Colorado Parks and Wildlife says it will not delay wolf release despite citizen petition

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The next phase of Colorado's gray wolf reintroduction program will continue on schedule after the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission voted 10-1 to deny a petition from ranchers that requested the program be paused.

At a Jan. 8 meeting, the commission decided to accept a CPW written recommendation denying the citizen petition, citing that the seven conditions listed in the petition were already by addressed CPW and discussed at length during the meeting.

"Today, our CPW Commission voted to adopt our staff’s recommendation regarding a citizen petition to delay CO's wolf restoration," CPW said in an X post immediately following Wednesday's vote. "They determined changes to the reintroduction efforts were unnecessary due to work that we have done to address the conditions listed in the petition."

The now-denied petition was introduced by livestock producers in September of last year, and demanded that CPW address seven issues before releasing more wolves in the state. In December, CPW issued a recommendation that the commission deny the petition.

The vote in support of the CPW recommendation means that the second capture and release season will continue on schedule, with the next wolf translocation scheduled to happen between January and March.

CPW said the continued releases of wolves aims to supplement its first round of releases completed in December 2023, and that the new wolf releases will increase the likelihood of pairing, breeding and pack formation.

The same day of the vote, CPW also published a Wolf-Livestock Conflict Minimization Program Guide, which provides information on tools and methods available for livestock producers to employ in efforts to reduce the likelihood of wolf-livestock conflicts.

“This decision affirms everything our agency and its partners have already been focused on regarding the conditions in the petition,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “We’ve been listening to and working with all stakeholders in this historic restoration effort. The results are evident in our improved Conflict Minimization Program, the addition of new staff to work alongside producers, strengthened partnerships, and guidelines for producers as it relates to chronic depredation and lethal management considerations.”

CPW said it has been focused on creating a significantly expanded management program throughout the first year of wolf restoration efforts in preparation for its second wave of reintroductions.