Gray wolves occurred in Colorado until they were eradicated around 1940. During the time period of 2004-2020, wolves returned to Colorado, migrating from the north where there are wolves in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It is also possible that wolves will migrate into Colorado from the south, where wolves live in New Mexico and Arizona.
Wolves commonly disperse hundreds of miles and establish new populations in empty habitat. This might happen in Colorado. Wolves prey on big game, including moose, elk, and deer, and smaller animals such as beavers, rabbits, and rodents. Wolves also prey on livestock including cattle, horses, and sheep.
There is a state ballot initiative in Colorado for the 2020 election which proposes to introduce wolves into Colorado (see the WLJ Dec. 23, 2019 and June 29, 2020). This would be done by capturing them elsewhere and releasing them in Colorado. There is opposition to this initiative because of the negative impact that wolves will have on livestock and wildlife populations.
The Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has documented wolves in Colorado and described their status as of June 2020 (see the Table). Most wolves dispersing into Colorado are thought to come from the Yellowstone National Park area in Wyoming.
[inline_image file=”45579b75e2e4e3965c098aebaf6b94a9.jpg” caption=”44Opinion_ResourceScience_chart_OL”]
CPW reported wolf sightings in Colorado including:
• A male wolf sighted near North Park, Jackson County, CO, in 2019 and 2020. This wolf came from the Snake River pack in Wyoming;
• CPW is trying to confirm a wolf sighting in the Laramie River Valley in Larimer County, CO. The animal was wearing a tracking collar so it is likely a wolf from Montana or Wyoming. If this is confirmed, it will be the easternmost wolf in Colorado in almost a century;
• On June 6-7, 2020 campers in Grand County, CO, saw a large wolf-like animal. CPW is investigating if it was a wolf, coyote, dog, or hybrid; and
• CPW is monitoring a pack of at least six wolves in Moffat County in the northwest corner of Colorado. This is the first pack of wolves in Colorado since the 1930s. These wolves have been confirmed with sightings by CPW, hunters, and landowners.
Wolves will probably continue to spread in Colorado, especially if they are deliberately introduced. Wolves have spread widely in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon as indicated on the maps in the online reference material. As previously described (WLJ April 13, 2020), Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho have managed wolves with hunting, trapping, and removal of wolves that kill livestock, resulting in stable populations.
What you can do
Use your local knowledge of wildlife and livestock, and the experience in the other states with wolves, to anticipate where wolves will establish populations and cause problems for stockmen in Colorado. Tell your county, state, and federal officials you want wolves to be managed by the state wildlife agency (CPW), as they are in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, to minimize damage to livestock and wildlife populations. This will likely require wolves being removed from the endangered species list to allow state management. — Dr. Matthew Cronin
(Matthew Cronin was a research professor at the University of Alaska and is now at Northwest Biology Company LLC and an affiliate professor at Montana State University. He can be reached at croninm@aol.com.)
Wolves in other states
[inline_image file=”ef550dc3ac43db5a085af994e5b8f7e5.png” caption=”Approximate wolf distribution in Idaho in 2016 as indicated by trail camera locations placed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game.”]
[inline_image file=”a2c0fd758e45b1fa6538b499679470fa.png” caption=”Wolf distribution in Montana in 2009 as indicated by wolf pack locations (purple names and circles).”]
[inline_image file=”d7becdf3deefcccee6e32585a628164c.png” caption=”Home ranges of confirmed wolf packs in Wyoming as of December 31, 2019.”]
[inline_image file=”be55216a58a993bdd53ad1904df66274.png” caption=”Wolf packs and pack territories in Washington, 2018. This figure does not include unconfirmed packs or packs in bordering states and provinces.”]
[inline_image file=”4c4168c7f36e83f8cff92dd40a95f8e5.png” caption=”Wolf distribution in Oregon in 2018.”]
[inline_image file=”b864dc042ab3b281c3cec2599658ce0f.png” caption=”Wolf distribution of the Lassen pack in California.”]
[inline_image file=”a961b9f1f599a8384883c8329744fde6.png” caption=”Mexican gray wolf range in Arizona and New Mexico.”]
References for wolves in Colorado and other states
Jimenez, M.D., E.E. Bangs, D.K. Boyd, et al. 2017. Wolf dispersal in the northern Rocky Mountains. Journal of Wildlife Management 81(4):581–592.
https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/News-Release-Details.aspx?NewsID=7481
https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/CON-Wolf-Management.aspx
http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/wolf/history.html
http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/wolf/
http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/management/wolf/population.html
https://idfg.idaho.gov/wildlife/wolf/recovery-reintroduction
https://idfg.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/state_wolf_report_2015-2017_040218clc.pdf
https://apnews.com/d38bbfe2ac05121993e23e8942e60873
https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/02062.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Confederated Colville Tribes, Spokane Tribe of Indians, USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2019. Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2018 Annual Report. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ellensburg, WA, USA.
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=174789&inline
https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/
https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/images/MWEPA_maplarge.gif
