Wolves could be released in Colorado as early as Monday
Animals are set to be released on private or state lands somewhere in Eagle, Grand or Summit counties
Courtesy/Colorado Parks & Wildlife
DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife will begin the process of bringing wolves to the state from Oregon on Sunday, with a possible initial release date of the animals Monday, state officials told a federal judge Thursday.
The logistics around the release are not yet finalized and depend on several factors, including the weather and how the wolves are transported to the state, an attorney representing the state said.
“It would be almost impossible to describe the level of logistics that have led to this moment to comply with voters’ requirements and the governor’s strong preference that we meet this deadline,” said Lisa Reynolds with the state attorney general’s office.
Her statements came at the end of a nearly three-hour hearing Thursday over whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has followed the correct process in planning for the wolves’ reintroduction. Several groups opposed to the reintroduction, including the Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ and the Colorado Cattlemen’s associations, filed a lawsuit Monday asking a judge to delay the reintroduction.
The lawsuit claims that the Fish and Wildlife service should have conducted environmental impact statement reviews beyond what has already been completed. Thursday, lawyers for the state called the filing an “11th-hour” attempt to delay a process that has been underway for years. Under Proposition 114, which was approved in 2020 by a narrow margin of 57,000 votes, wolves are required to be reintroduced in the state before the end of this year.
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Judge Regina Rodriguez asked about the timing of the planned release to determine how quickly she would need to make a ruling over the lawsuit’s request for a delay. The state informed the judge that once the animals are captured, keeping them in cages for long periods for court delays is stressful and “very bad for the wolves” because their tranquilizers will have worn off.
Upon learning of the state’s plans, she said she would try to have her decision out by Friday.
The wolves are set to be released on private or state lands somewhere in Eagle, Grand or Summit counties.
Ranchers across the Western Slope have protested the decision, citing concerns over their livestock being killed and their way of life irreparably damaged. In response, the state has created a fund to provide $15,000 for any livestock killed by wolves. The federal government also issued a 10(j) ruling, changing the way wolves are classified in Colorado and allowing ranchers to kill the animals if they attack their livestock.
State officials in Oregon agreed to provide wolves for Colorado’s reintroduction after several other states, including Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, declined to do so. Colorado officials plan to capture five wolves in Oregon, tranquilize them and then transport them to Colorado. Only five wolves can fit into the transport airplane at one time, Reynolds said. It’s also possible they will need to be driven to the state, which takes at least two days.
CPW plans to put tracking collars on the wolves before releasing them in the state.
