Year in review: Garfield County prepares for possible wolf release

Colorado Parks and Wildlife/Courtesy Photo
Since 10 wolves were released on Colorado’s Western Slope a little over a year ago, local advocacy organizations, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Garfield County residents, ranchers and local leaders have been preparing for the possible arrival of wolves in Garfield County.
Ten wolves were released in Grand and Summit Counties in Dec. 2023 as part of the wolf management recovery plan created after voters narrowly approved Proposition 114, calling for the reintroduction of gray wolves in the state, in 2020.
Two of the reintroduced wolves denned in April, producing five pups and becoming known as the Copper Creek Wolf Pack. After multiple issues with livestock depredation, four of the pups and the pack’s female and male were captured by CPW, who intend to relocate the pack. The male died in captivity.
Two more reintroduced male wolves, one in April and one in September, died after fights with a mountain lion and another wolf.
CPW is currently tracking nine wolves — seven wolves from last December’s release, one Copper Creek Pack pup and a wolf that came to Colorado on its own. Up to 15 more wolves are set to be released into Eagle, Garfield or Pitkin counties this winter.
Here are some of the biggest Garfield County wolf reintroduction events of 2024.
Sierra Club hosts wolf reintroduction meetings in Garfield County
In an effort to help ranchers prevent depredation while not harming wolves, the Colorado Sierra Club hosted multiple wolf reintroduction meetings throughout Garfield County libraries in October.
Focused on promoting coexistence between livestock and wolves, Delia Malone, wildlife chair for the Colorado Sierra Club, J. Dallas Gudgell, International Wildlife Coexistence Network policy and tribal outreach coordinator, and Maxwell McDaniel, Wood River Wolf Project field manager, discussed coexistence methods with local producers.
McDaniel and Gudgell shared data and successful coexistence methods, such as fladry and range riders, from the Wood River Wolf Project.
Although the five presentations sparked productive conversations between producers and wolf advocates, according to presenters, some producers came away still doubtful of their ability to implement the coexistence methods recommended.
Sierra Club hosts ‘Range Rider’ film screening in Carbondale
The Sierra Club brought a film screening of the short film ‘Range Rider’ to Carbondale in November.
The screening was another Coexistence Works event hosted by the Sierra Club and Colorado Wild, two environmental advocacy groups working to bring nonlethal wolf and livestock coexistence methods to the Western Slope.
The film focuses on range rider Daniel Curry and gives audiences a glimpse into his work. Curry attended the event in hopes that it would be the first step to establishing a chapter of Project GRIPH, a wildlife conflict mitigation nonprofit that trains and deploys range riders, in Colorado.
Garfield County Board of County Commissioners hosts public meeting with Colorado Parks and Wildlife
On Dec. 17, the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners held a public meeting with Colorado Parks and Wildlife in New Castle to address public questions about another impending wolf release on the Western Slope this winter.
Northwest Region Manager of Colorado Parks and Wildlife Travis Black presented background on the voter-passed ballot measure, Proposition 114, and information on the wolves released so far.
“There are a lot of things we could talk about here,” Black said. “One that I can’t talk about, I can’t change, is Proposition 114. That passed…became state law, which then required Colorado Parks and Wildlife to follow through with that law. I can’t get into re-litigating that, I know as much as folks want to, I can’t do that.”
Black explained how the nine wolves currently monitored by CPW are tracked and mapped and answered public questions about the wolf reintroduction. He provided information about permits needed for injurious and non-injurious hazing and emphasized that wolves are afraid of populated areas.
He also said that while wolves are currently under federal protection, that status could change as wolves are reintroduced. For now, CPW’s intent is simply to manage them.
“I can’t predict the future,” Black said. “What happens next, unless that federal listing changes, it still ties our hands on what we can do with the wolves in the state of Colorado. That said, our intent is to try and manage those wolves.”

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