On the Return of Wolves to the Wild in Colorado (USA)

Events are unfolding right now.

The United States, state of Colorado — a land where the last wolf was exterminated by humans 80 years ago. And now, after eight decades without wolf packs, the authorities — under pressure from scientists — have begun implementing a project to return wolves to the wild. The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado will cover a vast territory of about 22 million acres of public land. Over the next three to five years, not many wolves are expected to be released — likely between 30 and 50 individuals. But the key idea is to restore a population of truly wild gray wolves — to bring back self-sustaining packs. 

The Colorado wolf reintroduction project builds on the experience gained from restoring wolves in Yellowstone National Park, where they were reintroduced in the 1990s. That experience proved highly significant. The positive ecological effects of restoring apex predators have been well-documented in numerous scientific studies. And now, in Colorado, wolf reintroduction is planned on an area far larger than Yellowstone itself. 

The story that led to the start of wolf restoration in Colorado is a long one.

It began with Colorado Proposition 114 — a citizen-initiated legislative proposal for the reintroduction of gray wolves. This initiative came from ordinary people, residents of the state, and was placed on the ballot in Colorado as a citizen-initiated statute on November 3, 2020. It was approved by voters and became state law after the 2020 election. 

The story is dramatic. Even now, as wolves are already being released, the state law mandating wolf restoration remains the subject of fierce debate. 

Here are the official voting results for Colorado Proposition 114: 

Approve / YES — 1,590,299 votes; 50.91%;

Disapprove / NO — 1,533,313 votes; 49.09%.

As you can see, although the proposal passed and became law, public opinion was almost evenly split! The law was approved by a razor-thin margin. 

Nevertheless, as a result of the law’s adoption in 2020, preparations for the reintroduction of wild wolves began and the program was officially launched. 

On December 18, 2023, in Grand County, at a location kept secret, five wolves were released after being captured and transported from Oregon. Two young males, two young females, and one adult male were set free. Their movements are tracked via GPS collars. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the agency overseeing the project, plans to continue releases until 10–15 wolves are reintroduced by mid-March 2024.

In other words:

1. Only viable packs are released — groups capable of surviving through natural hunting in the wild;2. Only wild-born wolves are captured and relocated — animals already adapted to living freely;3. The success of reintroduction is monitored using modern tracking technology — GPS collars tracked by satellites; 4. It’s worth noting: in the United States, unlike in Russia, citizens have the legal right to propose legislation themselves. Such initiatives can be advanced by individuals, citizen groups, or nonprofit organizations. 

Let’s take a look at who led the campaigns surrounding Proposition 114 — the initiative to reintroduce wolves to Colorado.

The campaign in support of the initiative raised $2.4 million in donations. 

Opponents of the measure raised $1.06 million.

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund (RMWAF) and the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Wolf Project led the pro-wolf campaign, collecting $2.4 million in private donations. 

The RMWAF stated that wolf reintroduction would help restore the natural balance of ecosystems. Activists promoted this message throughout the state. Here are quotes from Rob Edward, president of the Fund: 

— “Gray wolves are the ecological engines of the Northern Hemisphere.” 

— “Since the 1940s, when the last wolf in Colorado was killed, our ecosystem has suffered and fallen out of balance. Without wolves keeping elk and deer on the move, these animals overgraze vital riparian vegetation, leading to erosion and habitat loss — threatening beavers, songbirds, and even native trout.”

Meanwhile, Coloradans opposed to wolf restoration formed their own organization, “Stop the Wolf.” Their combined anti-wolf campaign raised $1.06 million. Most of the opposition came from members of the Colorado Farm Bureau. 

Here are quotes from Shawn Martini, vice president of the Colorado Farm Bureau: 

— “We remain skeptical that you can bring wolves into Colorado without creating significant problems. We’re concerned not only about our way of life here in the state, which depends on outdoor recreation, but also about livestock in western Colorado and the ecosystem itself. There are endangered species here that could become prey for large predators like the Canadian gray wolf. That’s why we’re skeptical that such decisions should be made by voters through ballot initiatives.”

Thus, for many years, an uncompromising battle raged in Colorado — environmentalists and scientists on one side, farmers on the other. In the end, conservationists won, gaining only a slight advantage in public support. 

A brief background on the history and current status of the gray wolf in the United States:

Gray wolves once roamed across all of the U.S., including Colorado, before the arrival of European settlers. 

By the 1930s, gray wolves had been exterminated from most of the western U.S., primarily due to predator control programs and habitat degradation. The last gray wolves in Colorado were killed around 1940.

The gray wolf was classified as an endangered species at the federal level in 1978.

Gray wolves were reintroduced to Idaho and Montana in 1995, and to Yellowstone National Park in 1996. 

In 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the gray wolf from the Endangered Species list under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the Northern Rocky Mountains. 

In March 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed delisting the gray wolf nationwide, claiming the species was “no longer at risk of extinction or likely to become so in the foreseeable future.” The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund responded that delisting wolves would undo years of progress and was a premature decision. 

Finally, since 2020, thanks to public support, the state of Colorado has been implementing an official wolf reintroduction program under law. 

Such is the ongoing, relentless struggle for wolves in Colorado (USA). And let us note once again — only a handful of packs are being released. This immense debate revolves around whether a few wolves should be returned to nature to preserve ecosystems — or whether humanity should simply finish erasing them forever. 

It’s important to understand that in this case, both the authorities and business interests OPPOSE the return of wolves to the wild — exactly as in our own country. The few wolf packs that are being restored exist only thanks to ordinary people, people like us. 

And only after decades of waiting.

© Pavel Pashkov