Initiative to introduce gray wolves makes Colorado ballot

DENVER (AP) - An initiative to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado has qualified for the November ballot. The secretary of state’s office says supporters turned in enough valid voter signatures to qualify the measure.

The gray wolf has been successfully reintroduced to a number of U.S. states but was eradicated in Colorado in the 1940s. A group called the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund is campaigning for the plan.

Colorado ranchers and other interests strongly oppose it, saying it would threaten livestock as well as elk, moose, deer and other animals.

If passed, the initiative would direct state wildlife officials to devise a plan to introduce wolves on public land west of the Continental Divide before 2024.

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