CPW confirms the next wolves introduced will again be in Northern Colorado

August 23, 2024 Shannon Lukens

By Shannon Lukens.

Photo courtesy CPW

The next group of wolves introduced to Colorado will again be in northern Colorado, like last December when 10 were taken from Oregon and released in Grand and Summit counties. That’s the report to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission today, Aug. 23, at their meeting in Colorado Springs.

Reid Dewalt is the Assistant Director for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

“There’s been a lot of questions on where we are going to focus our releases. In the plan, you’ll remember, we have two zones for the release. We have a Northern Zone and a Southern Zone and for this next year we are really going to look to that Northern Zone again. We really need to supplement those wolves that we put out and then look for those opportunities to move through that zone. I’m sure there will be continued questions about that and how we will outreach to the counties. We learned a lot of lessons from that and we plan to reach out to those counties where we are anticipating releases and those will be happening later this summer or early this fall, so more work will happen there.”

That Northern Zone includes border areas of the communities of Kremmling, Glenwood Springs, Vail and Aspen, with I-70 in the middle.

Dewalt reported to the commission today on where the wolves would come from, since the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington rescinded their offer in June. Steamboat Radio News was the first to report that in August, after hearing about it from producers and confirming with CPW.

“We have a level of confidence that a new source will be found soon and that we will continue to proceed with the legally directed process with releases this winter.”

CPW Director Jeff Davis said they have been in constant communication with the tribes in Colorado (Southern Utes and Ute Mountain Utes) because they expect there will be wolves on the reservations at some point in this process.

Dewalt started his presentation to the commission, which you can see on YouTube, saying there are 11 confirmed wolves in Colorado with three juveniles that are from one pairing. Those juveniles were featured on a video posted on the CPW Facebook page Aug. 20, from Mike Usalavage. Dewalt said the video has over 1.3K comments, “which shows the interest in wolves continues to be very high.”

Parks and Wildlife Commission Meeting: August 22-23, 2024

The three juveniles are part of the Copper Creek pack which Dewalt said is the main source of depredation in Middle Park, adding that CPW is working with the ranchers there.

“We’ve had a few other depredations with the other wolves but nothing to the level that we’ve seen in Middle Park.”

Courtesy photo from Conway Farrell.

CPW has confirmed 24 cattle and sheep killed by wolves since early April, in Grand, Jackson, and Routt counties with 16 of those confirmed in Grand County. But ranchers there say more sheep are missing.

Confirmed Gray Wolf Depredation Information

Dewalt said five Predator Conflict Damage specialists have been hired for Colorado Parks and Wildlife with the main focus on wolves, but they will also deal with bears and mountain lions. Those agents are being deployed in the Northwest, Southwest, and Northeast regions.

Six District Wildlife Managers including wolf specialist Adam Baca are on a two-week training in Oregon and Idaho, to, “continue to develop our breadth of knowledge and understanding around wolf management and especially depredations and deterrents.” This is especially important for sheep and cattle depredations, said Dewalt.

He said they will continue to work with ag producers on wolf damage deterrents, implementation and education about wolves “as we expect wolves to expand across Colorado.”

Dewalt spoke of the temporary ad hoc working group, created to build relationships among agency implementers, livestock producers and with wolf restoration advocates. The group also provides input to CPW about implementation of the Wolf Restoration and Management plan. He said the group tries to build trust and decrease tensions inherent in wolf restoration, address conflict as it arises, and explore potential alternatives to those wolves that are chronic depredators.

He said there have been three meetings that he heard have been highly productive but not easy. “It has been a great addition to this process.” There will be a fourth meeting in September and a full report to the CPW Commission in October.

Dewalt said the wolf license plate program has brought in about $600K.

There is $350K in a fund available for wolf depredation compensation to producers, “as directed by the legislature last year.”

A final report will be released soon to legislators and on the CPW website. It is for the biological year which ends March 31, so the depredations that started in April will not be on there.

Commission Director Dallas May told Dewalt and Davis that he appreciates their work, but that the producers should be recognized.”

“I appreciate the work that’s been done and I think that the producers that have been affected negatively by this have shown incredible restraint and I think they should be applauded for that rather than a lot of the reports that I get. That’s my number one comment. The producers that have been negatively affected have done everything in their power to make this successful. And I think that is evidenced by the fact that we have a successful denning and successful pups being raised in this area in the Williams Fork Drainage. First of all, that has worked. It has been under incredible odds, all of this happening. You know, the wolves were put in an untenable situation as they were captured and brought here and put into the situation where they have one instinct and that is to survive. And they have done that. So I think that rather than demonize the people on the landscape that are living with this, we should be working more closely with them, and thanking them for the success of this pair of wolves that came from outside of this (country) and have now have successfully done what they were put here to do. So that’s a credit to CPW, it’s a credit to all the people who have worked towards that, and it’s a credit to the producers in that area.”

May also said he wants CPW to get a Rapid Response Team with specialists to help regional and area wildlife managers, especially when there is a depredation. Director Davis said they are working on that internally on how it would work.

After Dewalt’s report, a presentation was made on Nonlethal Coexistence with Wolves. Those speaking were:

Delia Malone, President of Colorado Wild and chair of the Colorado Sierra Club
Dallas Gudgell from Idaho, Wildlife and Tribal Policy Director for the International Wildlife Coexistence Network
Dr. Adrian Treves, Director of Carnivore Coexistence Lab at the University of Wisconsin

One thing Gudgel emphasized was how humans need to change their behavior to coexist with wolves, and that “we’ve created an unnatural situation,” with the reintroduction.

Steamboat Radio News Past Coverage of wolves in Colorado

July 31, 2024 — EIGHT MORE SHEEP CONFIRMED KILLED BY WOLVES IN GRAND COUNTY
July 31, 2024 — Colville Tribe says they won’t send wolves to Colorado now
July 29, 2024 — Two more sheep die from wolves in Grand County
June 24, 2024 — CPW REPORTS LESS WOLF ACTIVITY IN ROUTT AND NONE IN MOFFAT
June 20, 2024 — WOLF PUP CONFIRMED IN GRAND COUNTY
June 19, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS SOUTH ROUTT WOLF KILL
June 17, 2024 — PRODUCER REPORTS SUSPECTED WOLF KILL IN SOUTH ROUTT COUNTY
June 16, 2024 — CPW DIRECTOR JEFF DAVIS ANSWERS QUESTIONS AT JACKSON COUNTY GATHERING
June 13, 2024 — CPW TO FORM WORKING GROUP REGARDING WOLF RESTORATION
June 12, 2024 — NORTH PARK PRODUCER WHO LOSES CALF SPEAKS OUT
June 10, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS ANOTHER WOLF DEPREDATION IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEKEND
June 5, 2024 — Wolf Video posted from Grand County
May 26, 2024 — DON GITTLESON SAYS ANOTHER CALF HAS BEEN KILLED BY WOLVES ON HIS RANCH
May 15, 2024 — HERE’S THE LATEST LETTER TO MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS FROM CPW DIRECTOR DAVIS
May 14, 2024 — Suspected mountain lion kills the collared wolf
May 6, 2024 — MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS SEND EIGHT-PAGE LETTER TO CPW
April 30, 2024 — GRAND COUNTY RANCHERS TO GET HELP WITH PROTECTING THEIR LIVESTOCK
April 30, 2024 — NORTH PARK STOCKGROWERS SEND ANOTHER LETTER TO CPW AND GOV. POLIS
April 28, 2024 —ANOTHER WOLF KILL IN GRAND COUNTY SUNDAY
April 24-2024 — COLLARED GRAY WOLF ACTIVITY MAP RELEASED FOR APRIL
April 23, 2024 — A WOLF HAS DIED, AND MIDDLE PARK STOCKGROWERS HEAR FROM CPW
April 22, 2024 — MULTIPLE LETTERS SENT TODAY TO GOVERNOR POLIS AND CPW ASKING FOR ACTION ON WOLVES
April 18, 2024 — FOUR MORE HEAD OF LIVESTOCK KILLED BY WOLVES IN GRAND COUNTY
April 9, 2024 — AG PRODUCERS MEET WITH CPW OFFICIALS IN KREMMLING ABOUT WOLVES
April 8, 2024 — ANOTHER CALF KILLED BY A WOLF OR WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY
April 3, 2024 — A WOLF OR WOLVES HAVE KILLED A NEWBORN CALF IN GRAND COUNTY
April 3, 2024 — Denver 7 Calf killed in first confirmed report of gray wolf depredation since wolves were released in December
Feb. 29, 2024 — COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE OFFICIALS COME TO STEAMBOAT SPRINGS TO TALK WOLVES
Jan. 30, 2024 — CPW SENDS UPDATE ON WOLF SIGHTINGS SINCE 2004, AND MORE ON THE MAP
Jan. 24, 2024 — ELECTED OFFICIALS GRILL DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CPW AT HEARING WEDNESDAY
Jan. 22, 2024 — CPW GETS HARSH LETTER DEMANDING ANSWERS FROM ROBERTS AND MCCLUSKIE
Jan. 19, 2024 — COLORADO’S NEXT WOLVES TO BE REINTRODUCED WILL BE FROM TRIBAL LANDS IN WASHINGTON
Jan. 12, 2024 — CPW CONFIRMS WOLVES WERE IN SOUTH ROUTT BUT AREN’T (YET) IN MOFFAT
Dec. 22, 2023 — FIVE MORE WOLVES ARE RELEASED BY COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
Dec. 22, 2023 — CPW DENIES GITTLESON’S REQUEST TO IMPLEMENT 10(J) RULE ON JACKSON COUNTY WOLVES
Dec. 21, 2023 — THREE OF THE FIVE WOLVES RELEASED IN COLORADO WERE IN PACKS THAT KILLED OR INJURED LIVESTOCK IN OREGON
Dec. 19, 2023 — LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS RECEIVE WOLF UPDATE FROM CPW IN CRAIG MONDAY
Dec. 13, 2023 — GITTLESON SAYS ANOTHER CALF WAS ATTACKED BY A WOLF TODAY
Dec. 11, 2023 — COMPLAINT FILED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT TO STOP WOLF REINTRODUCTION IN COLORADO
Dec. 4, 2023 — KEEP YOUR PETS CLOSE AND CARRY A BIG STICK – CPW HAS ADVICE FOR LIVING WITH WOLVES
Nov. 19, 2023 — THREE LAMBS KILLED BY A WOLF IN JACKSON COUNTY, SAYS RANCHER
Nov. 17, 2023 – CPW AND CDA ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO WORK TOGETHER ON WOLF REINTRODUCTION
Nov. 7, 2023 – U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SETS DATE FOR 10J RULE FOR WOLVES
Oct. 6, 2023 – COLORADO WILL RECEIVE WOLVES FROM OREGON
May 16, 2023 – POLIS VETOES 10J RULE WOLF BILL
May 3, 2023 – CPW COMMISSION APPROVES FINAL WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN
May 2, 2023 – MANAGEMENT OF GRAY WOLVES REINTRODUCTION BILL PASSES IN STATE HOUSE
May 2, 2023 –CPW MEETS THIS WEEK FOR FINAL WOLF MANAGEMENT PLAN
April 27, 2023 – CPW CONFIRMS WOLF SIGHTING EAST OF KREMMLING
April 8, 2023 – CPW WOLF COMMISSION MEETS IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
April 3, 2023 – CPW TO PRESENT FINAL DRAFT WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
March 28, 2023 – THE SOUTHERN UTE TRIBE ASKS THAT CPW RELEASES WOLVES ALONG I-70 CORRIDOR
March 15, 2023 – TWO DOGS DIE FROM WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEK
March 3, 2023 –COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION RELEASES WOLF REINTRODUCTION MEETING RECAP
Feb. 21, 2023 —WOLF 2101 RECAPTURED AND RECOLLARED IN JACKSON COUNTY
Feb. 21, 2023 —10J RULE MEETINGS WITH REGARDS TO WOLVES SCHEDULED FOR NW COLORADO BY US FISH AND WILDLIFE
Jan. 17, 2023 —STATE LEGISLATORS HEAR MORE ON WOLF REINTRODUCTION AT JOINT COMMITTEE HEARING
Dec. 13, 2022 —MORE WOLVES VISIT GITTLESON PROPERTY IN JACKSON COUNTY THIS WEEK
Dec. 12, 2022 —NORTH PARK RANCHERS MEET WITH CPW REGARDING WOLF REINTRODUCTION PLAN
Dec. 10, 2022 —CPW RELEASES DRAFT COLORADO WOLF RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN
Nov. 19, 2022 —ANOTHER WOLF ATTACK REPORTED IN JACKSON COUNTY
Oct. 9, 2022 —WOLVES ATTACK CALVES IN RIO BLANCO AND JACKSON COUNTIES
July 14, 2022 —CPW UPDATES THE WOLF PACK IN JACKSON COUNTY
June 20, 2022 ––WOLF MANAGEMENT DISCUSSED AT MEETING IN WALDEN
June 15, 2022 —WOLVES IN NORTH PARK ARE SUBJECT AT MEETING MONDAY, JUNE 20
May 30, 2022 —THE GITTLESON RANCH LOSES ANOTHER CALF TO WOLVES, THEY SAY
May 5, 2022 —AT LEAST TWO MORE CALVES KILLED BY WOLVES ON GITTLESON RANCH
May 10, 2022 ––THIRD CALF DIES ON JACKSON COUNTY RANCH; CPW DOES NECROPSY
April 11, 2022 —A NEW LITTER OF WOLF PUPS IS EXPECTED IN JACKSON COUNTY
March 17, 2022 —WOLVES ATTACK ANOTHER DOMESTIC COW IN JACKSON COUNTY
Feb. 10, 2022 – MONTANA STOCKGROWERS VOICE SUPPORT FOR COLORADO RANCHERS OVER THE WOLVES
Feb. 9, 2022 – WOLF MANAGEMENT DISCUSSED BY LOCAL RANCHERS AND OFFICIALS AT FORUM IN STEAMBOAT
Jan. 22, 2022 – WOLF MITIGATION OPTIONS
Jan. 19, 2022 – ANOTHER COW KILLED OVERNIGHT IN NORTH PARK BY WOLVES
Jan. 18, 2022 – TWO MORE COWS ATTACKED BY WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY TUESDAY
Jan. 12, 2022 – CPW ALLOWS WOLVES TO BE HAZED IN EMERGENCY DECLARATION
Jan. 10, 2022 – A WOLF PACK KILL IS REPORTED IN JACKSON COUNTY OVER THE WEEKEND
June 9, 2021 – WOLF DEN WITH PUPS CONFIRMED IN NW COLORADO