Colorado residents could witness more gray wolves roaming the wilderness come 2024-25, thanks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s ongoing reintroduction endeavors. In preparation for this, CPW officials met with county commissioners on Friday from potential release areas to discuss logistics and impacts, as reported by
CPW
. Jeff Davis, the agency’s director, emphasized the importance of community engagement, stating, “As we move forward with the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan, which is mandated by law, we are committed to having conversations with local elected officials and communities near possible release areas.”
The collaborative talks, which took place in Rifle, are part of a strategy to align wolf restoration efforts with the needs of agricultural stakeholders and local communities, with the agency sharing details on wolf status in the state, upcoming capture and release plans, and non-lethal conflict mitigation techniques. In a statement obtained by
CPW
, Northwest Regional Manager Travis Black explained, “State statute has provided constraints on where wolves can be released, within those constraints, the Wolf Restoration and Management Plan identifies additional consideration as to where restoration can occur.” thereby offering transparency about the selection process for release sites that align with legal boundaries.
Concerns over wolf movements post-release are prevalent, especially since data from December 2023 releases indicate that wolves tend to travel far. CPW is proactively assessing possible challenges, including human-wolf encounters and livestock conflicts. “We recognize that this is a challenging situation and all involved are listening to their constituents. We wanted to create an opportunity for officials to have their questions answered and to understand how we can assist our local partners in informing their communities,” said Davis, as per
CPW
.
In a bid to prepare for potential conflicts, CPW in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Agriculture, has been hosting Conflict Reduction Training sessions, which also include proactive measures like range riding and livestock protection dogs. The aim is to equip local producers with effective strategies to coexist with the wolves, and these sessions are set to continue in Eagle and Gunnison counties in December. “As restoration efforts continue, CPW is focused on supporting an environment where livestock producers, communities, state agencies and partners work both individually and together in order to reduce the likelihood of wolf-livestock conflict,” said Davis, as obtained by
CPW
.
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