Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan approved by CPW
2023/5/3 | Colorado: Garfield Co.
Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan approved by CPW
Colorado wolf restoration and management plan update
By Matt Barnes
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan on May 3. The plan was developed by CPW with input from a Technical Working Group, comprised mostly of agency personnel from other states with wolves; and a Stakeholder Advisory Group, comprised of ranchers, outfitters, hunters, and wildlife advocates. It is likely that the plan will be revised in a few to several years.
The plan attempts to balance the interests of ecological restoration with uses like hunting and ranching. Stakeholder group members agreed that while none of the stakeholders got everything they wanted, they could all live with the plan. For example, all members agreed that there should be both a livestock conflict minimization program and compensation, although not on all details of those programs. Wolf advocates agreed that ranchers should be able to defend their livestock.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has ultimate authority as long as the gray wolf is listed under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS is in the process of developing an experimental population designation under section 10(j) of the ESA, at the request of and paid for by the state of Colorado. The proposed 10(j) rule grants management flexibility to the state, including provisions for non-lethal and lethal take in cases of wolf-livestock conflict. The 10(j) process is well underway, with a public comment period already completed and a final rule expected by December.
Reintroductions are planned for the winter months and are scheduled to begin by December 31, 2023, as required by state law.
Release sites will be in western Colorado, at least 60 miles from a state line or Indian Reservation boundary; but it is expected that wolves will eventually recolonize much of the Southern Rocky Mountains.
