How to Bring Back Wolves to Colorado

More needs to be done before wolves return to Colorado.

Native wolves vanished from Colorado after 1935, according to published accounts. During that period, wolves met with considerable hostility and fear, causing their extermination from the lower 48 states by the 1930s. Because of federal protections from the Endangered Species Act and wolf reintroduction programs, wolf populations in several western states have rebounded. Wolf protection and repatriation is an emotionally charged issue. Colorado public opinion has responded overwhelmingly in favor of wolf reintroduction by 73 percent. But more needs to be done before wolves are brought back to the state. Numerous government agencies, conservation organizations and private stakeholders are now developing Colorado wolf management strategies.

Instructions

1. Research Colorado wolf management plans and strategies by visiting websites of government agencies such as the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. The agency has established a multidisciplinary Wolf Management Working Group to address potential wolf migration to Colorado. Its Wolf Management Plan recommendations have been adopted by the Colorado Wildlife Commission.

2. Visit websites of conservation organizations such as Defenders for Wildlife. Educate yourself about their advocacy efforts and programs to protect wolves in the western states. Download DFW's award-winning study "Places for Wolves, a Blueprint for Restoration and Recovery in the Lower 48 States" by Nina Fascione.

3. Lobby federal and state officials for continued Endangered Species Act listing for wolves in Colorado. In several western states wolf populations have recovered after wolves were actively reintroduced in the states under protection of the act.

4. Support proposals by conservation organizations such as Defenders of Wildlife, which have identified several possible Colorado wolf refuge areas, including Colorado's San Juan Mountains, Grand Mesa Areas and Flat Tops. Some 55 percent of these proposed wolf refuge areas comprise federal government land encompassing 9.5 million acres of roadless terrain.

5. Provide wolf monitoring using appropriate technology to track wolf populations. Report any potential wolf sightings to the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDW). On the CDW website you can download and fill out a Wolf Observation Report.

6. Enforce Endangered Species Act regulations to protect wolves migrating into Colorado from surrounding states involved with active wolf recovery programs.

7. Donate appropriate private land reserves for wolf habitat. Develop policies or programs that reach out to Colorado private landowners to encourage donation of land for wolf restoration and recovery.

8. Participate in Colorado wolf restoration efforts through education, outreach and advocacy. Join wolf management and restoration task forces studying how to reintroduce wolves to Colorado.

9. Organize and finance a wolf damage fund to compensate Colorado ranchers for livestock losses.

Tips & Warnings

• The successful 1995 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gray wolf reintroduction efforts in Yellowstone National Park and Idaho could be used as a model for Colorado wolf recovery. Thirteen years since their reintroduction, gray wolves now run free in Idaho, Montana and Yellowstone Park.

• A collared female wolf making the 1,000-mile journey from Montana to Colorado was found dead in April 2009 in northwestern Colorado. An investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded it was illegally poisoned.

References

• Colorado Dept of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, "Gray Wolf Overview'", 11/15/2010
• Colo.Dept of Nat.Resources, Division of Wildlife, "Findings & Recommendations for Managing Wolves that Migrate to Colorado, Colo. Wolf Mgmt Group, 2004
• Defenders of Wildlife, A Chronology of Wolf Recovery in the Northern Rockies, 2011
• Journal of BioScience, "Yellowstone After Wolves", Douglas W. Smith, et al.; April 2003
• WildEarth Guardians; "Coloado Wolf Killed by Illegal Poisoning";Wendy Keefover; Jan. 2011
• Colorado Division of Wildlife; "State of Colorado Wolf Management Plan Scoping Report"; JW Associates, Inc.; June 9, 2004

Resources

• Defenders of Wildlife; "Idaho jeopardizes wolf recovery with aggressive proposal"; July 8, 2011
• Wolf Recovery Foundation; "Wolves, Northern Rockies Wolf Collaborative"; 2008
• Defenders of Wildlife; "FAQ Transitioning wolf compensation"; Aug. 20, 2010