Colorado secures the first wolves for reintroduction from Oregon

Oregon will provide the first gray wolves this winter for Colorado’s voter-mandated reintroduction of the species, state wildlife officials announced Friday.

Up to 10 wolves will be supplied by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife over the winter. The agreement ends Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s monthslong search for a state willing to provide the canine before the Dec. 31 deadline voters gave the state to reintroduce the species.

“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,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a news release.

The wolves will be captured in northeast Oregon, where wolves are abundant, according to the release. State officials plan to release the wolves on Colorado Parks and Wildlife land between Glenwood Springs, Vail and the Roaring Fork Valley.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s plan is to attempt to capture wolves beginning in December using helicopters and spotter planes. Although Oregon wildlife officials will help by sharing information about wolf locations, the release says Colorado will be responsible for all costs of capturing and transporting the wolves.

“Oregon has a long history of helping other states meet their conservation goals by providing animals for translocation efforts,” Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Curt Melcher said in the release. “Some of our wildlife populations were also restored thanks to other states doing the same for us, including Rocky Mountain elk, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat.”

Colorado voters in 2020 narrowly approved the reintroduction of the species to Colorado.

Those who voted in favor of the measure primarily lived along the Front Range, but the wolves will be released west of the Continental Divide. Many ranchers across the state have opposed the reintroduction, saying wolves pose a threat to their livestock, domestic animals and families.

Wolves were killed off in Colorado by 1940, though a few wolves have been recorded in the state since 2020. Colorado is the first state government to reintroduce gray wolves.

In a plan finalized in May, wildlife officials identified Idaho, Montana or Wyoming as ideal sources of wolves. But none of those states agreed to share their wolves, citing the complications of managing wolf packs in their states.

The plan also identified Oregon and Washington as backup options for source populations. Washington State officials are open to providing wolves in the future but said they would not be able to do so this calendar year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials previously said.

The agency plans to release between 30 and 50 wolves in the state over the next five years.

This is a developing story and will be updated.