DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has hit a snag in the roadmap to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado.
Ten wolves were reintroduced in Grand and Summit counties in December 2023, and one died of an apparent mountain lion attack. CPW has confirmed at least one pup.
CPW had entered an agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to capture and help send up to 15 wolves to Colorado.
Those wolves would have been delivered between December 2024 and March 2025.
According to CPW, this agreement has been rescinded. Joseph Livingston, statewide public information officer for CPW, confirmed that the offer was rescinded.
Livingston said while the offer is off the table, CPW is hopeful to continue to work with the tribe in the future and does not close the door to future conversations about reintroduction.
“Naturally, the decision made by the Colville Business Council and the Tribal Government and Natural Resources Committees is disappointing, but we have a strong relationship with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and hope to continue these conversations in the future,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “We will continue working with other potential sources for wolves to further our efforts to restore wolves to Colorado. We are not contemplating halting our implementation of the plan and will continue in our efforts to restore a sustainable population of wolves to the state while avoiding and minimizing impacts to our critically important agricultural industries and rural communities.”
Local
Colorado's wolf conflict coordinator and ranchers work to find common ground
When asked what caused this change, CPW said it had to do with tribal relations.
"The council and the Tribal Government and Natural Resources Committees expressed some concerns regarding tribal relations that we will continue addressing with the Tribe, and we have every expectation that we can and will move forward together to maintain and grow our tribal relationships inside and outside of Colorado," said Livingston.
