Gray wolves from Oregon will come to Colorado to help fulfill reintroduction plan
After an extensive search for an organization that would be willing to help the state reintroduce wolves before the end-of-the-year deadline, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced where those wolves will be coming from: Oregon.
In an agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, up to 10 wolves will be coming to Colorado for the gray wolf reintroduction effort. The wolves will be captured and relocated between December and March of next year.
The deadline of Dec. 31 was included in the ballot measure Colorado voters approved in 2020.
"In 2020, Colorado voted to reintroduce wolves to our great state by the end of 2023. Colorado Parks and Wildlife and our administration have worked tirelessly to safely reintroduce wolves consistent with that voter-mandated deadline. To that end we have met with many stakeholders, held public meetings, and collected feedback from more than 3,400 Coloradans. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously in support of the wolf reintroduction plan. We are deeply grateful for Oregon's partnership in this endeavor, and we are now one step closer to fulfilling the will of the voters in time," said Gov. Jared Polis in a statement.
"We are grateful to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for working with our agency on this critical next step in reintroducing gray wolves in the state," said CPW Director Jeff Davis in a statement. "This agreement will help ensure Colorado Parks and Wildlife can meet its statutory mandate to begin releasing wolves in Colorado by December 31, 2023."
Colorado had been in talks with several states to provide the wolves as part of the reintroduction program, including Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, and Montana.
"As previously shared, we continue to work with other states and tribes for future opportunities, Nez Perce being one of those. The ODFW has committed to providing up to 10 gray wolves; that does not mean we will secure all 10 at first release or even this year. We may also have other opportunities from continuing conversations with other states and tribes," Travis Duncan with Colorado Parks and Wildlife told CBS News Colorado.
The wolves are expected to be released into a wide-reaching area, stretching from Rifle in the west, to Craig in the north, Frisco in the East, and below Gunnison in the south.
