Montrose County hopes to stop gray wolf reintroduction in their area with new ordinance

MONTROSE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Montrose County officials are looking to pass an ordinance in hopes of stopping the relocation of "non-native species," which they say includes gray wolves.

The move comes as state officials have relocated packs of gray wolves into Colorado from Canada as part of their "Wolf Relocation and Management Plan."

READ MORE: Republicans push back against wolf reintroduction as capture and transport begins

While Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says that gray wolves previously inhabited most of Colorado, Montrose County officials claim that the species now being brought to Colorado is "not historically native to this region, including the Canadian gray wolf lineage."

"These wolves were never native to Colorado. The state’s original native subspecies, the Southern Rocky Mountain wolf, was eradicated prior to the mid-20th century and is now considered extinct," read a post by Montrose County Government.

County officials say the ordinance would stop the introduction, transport, release, support, facilitation, or habitat establishment of Canadian gray wolves in Montrose County.

The ordinance still needs to pass its second reading at the next board meeting.

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