Realizing What Colorado Intended: Wolves on the Landscape

Wolves on the Colorado landscape are living proof of the power of science-based wildlife restoration. In 2020, through ballot initiative, Coloradans embarked on an ambitious state-led plan to restore the long-absent keystone species to its natural landscape. After years of outreach and careful planning, by December 2023, 10 gray wolves were reintroduced to Colorado, an effort since celebrated globally as a monumental achievement in conservation. Two of those wolves formed a breeding pair, produced a litter and were named the Copper Creek Pack. Unfortunately, what happened to this pack last month was an unnecessary setback to the restoration effort — but there is ample time, desire, and effective solutions to keep the wolf restoration campaign on track.
 

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Eilish Palmer

A few vocal ranchers — despite claims to the contrary — did not exhaust every nonlethal conflict mitigation measure at their disposal to coexist with the new pack. Because of the resulting conflict with the wolves, they demanded Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the agency tasked with wolf management, remove the pack from the landscape. Without specific rules in place to prevent this, CPW obliged the few ranchers — a move that sets back the decision made by Coloradans to reintroduce gray wolves and one that is inconsistent with the recommendations of the agency’s own technical working group.  

Relocating young pups puts their survival at risk, and wolf experts have suggested that relocation is not an effective lasting solution for addressing wolf-livestock conflict.  

This statewide effort has struck a balance with science-based management for wolves with compensation and support for livestock producers. To jeopardize the state’s only successfully-breeding pack this early into the reintroduction effort could significantly setback the progress toward the state’s goal of restoring a viable, self-sustaining wolf population.  

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weisen007/iStockphoto

CPW has the opportunity to learn from the actions of this summer and continue to fulfill the promise of reintroduction. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission should adopt a rule that requires agency-recommended nonlethal conflict mitigation measures be exhausted, in a timely and good-faith matter, before considering any lethal removal or relocation of wolves in response to livestock depredation or threat of livestock depredation.   

When employed correctly, appropriate nonlethal tools and strategies can effectively minimize wolf-livestock conflicts and prevent relocation or lethal removal in the future.  What’s more, CPW and Colorado Department of Agriculture offer on-the-ground support for implementing nonlethal coexistence measures to mitigate livestock losses, generally at no financial cost to producers.  

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Devon Pradhuman

Defenders of Wildlife, a national nonprofit that advocates for gray wolf reintroduction and defended Colorado’s historic effort to do so in court, is also helping livestock producers fund, access and implement proactive conflict minimization measures. 

Coloradans are in favor of wolves on the landscape as it presents a return to a rich natural heritage that was once found all throughout the West. With continued patience and collaboration, wolves, livestock and people can thrive together.