A year ago this week, Colorado biologists boarded a nimble Hughes-500 helicopter in British Columbia and helped capture 15 healthy wolves.
The animals were put on a plane and brought to the West Slope, where they were released in a secret location in the darkness.
Today, the wolf reintroduction program is entering a new year in a state of limbo as the effort to reach a self-sustaining wolf population in Colorado faces new headwinds.
Parks and Wildlife Officials have yet to announce a new source of wolves, months after the Trump administration nixed plans for a second wave of the animals from Canada.
The clock is ticking on the capture season. Biologists use the contrast of dark fur against white snow in winter to more easily locate and track wolves with helicopters.
CPW spokesperson Luke Perkins said Thursday the agency is “continuing to evaluate all options” for future wolf releases.
But no specific sources or prospects have been publicly identified since Washington state rejected Colorado’s request to donate more wolves last fall.
Meanwhile, there are new threats of federal intervention to the reintroduction effort.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum alleged on X last month that “Colorado is prioritizing wolves over American ranchers.”
“In January, they released 15 wolves into the wild with NO warning & recently RE-RELEASED a wolf from a pack known to kill livestock,” he posted. “This is a warning: if Colorado does not get control of the wolves immediately, we will!”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife followed the message up with a formal letter saying the agency would take control of wolf management in Colorado if the state did not provide a report of its conservation and management activities within 30 days.
Parks and wildlife said last week it’s complying with the request and would prefer to keep control of the program.
“CPW values the partnership with USFWS in the wolf management context as well as in many other collaborative situations in which those joint efforts benefit Colorado’s citizens and their interests in our state’s wildlife and natural resources,” spokesperson Perkins said. “CPW believes that it is advantageous for CPW to continue as the lead management agency for Colorado’s gray wolves.”
Every wolf matters
Facing the prospect of a pause in additional wolves, wolf advocates say Colorado should add new protections for its existing population of fewer than 50 wolves.
“Every means possible to prevent the need for lethal removal of wolves should be applied in every situation, because every single wolf on the ground in Colorado is now more genetically important to the long-term success of this program,” Rob Edward of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project said Friday.
Edward said that with future wolf releases uncertain, Colorado should strongly consider not killing wolves that attack livestock on ranches lacking conflict prevention measures.
“If we don't protect them, if we were to be too lax in deciding to kill wolves because they got into conflict with livestock, especially if there was no effort to actually prevent that conflict in the first place, then we are doing the long term success of the program a disservice, and the genetic diversity of the wolf population a disservice,” he said.
Meanwhile, the wolf program continues to face scrutiny at the statehouse.
At a budget hearing last week, State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, questioned where the state will find the money to pay for compensation claims from ranchers losing livestock to the predators.
And State Rep. Rick Taggert, R-Grand Junction, said West Slope ranchers “feel like they’re not being heard” about wolf management.
“There’s a gap there,” he said.
Acting CPW director Laura Clellan said wildlife agents on the West Slope are in “constant communication” with landowners about wolves.
“I feel strongly that we have a really good relationship at that level,” she said.
Reid DeWalt, who is leading the wolf restoration effort, pointed to a group created last summer that includes leaders of the Colorado Cattleman’s Association and other agricultural groups to talk about wolf management.
“I think the issue is that wolves are a very polarizing species, and across the west this is what we’ve seen,” he said. “It just takes that continuing showing up and having those hard conversations, and I’m personally committed to that.”
Lawmakers asked DeWalt what would happen if Colorado isn’t able to find more wolves to bring to the state this winter.
“Not getting wolves this year will definitely slow down the program and the predictability as well,” he said. “This program becomes much more predictable when wolves pair and they get into a den site. They will defend that den site and that territory and they’ll stay put.”
He said the alternative is lone wolves that roam vast distances, which would make it more difficult to deploy conflict prevention measures.
“The program is not failing,” he added. “If we continue to lose wolves, we have lost 10 for various reasons, and if we continue to see mortalities, that’s when the concerns get raised.”
