Locals in Summit County questioning wolf reintroduction after plan made public

Right now, there's some concern from locals in Summit County about the wolf reintroduction plan that was made public just last week. The plan is available for review on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

The proposed areas for reintroduction include two oval-shaped areas, picked for their potential to best support the reintroduction with the least amount of disturbance to the population.

Those areas include large mountain municipalities like Vail, Breckenridge, Gunnison, Montrose, Glenwood Springs, and even things as far east as Frisco.

"I don't think that would be ideal, personally," Tammy Rienstra said about the proposed locations Sunday. 

She's a Frisco local who voted for the measure back in 2020 but said she's not sure how she feels about the spots they picked. 

"I thought it would be further out," Rienstra said. She was walking her pug puppy down Main Street. 

"With dogs around like this around?" I think they should probably be a little more remote than that!" Rienstra said. 

She noted her dog would make a great snack for a wolf, given the chance. 

Orion Viertel, another local in Frisco, said he gets the reason people want wolves back in Colorado, and he supports a move to help balance the environment, but he's just not sure how successful the reintroduction will be. 

"I understand what they are trying to do, but I feel like it is a dangerous bet, it's a gamble of whether or not that is something that is going to work out the way they want it to work out," Viertel said. 

The proposed plan also takes time to showcase who voted for Proposition 114, stating the majority of the people voting yes were not the people who were living in the areas that were under consideration for the reintroduction. 

"It doesn't (feel fair)," Viertel said. "I feel like when you go out hiking, it's frightening enough to come upon a moose or bear, let alone a pack of wolves. And it does happen, you do run into moose and bear. So you do run into the wildlife that is present up here, it is only a matter of time before hikers and pets run into these as well."

The wolves are intended to be reintroduced in 2023, after a finalized plan.