Feds open public comment related to data collection on Colorado’s gray wolf permit

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened up a public comment period for a narrow part of Colorado’s experimental wolf population permit. 

The federal agency is not proposing any changes to the permit but is offering the public an opportunity to weigh in on how it collects information relating to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s 10(j) rule. The public comment period is open until May 11.

Colorado was granted a special 10(j) rule by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before starting its voter-mandated reintroduction of gray wolves in December 2023. The rule authorizes Parks and Wildlife to kill or remove gray wolves in certain circumstances, despite the species being listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. 

This listing designation typically prohibits the “take” of that species, which the Endangered Species Act defines as activities to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.” 

According to the federal register posting, it is proposing to renew its collection procedures without changes. The federal agency is reviewing how it collects three categories of information related to the special 10(j) rule. 

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First, it collects information about “general take or removal,” including accidental killing such as vehicle collisions with wolves, translocation and harm or killing of a wolf in defense of human life or property. Second, it collects information related to depredation-related take, including authorized harassment or killing of wolves involved in livestock attacks. Third, it gathers information on specimen collection, recovery or reporting of dead wolves in Colorado. 

According to the Federal Register notice, the Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking comments on whether the information collection is necessary, whether its estimates of the time and effort required are accurate and how the process and quality of the information collected could be improved. It also seeks suggestions to reduce the burden on respondents. 

This information is used “to assess the effectiveness of control activities and develop means to reduce problems with livestock where depredation is a problem,” as well as to “determine the success of reintroductions in relation to established recovery plan goals for the species involved,” according to the posting.

Colorado began its reintroduction of gray wolves in December 2023. It has released 25 wolves from Oregon and British Columbia. So far, four wolf packs have been established. Of the 25 reintroduced wolves, 13 have died, including the matriarch and patriarch of one of the packs. Under the 10(j) authority, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has killed one wolf — a yearling born to the Copper Creek Pack in 2024 — after it was connected to repeated livestock attacks in Pitkin County in the spring of 2025. 

While a few of the deaths have occurred as a result of natural conflict with other predators — primarily mountain lions, and in one instance, another wolf — the vast majority have been the result of human interference or action. This includes wolves that were legally hunted in Wyoming, killed in a federal response to a livestock attack in Wyoming, as well as an illegal poaching incident, a vehicle collision and a legal coyote trap. 

In addition to accepting comments on how it collects information related to Colorado’s experimental population of gray wolves, it is accepting comments about these reporting methods and practices for an experimental population of grizzly bears in the North Cascades, as well as on experimental populations in general. 

To view the public notice or submit comments, visit FederalRegister.Gov and search “FWS—HQ—ES—2025—1464.”