(The Center Square) – Garfield County commissioners are urging Colorado wildlife managers to halt further releases of gray wolves in the state.
The commissioners sent a letter to Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials and Gov. Jared Polis, saying the agency should “reconsider its current approach and recent decisions.”
CPW recently released 15 wolves, which were captured in British Columbia, in an undisclosed location in Pitkin and Eagle counties. The agency initially released 10 wolves from Oregon in December 2023.
Gray wolf reintroduction is required by law after Colorado voters narrowly approved Proposition 114 in 2020.
Garfield County commissioners noted in their letter that the county was among 51 counties to vote against Prop 114 out of 64 total counties in Colorado. Garfield County includes a large span of Interstate 70 from the town of Parachute to Glenwood Springs. While gray wolves have not been released in the county, they’ve been tracked in the eastern part of the county over the past month.
“We request that CPW be allowed more time to plan, adequately staff, and effectively implement the reintroduction plan,” the commissioners said in the letter. “This extension would enable CPW to fulfill its mandate to continue wolf reintroduction efforts while also providing sufficient time to minimize potential negative impacts on affected communities, residents, visitors, livestock producers, and wildlife.”
In addition to asking for a “pause” to more reintroductions, commissioners also asked for state law to be clarified to allow for self-defense, more clarification of the state’s definition of chronic depredation, and the development of a range rider program, among other requests.
Commissioners also noted concerns about the limited release areas for wolves, as well as a lack of CPW leadership’s engagement with the public.
“CPW will share our response letter after we send the letter to Garfield County directly,” a spokesperson for the agency told The Center Square.
Ranchers have broadly opposed the state’s reintroduction efforts, with one coalition asking the CPW commission to delay further releases, a petition they denied earlier this month.
Coloradans could have another chance to vote on the issue if a measure halting more wolf reintroductions makes the 2026 ballot.
“I believe that the only way we can get this taken care of is to get it back on the ballot with the proper wording and get it rescinded,” Garfield County Commissioner Mike Samson said. “We need everybody on the same page so that when it gets back on the ballot, it will be passed and we’ll be done with this, because it’s a very foolish endeavor that will cost the state of Colorado millions and millions of dollars.”
CPW said in a news release Sunday that it did not disclose the location of the latest wolf release “because of the safety risk and security needs of our staff and the animals,” noting threats to staff and illegal shootings of wolves.
“As restoration efforts continue, CPW is committed to working with livestock owners, communities, state agencies and all partners to reduce the likelihood of wolf-livestock conflict,” CPW Director Jeff Davis said. “Our goal is to keep ranchers ranching, while at the same time restoring a healthy, sustainable population of gray wolves to Colorado as mandated.”
