Gray Wolves in Colorado Facing Obstacles That Could Be Insurmountable

If you were hoping that we would see the reintroduction of gray wolves to the state of Colorado soon, it seems that hope is hitting too many road blocks to overcome.

Last week, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission met and approved a resolution that officially opposes the local recovery of the Mexican Gray Wolf. The measure was passed by a 7-4 vote.

According to the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, after a number of environmental groups sued U.S. Fish and Wildlife, a judge ruled the agency must develop a new recovery plan for the Mexican gray wolf — the most endangered subspecies of wolf in the world — by end of 2017.

States that have been mentioned as a possibility for the reintroduction in occur include Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

Governor John Hickenlooper has been strongly against the reintroduction to the state, and sent a letter to the Department of Interior opposing the measure. The letter was also signed by the Governors of the other states mentioned.

The article states that Colorado has been mostly without wolves for 70 years, with the last one being killed in 1945.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is set to submit its updated recovery plans for the Mexican gray wolf no later than December 2017. It is still to be determined if Colorado will still be included in those plans with the latest setback that occurred.