Wolf news to watch in 2025
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DENVER — A call to quell emotions during the four-and-a-half hour public comment period during a recent Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission meeting did not work.
During the meeting’s public comment portion, nearly 75 people gave personal pleas regarding wolf reintroduction. Commissioners denied a petition filed by 26 Colorado organizations to delay efforts to bring more gray wolves to the state, allowing CPW staff to carry out their plan to introduce up to 15 new wolves to Colorado this month.
But the fight over wolves is far from over. Here are six things to watch in 2025 related to wolves in Colorado.
More wolves
Up to 15 new wolves may have already arrived in Colorado as part of CPW’s extensive wolf management plan. The plan calls for 10-15 wolves to be released every year for three to five years in order to develop a sustainable wolf population.
The Colorado Sun reports that commissioners in two of three counties selected for reintroduced wolves have been notified that wolves have arrived from Canada. Members of a Facebook group called Colorado Wolf Tracker used live flight tracking programs to identify a plane they believed was carrying wolves that landed in Eagle County on Sunday.
Winter is a good time to capture and release wolves. Breeding season starts in mid-February and litters are typically born in April.
CPW is using a similar process from last year to capture, transport and release this next batch of wolves. The first “translocation” of wolves involved 12 CPW staff members traveling to Oregon, tracking and sedating six female and four male healthy, young adult wolves.
CPW announced January 11 its staff was on their way to British Columbia, Canada to find the next batch of wolves, a process they said could take up to two weeks. The plan involved capturing, examining the wolves, and then transporting them in a crate on an airplane back to Colorado.
British Columbia has an abundant gray wolf population, with an average of about 8,000 wolves. The wolves there do not overlap with areas where livestock are present, so there are no concerns about introducing wolves with a history of depredation.
The new batch of wolves from Canada will be released in Garfield, Eagle or Pitkin counties. CPW held community meetings in November and December in these counties to prepare residents and host feedback sessions. However, many ranchers and community members wish there was more transparency in exactly where wolves are released.
As more wolves are relocated to Colorado, CPW believes it can more efficiently manage potential wolf and livestock conflicts. Wolves can travel up to 60 miles a day, but packs establish and defend territorial boundaries. As more packs form and establish their territories, CPW believes it will be able to better predict the wolves’ travel patterns, thus preventing any potential attacks on livestock.
Once Colorado’s wolf population reaches and sustains 50 for four years, the CPW commission could go through the process to delist the animal’s state ‘endangered’ status to ‘threatened.’ If the wolf population reaches 150 and stays above that mark for two years (or 200 wolves with no time requirement), wolves in the state could receive a non-game status.
Current wolves
CPW is aware of nine adult and five gray wolf pups in Colorado.
Ballot initiative 114, which Colorado voters narrowly approved in 2020, required CPW to release the first set of wolves by the end of 2023. In December of that year, CPW successfully captured 10 wolves from Oregon and released them into Summit and Grand counties.
Three of those first 10 wolves died within the first year of reintroduction. A mountain lion killed one, a fight with another wolf killed another (it had a previous gunshot wound that healed) and another wolf, known as 2309-OR, died days after someone shot him. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is calling this an “illegal killing” of a federal endangered species and is looking for any information to solve the crime.
One pack formed last year out of the reintroduced wolves. The Copper Creek pack consisted of a male and female bonded pair and a litter of puppies born in the spring. The pack was responsible for a string of depredations — or killings of livestock — in the Middle Park basin of Grand County.
Following pleas from ranchers and stockman associations, CPW transported the pack to an undisclosed, remote location monitored by CPW. The adult female and four out of five pups were found to be healthy and transported successfully.
However, the adult male, 2309-OR, was shot and injured. Despite an effort to save the wolf, he died a few days later. CPW also wasn’t able to capture the fifth pup after monitoring the area for nearly three weeks — the pup remains in the wild.
CPW said it plans to re-release the Copper Creek pack sometime this spring, hoping the relocation will prevent future depredation. Despite the losses, CPW said the wolf survival rate from the first year is within the normal range for Rocky Mountain wolf populations.
CPW announces updates to wolf program, commission denies petition
In September, 26 organizations sent a petition to CPW to pause further wolf reintroduction until the agency came up with a management program that resolves conflicts with producers.
Ahead of the commissioners’ vote on the petition at its Jan. 8 meeting, seven CPW staff members provided an update to the wolf management program focused on the expansion of the conflict minimization program.
CPW announced a definition of chronic depredation: three or more events caused by the same wolf or wolves within a 30-day period. The first event must meet a standard of clear and convincing evidence while the next events just need to meet the level of preponderance of evidence.
Once chronic depredation is established, CPW will decide the appropriate action on a case-by-case basis. CPW may decide to kill a wolf. Before killing a wolf, CPW must confirm that three things are true: The livestock producer has experienced chronic depredation, tried all non-lethal measures identified in a site assessment and removed any attractants that could lure wolves to the site.
Livestock producers can request the free site assessment program with CPW by calling their local CPW office. Staff will travel to the requested ranch to determine which non-lethal tools are available to the producers.
One of the most popular and effective non-lethal tools is a range rider. On horseback, this person is able to travel with livestock through various terrains. They’re able to spread their scent while closely monitoring the health and safety of the animals.
This year, up to 12 range riders will contract through a new CPW and Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) program to work on ranches from April to October. CPW will also hire an additional two to four riders to help during the calving and lambing season in April and May. The program will also reimburse eligible ranches for their own range rider.
Another key factor to reducing chances of wolf depredation is the removal of animal carcasses from producers’ land. After CDA staff visited with other states on this topic, they developed a one-page best practices carcass management document for producers to use.
Following the updates from CPW staff at the Jan. 8 meeting, about 75 people spoke in favor or against the petition to delay further wolf reintroductions. Each person had two minutes to make their case.
The first four people to speak were Grand County commissioner Merrit Linke — who was in favor of pausing reintroductions — and three women with the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, who spoke against the petition. After these first few comments, CPW commission chair Dallas May noted the rising tensions in the room. He asked public commenters to “take down the emotions” and to “keep decorum and dignity.” Just a couple of people later, Ellen Kessler spoke against pausing reintroductions. She told commission chair May she could not keep herself from being emotional about this issue.
“I applaud you director Davis, staff and commissioners on the work you have been doing for the wolf program. You’re carrying out the voters' directive by using science and experience, so I’m sickened about the filing of a ballot initiative to overturn your hard work,” said Kessler.
“Gunnison County Stockgrowers is concerned about the definition of chronic depredation is insufficient to meet the needs of ranchers in Colorado and imposes a unreasonably strict burden of proof that substantially deviates from the norm,” said Andy Spann president of the Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association. “How is this designed to resolve conflict with persons engaged in ranching and farming in the state?”
After listening to hours of public comment and the wolf program updates, 10 commissioners voted to support the recommendation from CPW staff and deny the petition. One commissioner, Marie Haskett, voted against. This cleared the way for CPW to begin capture and relocation efforts of wolves from Canada to Colorado.
Depredation claims
Ranchers in Middle Park, Colorado, submitted claims totaling nearly $600,000 in livestock losses due to wolves ahead of the commission’s vote — and just in time for the year-end deadline. Vail Daily reports Middle Park Stockgrowers Association president Tim Ritschard sent an email containing three claims submitted to CPW in December.
The claims include more than $18,000 for loss or injury of sheep and cattle, nearly $174,000 for missing livestock, more than $218,000 for reduced weight of livestock, and nearly $173,000 for reductions in livestock births. Ritschard told Vail Daily that two of the claims are directly related to the Copper Creek pack. He also said the claims took longer to complete because the ranchers had to wait to calculate some aspects like reduced weight and reduced number of births.
Ranchers can be reimbursed for livestock death, injury, loss, weight loss, birth reduction and veterinarian costs. Following a CPW investigation and confirmation of the depredation, livestock owners can be reimbursed the fair market value of the animal up to $15,000. CPW staff can approve smaller claims, but the CPW commission must evaluate claims asking for more than $20,000.
The total of these claims are enough to wipe out the current funds in the wolf depredation compensation program. Senate Bill 23-255 established the fund two years ago, designating $175,000 in the first fiscal year and $350,000 in the second fiscal year.
Prior to these claims, CPW confirmed 17 instances of depredation involving 23 animals since the official reintroduction of wolves in December 2023. Most cases are single animal claims, so the payouts are less than $2,000, but many cases are listed as pending and do not list a dollar amount.
In Oregon, the largest number of confirmed cases of depredation from wolves in one year was 76. Oregon has published wolf depredation information dating back to 2000.
In Idaho, the largest number of confirmed cases of depredation from wolves in one year was 208, totaling more than $159,000. Idaho has published wolf depredation information since 2018.
CPW & the Southern Ute Indian Tribe
The state of Colorado and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe have finally reached an agreement regarding wolves. The previous lack of coordination between CPW and the Southern Ute meant Colorado almost lost out on the chance to receive a new batch of wolves for this year’s release.
The Southern Ute Tribe expressed opposition and concerns over wolves since the 2020 ballot initiative. The Tribal Council passed a memorandum opposing wolves ahead of the election. After voters approved the initiative, the Tribe asked CPW to not release wolves south of I-70 in an effort to keep the animals away from the Brunot Area of the San Juan mountains.
The Brunot Area is about 3.7 million acres and part of a forced secession of the Ute reservation in 1873. Miners and prospectors were particularly interested in the area’s potential, which led to the establishment of towns like Silverton. The Brunot Agreement was a huge loss to the Tribe’s land rights and hunting-and-gathering way of life.
However, the Brunot Agreement included a provision allowing Utes to continue to hunt on the land. The state and the Southern Ute Tribe renewed this hunting right through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2008. The agreement meant the governments would work together on conservation within the Brunot Area.
Now, the Tribe and CPW have signed another MOU that establishes the framework for continued collaboration as CPW carries out the wolf management plan. The MOU also recognizes the sovereign authority of the Tribe and Tribal lands as well as the hunting and fishing rights of Tribal members in the Brunot Area.
Last year, CPW had come to an agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Nation in northeastern Washington to supply up to 15 wolves for this year’s reintroduction. Then in June, the Colville Tribes sent a letter to CPW saying they could not follow through with the arrangement because there was a lack of an agreement with the Southern Ute Tribe.
“Out of respect for the sovereignty, cultures, and membership of Indian Tribes in Colorado, neighboring states, who may be impacted by this project, the Colville Tribes cannot assist with this project at this time,” the letter read in part.
That left CPW to find another agency to work with for this year’s release.
It started with a ballot initiative, will it end with one too?
Bringing wolves back to the state after 80 years was not simple or easy. It took decades of advocacy from environmentalists and a ballot initiative to bring it to voters in November 2020. Proposition 114 passed with just 51% of the vote.
Now, a group has filed its own ballot initiative to repeal the first one. Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy has a mission to “help save Colorado’s heritage” and has submitted a draft measure. If approved, voters would see the future of the wolf management program on their ballots in 2026.
“Supporters of the campaign believe that the current law is not adequately protecting the interests of Colorado residents and their way of life. By repealing the law, they hope to restore the balance between conservation efforts and the sustainability of local industries,” said Patrick Davis in a blog post on the organization’s website.
Read more about how much Colorado loves ballot initiatives and the process here.
To learn more about the history of wolves, origin of the ballot initiative, and get an on-the-ground look at mountain cow-calf ranch, watch RMPBS’ recent documentary Colorado Experience: Return of the Wolf.
To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.