2023 and set aside $525,000 for compensation to those that have suffered damages from depredation—$175,000 in fiscal year 2023-24 and $350,000 in fiscal year 2024-25.
Grand County ranchers submitted claims of more than $582,000 for wolf depredation and related impacts for 2024—far more than what the compensation fund allocated. In a letter sent to CPW commissioners, the Middle Park Stockgrowers Association said three ranchers alone had claims totaling more than $575,000.
A CPW spokesperson told The Coloradoan that if the allocated fundings do not cover compensation requests, the deficit will be covered from the same source as the $525,000.
Community feedback, engagement
Members of a Facebook group may have been among the first to know of the wolves’ arrival in the state, according to a report by Steamboat Radio. By using live flight tracking software, members of the Colorado Wolf Tracker Facebook group pinpointed a plane they believed was transporting wolves to Colorado. Members then monitored the Eagle County Regional Airport, where they reported seeing official CPW trucks with cages in the bed and pulling a trailer headed west on Interstate 70.
Colorado lawmakers responded to news of CPW’s capture operations by saying they hoped the next round of releases will go over better than it did last year.
“Coexistence will only be accomplished with adequate support for, input from, and most importantly, respect for the individuals and communities that have to deal with all the consequences of wolves on a daily basis,” read a joint statement by House Speaker Julie McCluskie (D-13), Sens. Dylan Roberts (D-08) and Marc Catlin (R-05), and Reps. Elizabeth Velasco (D-57) and Meghan Lukens (D-26).
“Should problems arise or commitments fail to be honored, we are prepared to exercise our power as a co-equal branch of government to do everything we can to protect our constituents, amplify valid concerns, and ensure that coexistence is equitable,” the lawmakers continued. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
