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We want a delay on wolf reintroduction. It is clear that CPW needs to delay the reintroduction of wolves into our ecosystem until all requirements of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management plan are met. By allowing political pressure to drive decisions, rather than science and viability, Coloradans and wildlife are at risk.
Nearly all Colorado Counties Want the Wolf Reintroduction Delayed
  • In October 2024, an association of Colorado county governments, Colorado Counties, Inc., which represents 63 of 64 counties, sent a letter to the state calling for a delay in the program. They noted that the rushed timeframe for the program meant that CPW had “limited time to plan, staff and educate impacted stakeholders about the realities of living with wolves.”
  • In September 2024, a coalition of 26 Colorado farming and ranching associations filed a petition requesting the state delay further wolf reintroductions due to attacks against livestock, known as livestock depredations. The petition’s signatories included groups such as the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association, and the Colorado Farm Bureau, as well as numerous local associations.
  • According to a report from Colorado Politics, “Doug Bruchez, whose family has ranched in Grand County for five generations, told the [CPW] commission the program is underfunded and unprepared for new wolf releases.” Conway Farrell, who has lost dozens of sheep and cattle to predators, reported it took CPW staff 8 days to get to the site of the livestock depredation and that by the time they arrived so little was left of the carcass that they would not confirm the cause of death. Farrell told Colorado Politics, “This is not rapid response. [CPW] staff is not trained to what everybody thinks, and they’re understaffed to make quick responses to get these animals in a timely fashion.”
  • The total costs for the reintroduction have far exceeded projections, putting an extra burden on taxpayers. The original projected cost was approximately $800,000 a year but has ballooned to more than $5 million. According to The Denver Post, the costs for the first years of the program have been higher than the estimates provided to voters ahead of the 2020 ballot measure.
The execution of the plan is harming wolves. The rushed execution of bringing wolves into Colorado has done more harm than good for the wolves. This hasty release has led to the death of three wolves and the recapturing of several wolves, who are now being held in an undisclosed location. By allowing political pressure to drive the reintroduction strategy, wolves are being harmed.
The Rushed Execution of the Wolf Reintroduction Plan is Harming Wolves
  • Since the reintroduction of wolves by CPW, three wolves have died.
  • The release of wolves in December 2023 took place on public land in Summit and Grand counties, Colorado. However, CPW proceeded to recapture six wolves in Grand County for relocation due to a series of attacks on livestock.
  • The day the Oregon wolves were released on December 18, 2023, the weather in Grand County had a high of 25 degrees with a low of -6 degrees, forcing the wolves to be dropped, hungry, into a colder environment.
  • According to Defenders of Wildlife: “Although CPW’s Wolf Restoration and Management Plan gives the agency substantial flexibility in managing wolves to resolve conflicts, there is a risk that relocated wolves will not survive, particularly for the pups that are less than six months old. Further, the Technical Working Group of biologists and wolf experts that developed recommendations for the management plan suggested that relocation does not have technical merit, may destabilize packs, runs the risk of relocating conflict to another area, and may not address the underlying cause of conflict.”
We want to keep Colorado safe. In a state that is rapidly growing in human population, it is important to balance preservation of wildlife and the outdoors with the safety and security of humans and livestock. Rushing the reintroduction of wolves into our ecosystem is not the answer. Wolf packs are highly territorial, particularly around their dens where their offspring dwell and eat. Wolves show signs of aggression when they feel their young or food sources are threatened. If the goal of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is to reintegrate wolves with the intention of repopulation, wolf territories or dens near a populated area or ranch pose significant danger to families, kids, tourists, ranchers, livestock, and to the wolves themselves.
A Growing Colorado Depends on Safe and Thriving Outdoors
  • Colorado continues to grow in population; nearly 6 million people call Colorado home with an expected increase of 10% between 2020 and 2030. Making it imperative for the state to thrive economically and be a safe place to reside.
  • The first reintroduction of wolves took place on public land in Summit and Grand counties, Colorado in December 2023. These wolves have already had to be relocated due to numerous attacks on livestock. CPW Director Jeff Davis and his staff testified before the Colorado State House Agriculture Committee in September 2023, stating they would do everything possible to prohibit “problem” wolves from coming to Colorado, but so far, this has not been the case.
  • Brett D. Schroetlin, Grand County Sheriff, sent a letter to CPW highlighting the increasing concern for public safety: “It is my duty as the County Sheriff to prioritize Public Safety and to address a safety lapse when I feel that we are falling short. In this case, we have a clear Public Safety concern, coupled with increased concerns over private property rights and it is our obligation as leaders to do the right thing, even when the right thing isn’t always the easiest solution.”
  • John Williams, the co-chair of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association Wolf Committee, noted the release sites in Colorado are in close in proximity to private lands and, with wolves traveling hundreds of miles over the course of a week, the scale of wolf territory is sizable. In an interview with The Fence Post, Williams stated: “…[are] these wolves that were sent to Colorado going to depredate on livestock [?] The answer is yes. Right away? I don’t know.”
  • For decades, the arguments for reintroduction of wolves have been that it leads to ecological restoration, but that is false. A 20-year study conducted by researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) found that there is no evidence that forcing predators such as wolves into our ecosystem reverses any negative effect of their removal. For example, CSU Professor Tom Hobbs studied the reintroduction of predators and concluded that Colorado does not have an over-grazing issue with Elk because the state has managed overpopulation through hunting.
We want to protect our economy. Colorado’s agriculture and food industry is a driving force in our economy, generating $47 billion annually in revenue, and supporting nearly 200,000 jobs. Colorado agriculture is a top producer of more than 20 commodities, including cattle and sheep. With the hasty introduction of the wolves and almost no resources for ranchers to protect their livestock, the 39,000 Colorado farms and ranches and their livestock are at risk.
Wolves Put Colorado’s Agricultural Economy at Risk
  • The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado has already resulted in dozens of confirmed livestock deaths, but this number could be higher. According to a petition from livestock groups to CPW, “In the first eight months of this program, Colorado has confirmed 24 livestock deaths as the result of wolf depredations…and this does not account for undocumented losses—the ‘missing’ livestock and many suspected wolf-related deaths that CPW was incapable or unwilling to deem as depredations earlier in the year.”
  • Colorado has seen a disproportionate number of livestock kills compared to other states with a wolf population. For example, Montana has 70 times the number of wolves as Colorado and had just eight more livestock losses in all of 2023 than Colorado has confirmed in the first seven months of 2024.
  • According to CSU, wolves negatively impact ranchers both directly and indirectly: “Both direct and indirect losses could significantly affect the livelihood of individual ranchers operating on thin profit margins in volatile markets. At a stakeholder workshop in February 2020, ranchers shared their belief that wolf reintroduction poses a threat to rancher’s security regarding their livelihood and way of life.”
  • The Middle Park Stockgrowers stated in a letter to Governor Polis and CPW: “The continued presence of these wolves poses a severe economic hardship for Grand County ranchers. These recent attacks not only inflict financial losses but also threaten the viability of their operations.”
  • Sarajane Snowden, owner of a mid-to-large-size, cow-calf operation in the Yampa Valley stated: “I would much rather put that money somewhere else than fighting off a predator that we never had problems with for the last 30, 50, 100 years.”
We want to stop playing politics and focus on policy-driven solutions. Proposition 114, which forces wolves into Colorado, narrowly passed by a margin of just 51% to 49%, making it the closest margin in Colorado voting in 2020.This support came largely from Colorado’s Front Range region, specifically the Denver metro area, which will be largely unaffected by wolf populations, at least to start. Ultimately, just 13 of Colorado’s 64 counties voted in support of this controversial measure, further exacerbating political divides across Colorado. What’s even more concerning is a large majority of Proposition 114’s backing was from out-of-state interests. This support included the biggest donors coming from outside of Colorado. It seems the only thing that has changed is politics. This “ballot-box biology” puts both Coloradans and wolves in danger.
Colorado Wolf Reintroduction is Driven by Politics, Not Science
  • The Western Slope, where wolves are being released, is home to more than a half-million people.
  • There has been an established precedence of CPW rejecting proposals on multiple occasions prior to 2020, including in 2016, 2004, 1989, and 1982.
  • As the Colorado Farm Bureau highlighted during the 2020 vote, “the decision about whether or not to introduce wolves to Colorado should be guided by science and left in the hands of experts, not the ballot box.”
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