A 16-year-old, just allowed to drive and still excited about running family errands, was sent on an important one Christmas Eve. The family was out of eggs and cream needed to make the eggnog and sent him to the store. Everyone depended on him, the pressure was on, but when he arrived the store was closed. All the stores were closed.
Colorado wildlife officials are looking at the same disappointment, as the state’s wolf reintroduction program suffered two critical setbacks in November. First came a bolt from the feds, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) abruptly notified the state that plans to important more wolves from British Columbia in 2026 would not be allowed. The agency says all wolves transported to Colorado must come from Northern Rocky Mountain states where they are not federally listed as endangered. That means Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and portions of Oregon, Washington, and Utah.
Next came the decision by wildlife officials in the State of Washington to deny Colorado’s request for a few wolves. The wildlife commission there could not see the logic in sending away some of its own endangered species. In 2023, Oregon agreed to supply Colorado with ten wolves but that was already done. Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming have already refused, so Washington’s decision might mean all the stores are closed.
That is not entirely the fault of Colorado wildlife officials. This whole program comes from a ballot initiative that the state was against, knowing how poorly thought-out it was – final proof that wildlife should never be managed by ballot initiatives.
The State released 25 wolves in 2023 and 2025, including the ten from Oregon and 15 from British Columbia (both now off limits). All were released in the “northern recovery area,” the I-70 corridor from Vail to Glenwood Springs. Officials planned the next round for this spring, another 10-15 wolves, this time for the “southern recovery area,” the U.S. 50 corridor from Gunnison to Montrose. It is now uncertain where those wolves will come from.
This is just the latest in a series of bad outcomes for the wolves, who just want to be left alone to hunt and eat and do what wolves do. Traps, cages, radio collars, and photographers were never part of the plan in British Columbia, and they aren’t thriving in a state with five times more people per square mile.
In fact, nearly half the wolves brought to Colorado have died, starting with the first that dared crossing the Continental Divide. It met its fate at the hands of a lion in Larimer County, the first of two killed by lions and one by another wolf. Eleven have been killed so far, six of them shot – five by wildlife officials and one by an unknown sniper who will be in trouble if caught. Another was killed in a legal coyote trap, and one was hit by a car. It is true that there are also several litters of pups, though one pup also had to be taken out by wildlife officials because it couldn’t leave livestock alone.
Livestock predation has cost the state dearly, including depredation claims of over $600,000 in 2024 alone (many more claims have yet to be paid). That’s $250,000 over what was budgeted, with a single pack responsible for $400,000 of those claims. The budget has spiraled out of control from the beginning, when voters agreed to a program they were told would cost up to $800,000 annually. It has cost well over $8 million so far, though only 14 of the introduced wolves are still alive. I am confident $571,000 per wolf is more than voters expected to pay.
Wolf reintroduction in the southern area is unnecessary, considering the long distances the animals roam on their own. Several have now crossed the Continental Divide into Larimer, Boulder, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties – ironic since Boulder voters approved the reintroduction initiative requiring releases only on the Western Slope. They have dispersed from Castle Rock to Grand Junction, Steamboat to Del Norte. One original Oregon wolf was tracked for 1230 miles, across the entire southern region to Utah. Utah and New Mexico both say if any Colorado wolves cross their borders they expect Colorado to come get them. Wyoming just shoots wolves coming in from Colorado (three so far).
Colorado may not want to take pity on the poor wolves and stop the bleeding. But it may have no choice if other states won’t help. Officials may return from the store empty handed.
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