Colorado announces possible release areas for next wave of introduced wolves

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials met Friday with commissioners from four counties where the agency plans to release wolves — a new approach after state authorities previously released the animals in secret.

Garfield, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Eagle counties are in the running as drop-off points for the 10-15 wolves the agency will source from British Columbia during the 2024-25 capture-and-release season starting in December. The counties are within the agency’s northern release zone. 

The early engagement comes after a rocky start to Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program in part, say critics, because of the agency’s lack of transparency starting with the release of five wolves in Grand County on Dec. 18, and five in Summit County on Dec. 26. 

Wolves were introduced in Colorado west of the Continental Divide, after Colorado voters narrowly passed Proposition 114 in November 2020. The ballot measure, passed mainly by urban voters, directed state wildlife officials to begin reintroduction by the end of 2023 and continue until a self-sustaining population is established. 

In a news release following the meeting Friday, CPW said it chose the four locations in part because each met the agency’s exacting list of requirements. 

The agency must release wolves on state-owned lands — or private land, with permission — that have the habitat and the wild game to support the wolves. Proximity to humans and livestock is a key consideration, along with potential movement after being released and the availability of natural food sources during the season of the release. Access to a site, safety for staff and animals, and weather are also factored into the decision. Final release site decisions will not be made until the operation is underway. 

In the months after the December releases, CPW said several wolves “made significant movements,” away from the sites, “which was to be expected.” 

What seemed unexpected was the way wolves zeroed in on rancher Conway Farrell’s livestock at his cattle operation near Kremmling. Wolves in Grand County killed nearly two dozen cattle and sheep in the spring and a mated pair that produced five pups killed at least eight sheep in one day in July on Farrell’s ranch. Ranchers who lose livestock to confirmed wolf kills have until Dec. 31 to submit requests for reimbursement. In 2023, the state legislature allocated $350,000 annually to ranchers whose livestock are killed by wolves. 

By the time Farrell’s sheep were killed, ranchers across the region had repeatedly asked CPW to take lethal action to protect their livestock. But the agency declined, first because it appeared the female wolf was pregnant, and then, officials said, because killing the adult male believed responsible for the predation on Farrell’s ranch would put the pups at risk. 

Months earlier, in January, lawmakers grilled CPW director Jeff Davis for failing to communicate with communities near where the wolves were released. Davis agreed residents had lost trust in the agency but said it would work to regain their trust. 

One of the biggest points of contention centered on CPW’s failure to solidify rules around repeated killings, with Davis telling lawmakers the agency’s goal was “to review all states that have wolves and what they put into their chronic depredation definition and figure out criteria.”

Puppies in limbo as reintroduction enters phase two

On Instagram Aug. 17, a man posted a video of three of the Copper Creek puppies splashing in a rain puddle. CPW celebrated the news, sharing the video on its Instagram page with the explanation, “Playing not only allows a wolf pup to practice hunting behaviors but also teaches them to communicate effectively with other wolves, which is a skill they will use throughout their lives as social creatures living in packs.” 

But shortly thereafter, the agency began capturing members of the Copper Creek pack, which had continued killing and feeding on Farrell’s cattle and sheep, and relocated them to a “secure location” on private land. These included the adult male, which died soon after transport, the female and four pups, which are all still in captivity with no known release date. The agency tried to find the fifth pup but gave up after 19 nights of searching. 

The wolf program faced another setback in August, when the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation in Washington rescinded their offer of 15 wolves to Colorado, citing concerns the state had not honored concerns of the Southern Ute Tribe involving reintroduction. But in September, British Columbia stepped up with its offer to provide animals, starting in December. 

CPW said the meeting Friday “marks the beginning of the collaboration efforts as we enter the next phase of gray wolf introductions and continue the discussions that have been taking place since January 2024. Colorado Parks and Wildlife remains committed to engaging further with county officials, local producers, and other stakeholders in areas where wolves currently reside and in locations where wolves may be released in the future.”