Colorado wildlife officials released five gray wolves in Grand County, Colorado, on Dec. 18, according to VailDaily.
A pair of Colorado State University (CSU) studies show rural Coloradans opposed the initiative due to risk factors to their lives, homes and businesses. Two Colorado groups sued to stop the reintroduction, citing threats to livestock, human life, hunting and local ecosystems. A federal judge in Denver denied their motion Dec. 15. The original initiative passed Nov. 3, 2020, with a narrow vote of 50.9% in favor, according to data from Colorado Election Results.
“Whether you love wolves or whether you hate wolves, wolves are truly now a part of Colorado,” Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said Monday in a news conference, according to VailDaily. “We know there will be challenges ahead, but we will learn to coexist as we always have.”
In 2020, Colorado voters passed Prop 114, which led to today’s introduction of wolves in Colorado.
The below map shows the counties that voted for wolves (green), and the counties that voted against wolves (red).#copolitics https://t.co/6eAp3z9qxH pic.twitter.com/cOxzwu3LLl
— FreeStateColorado (@FreeStateColor1) December 19, 2023
This initiative was a “first of its kind” reintroduction of an endangered species into the wild, according to USA Today. The initiative aims to release as many as 50 wolves over the next three to five years in three Colorado counties — Grand, Summit and Eagle — plus surrounding private and state-owned land, the outlet reported.
Colorado’s status as an elk hunting destination may be at risk. In 1995, Yellowstone National Park reintroduced gray wolves who dramatically reduced elk populations and significantly altered their behavior patterns. (RELATED: Meet The Four Judges Who Kicked Donald Trump Off The Colorado Ballot)
Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt removed the gray wolf from the endangered species list in Oct. 2020. Environmentalist groups, including the Sierra Club, sued in opposition. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reinstated protections for gray wolves in 44 states in February of 2022.