Colorado seeks new source for wolves after Colville tribe withdraws

Colorado Parks and Wildlife must go back to the drawing board to find a new source of gray wolves for the second phase of the state’s voter-led reintroduction effort. The move comes after its original source, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state, withdrew its offer to provide wolves to Colorado.

On June 6, the Colville Tribal Council voted unanimously, 10-0, to withdraw from the agreement with the state of Colorado, according to meeting documents. They made the decision after the Colville Business Council learned that CPW had failed to properly engage the Southern Ute Tribe, whose sovereign lands lie in southern Colorado, in stakeholder discussions about wolf reintroduction. Now, in a show of solidarity, the Colville tribes will no longer allow CPW to remove 10 to 15 wolves from their tribal lands.

“Based on new information regarding the proposed reintroduction project in Colorado, and the fact that we have now learned that the State of Colorado has failed to consult with the Southern Ute Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation cannot agree to the State of Colorado’s request to provide wolves for this project at this time,” the meeting document reads.

Neither tribe responded immediately Outdoor living‘s request for comment.

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“It has come to our attention that there has been no necessary and meaningful consultation with potentially affected tribes,” Jarred-Michael Erickson, president of the Colville Business Council, wrote in a letter to CPW Director Jeff Davis. “Out of respect for the sovereignty, cultures and memberships of Native American tribes in Colorado and neighboring states that may be impacted by this project, the Colville Tribes are unable to assist with this project at this time.”

CPW conducted the first phase of the reintroduction in December 2023, releasing 10 wolves in Grand and Summit counties. The next round of releases is scheduled for December 2024 through March 2025, said CPW representative Joey Livingston Outdoor living.

“Of course, the decision by the Colville Business Council and the Tribal Government and Natural Resources Committees is disappointing,” Livingston wrote in an emailed statement. “But we have a strong relationship with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and hope to continue these discussions in the future.”

According to the current plan, CPW is tasked with Edition between 30 and 50 wolves over a three- to five-year period. Wildlife agencies in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana all rejected CPW’s initial requests to support the wolf reintroduction. The first group of wolves came from the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon after the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife agreed to be part of the project.

When the reintroduction law was written, there had to be a 60-mile buffer between wolf restoration areas and the borders of lands outside Colorado, including tribal lands.

“State law requires wolves to be released only west of the Continental Divide,” CPW clarifies on her website. “Releases in Colorado will occur a minimum of 60 miles from the northern border with Wyoming, the western border with Utah, the southern border of New Mexico, and a similar buffer, as requested by the tribes, of sovereign tribal lands in southwestern Colorado. This 60-mile buffer from adjacent states will make it more likely that released animals will remain in Colorado.”

The effort to reintroduce wolves to the Centennial State has been controversial from the start. Unlike wolf reintroductions that have taken place in Wyoming and other northern Rockies, Colorado’s was decided entirely by ballot, and Proposal 114 was adopted by a small majority.

Tensions remain high, especially among rural residents and livestock farmers, as the first phase of the reintroduction has resulted in 23 confirmed attacks on livestock in three provinces, the latest update from CPW. Meanwhile, the agency confirmed the first successful gray wolf breeding in June, establishing the state’s first named pack, the Copper Creek Pack. One of the reintroduced wolves also died, likely in a conflict with a mountain lion.

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CPW wildlife managers expected there would be some challenges as a natural part of the process following the controversial passage of Proposition 114 in 2020. But whether they foresaw How difficult it is to find partners willing to supply the state with wolves is harder to say.

“We continue to engage with other potential sources of wolves and will exercise great care in implementing the plan to create a self-sustaining wolf population while minimizing impacts to our landowners, rural communities, agricultural industries and partners,” Livingston said. “We have not previously commented on negotiations regarding potential sources and will not do so now.”

Although 2024 has already exceeded the planning by almost two-thirds, CPW hopes to carry out the project according to plan.

“We are not considering stopping the implementation of the plan,” Livingston said.[CPW] will continue our efforts to restore a sustainable wolf population to the state, while avoiding and minimizing impacts to our vitally important agricultural sectors and rural communities.”