In the United States, no species evokes more contrasting opinions than the gray wolf. For centuries, wolves roamed throughout what is now Colorado, but an aggressive and coordinated eradication campaign led to their... [ view full abstract ]
In the United States, no species evokes more contrasting opinions than the gray wolf. For centuries, wolves roamed throughout what is now Colorado, but an aggressive and coordinated eradication campaign led to their extirpation from the state by 1945. The absence of wolves for more than 70 years has altered the composition and abundance of plants and animals on the Colorado landscape in numerous ways.
The feasibility of wolf restoration to Colorado has been well researched and results reveal that the Colorado Rocky Mountains can sustain a viable population of up to 1,000 wolves. Colorado is not only biologically viable, but also socially viable, with polls consistently showing that 60-70 percent of Coloradans support the return of wolves to the state.
A wide array of stakeholders is invested in wolf restoration while some stakeholders oppose this goal. It is important to have everyone’s voice heard and concerns addressed. Concerns include potential impacts of wolves to the livestock industry and to hunting opportunities. In response, several organizations and individual ranchers have developed and implemented nonlethal tools to reduce the potential for negative interactions between wolves and livestock. These methods are being successfully used to minimize conflicts in wolf-occupied areas. Regarding hunting, elk hunter success in Wyoming, Idaho,and Montana since wolves were reintroduced remains generally unchanged with all three states recording an increase in elk numbers in recent years.
Through a collaborative effort between all constituencies at elucidating these concerns, future generations of Coloradans could know wolves are roaming the landscape once again. Successful wolf restoration to Colorado would reconnect the North American wolf population from Alaska through Canada, down the Rocky Mountain chain and into Mexico. And it may already be occurring as wolves disperse from the northern Rockies. How do we prepare for wolves and address concerns from all the stakeholders? This panel of top wolf scientists,conflict managers, hunters, ranchers, researchers and human dimension specialists will lead us through a dynamic discussion of the future of wolvesin Colorado.
