by Greg Walcher, E&E Legal Senior Policy Fellow
The Daily Sentinel
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 10 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.
