DENVER —The cost of Colorado’s gray wolf introduction program has already roughly doubled from the original price tag offered up to help sell the plan, according to the state’s wildlife agency.
In 2020, voters narrowly approved a plan to forcibly introduce gray wolves into western Colorado. At the time, they were told that it would cost approximately $800,000 annually, beginning with fiscal year 2023-2024 to both implement the program and reimburse farmers and ranchers for livestock lost to depredation.
However, according Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), that amount spent on the program over the last two years was actually $3 million. The numbers came to light during an interim legislative committee hearing on Monday, where lawmakers got an earful on the rocky rollout of the wolf importation plan from ranchers, agricultural groups, as well as fellow elected officials.
“A depredating pack was known to have depredated in Oregon before they put them in Middle Park,” Tom Harrington, a cattle producer in the Roaring Fork Valley, told members of the Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee.
Harrington was referring to the Copper Creek wolf pack, which was found to be killing livestock in Pitkin County to such an extent that CPW eventually euthanized one of the wolves.
A depredating Colorado wolf from British Columbia was also shot by wildlife officials in north central Wyoming in March after the wolf killed several sheep. In April another British Columbia wolf was found dead in Wyoming, but details of its demise were not released by Wyoming Game and Fish, saying they only release the numbers of wolves killed legally in the state.
Each time, Wyoming officials have returned the wolves’ tracking collars to Colorado. Wolves are legally able to be shot in Wyoming in about 85 percent of the state. Only near the Yellowstone area is it illegal.
In May of 2023, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon refused to help Colorado by sending any of its wolves, but he also predicted transplanting wolves to areas outside of their natural habitat would lead to exactly what is occurring.
“We have target population numbers, and reducing those numbers to support a translocation in Colorado may jeopardize those successful management plans,” Gordon told the Cowboy State Daily. “In addition, it is likely that Wyoming wolves may very well desire to return to their home ranges, once again putting them in danger as they would likely traverse unsuitable areas of potential conflict.”
In other testimony from Monday’s committee, Democrat Sen. Dylan Roberts, whose district includes a large swath of Colorado’s High Country, including Eagle, Summit and Garfield counties, told the panel: “This seems out of control. And that’s just with ten wolves introduced the first year and 15 reintroduced with illusions that we’re going to go up to Canada and get 15 more wolves. And they’re going to have pups and this is going to continue, so $3 million is going to be $10 million in a couple years. It seems completely out of control, especially because we’re cutting from other things. I’m very concerned.”
Mesa County Commissioners have also chimed in, asking CPW to pause the wolf imports until a better plan could be put it place.
“How did we get here? How did the reintroduction of one species become so politically charged that science, practicality and partnership have taken a back seat? It is becoming increasingly clear that political agendas, not science, are driving critical decisions,” a recent letter from the county commission reads in part.
“We strongly urge the Commission to pause future wolf reintroductions until the core programs – communication, carcass disposal, depredation investigations and compensation are fully implemented, functional and demonstrably effective. It is unreasonable and irresponsible to continue adding wolves to the landscape when foundational components of the management plan are not in place and are failing the people they are supposed to support.”
The request was denied, and in fact, CPW Director Jeff Davis told the committee the agency is working with officials in British Columbia to bring yet more wolves to Colorado this winter.
