Colorado's gray wolf reintroduction plan sparks political divide

Wildlife officials in Colorado are preparing to reintroduce gray wolves in the state, a move that has ignited a political divide between urban voters and rural residents.

This ambitious effort, the largest wolf reintroduction plan in almost three decades, stands in stark contrast to Republican-led states' aggressive measures to cull wolf packs. The releases in Colorado will help fill one of the last remaining major gaps in the western U.S. for this species, which historically inhabited regions from northern Canada to the desert southwest.

The reintroduction plan has become a contentious issue, with GOP-dominated states like Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana refusing to share their wolves for the effort.

As a result, Colorado officials turned to Oregon, another Democratic state, to secure wolves. While wildlife advocates eagerly anticipate the releases and have even started a wolf-naming contest, ranchers in the Rocky Mountains, where the reintroduction will occur, are anxious. They have already witnessed the impact of wolves that wandered down from Wyoming over the past two years, resulting in the loss of livestock.

The concern among ranchers is that these attacks will worsen, further exacerbating the challenges faced by rural communities in western Colorado.

As the state's liberal leaders prioritize clean energy and tourism, industries like fossil fuel extraction and agriculture are being overshadowed. In 2022 alone, gray wolves were responsible for hundreds of attacks on domesticated animals across 10 states, including Colorado. The attacks resulted in the deaths or injuries of hundreds of cattle, sheep, dogs, chickens, horses, and goats.

Colorado wildlife officials plan to release 30 to 50 wolves within the next five years. To address concerns from the livestock industry, ranchers who experience losses due to wolf attacks will be compensated at fair market value, with a maximum payment of $15,000 per animal.

Additionally, Colorado residents who supported the reintroduction plan will need to adjust to the reality that wildlife agents may need to kill wolves that prey on livestock.

It's worth noting that some wolves have already been killed when they crossed from Colorado into Wyoming, where the state has designated a "predatory" zone for wolves, allowing them to be shot on sight. The political debates surrounding the reintroduction of wolves have often overlooked the practical realities on the ground.

Gray wolves were nearly exterminated across most of the U.S. by the 1930s due to government-sponsored poisoning and trapping campaigns. In 1975, when there were only about 1,000 gray wolves remaining in northern Minnesota, they were granted endangered species protections.

Since then, other states have successfully reintroduced gray wolves, with an estimated population of 7,500 wolves in about 1,400 packs across parts of the contiguous U.S. Oregon and Washington, both Democratic states, have seen the most rapid expansion of wolf populations as wolves naturally recolonize these areas after being reintroduced to neighboring states.

In contrast, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, where wolf hunting is legal, have attempted to reduce wolf numbers by loosening rules for killing the predators and increasing the number that can be taken by individual hunters. While this approach has led to more wolves being shot in Yellowstone, it has had a minor impact on overall wolf numbers. State officials argue that it has helped reduce attacks on livestock as wolves become more wary of humans.

READ MORE:

• COLORADO RANCHER SAYS WILDLIFE AGENCY CONFIRMED WOLF KILLED 3 OF HIS SHEEP

• FIRST WOLVES SECURED FOR VOTER MANDATED REINTRODUCTION INTO COLORADO

• POTENTIAL DANGERS LOOM AS COLORADO PREPARES FOR WOLF REINTRODUCTION

• A NEW RULE ALLOWING WOLF KILLS IN COLORADO WILL ALSO GREEN LIGHT REINTRODUCTION

The increased killing of wolves has drawn attention from the Biden administration, which is considering restoring federal wolf protections in these states.

Currently, this region is the only area in the U.S. where wolves are not federally protected. Interior officials have been working to remove wolf protections across the remaining contiguous U.S. for the past decade, starting under the Obama administration. Although protections were briefly lifted under the Trump administration, a federal court later overturned the decision.

A new proposal is expected by early February, and if wolves lose their protected status, it would pave the way for future hunts in Colorado and other states, with each state having the authority to decide.