The next phase of Colorado's wolf restoration effort remains in limbo after Washington state's wildlife commission on Saturday voted overwhelmingly against sending up to 15 wolves to the Rocky Mountains this winter.
Colorado originally planned to capture and translocate the next batch of wolves from British Columbia. But the Trump administration said last month the animals must come from the northern Rockies in the U.S.
So Colorado is back to wolf shopping. And Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis made his pitch to Washington state's Fish and Wildlife Commission on Saturday morning.
Davis called the upcoming third year of releases "critical" for Colorado's restoration project.
"This is critical to serve a solid foundational population," Davis said. "Adding another year of relocation will increase the likelihood of breeding pairs."
The commission quickly denied the request, at least for this release season.
Commissioner Lorna Smith said Washington's own wolf population is still recovering in certain areas. She said the state shouldn't part ways with any of the animals at this time.
"I'm really torn on this issue, because of course I'd love to see wolves recovered across the Rocky Mountain range in Colorado, but Washington's wolves are not in a position to assist with that," she said.
She added Washington's wolf population had recently declined for the first time "since we've been counting wolves."
There were 230 wolves counted in Washington in 2024, a 9% decrease over the prior year.
The commission suggested it would entertain a request in the future if Washington's wolves are no longer considered endangered.
Many Washington residents spoke out against translocating wolves to Colorado prior to the vote.
A resident in Bothell, a city north of Seattle, told the commission "every wolf matters" and Washington should "prioritize the welfare of our endangered wolves before sending them elsewhere."
Colorado residents also logged onto Zoom to try and influence the vote.
Former Congressman Greg Lopez said wolves in Colorado are "dying at a rapid and unacceptable rate" and opposed the translocation effort.
The Colorado Sun reported this month that the survival rate of Colorado's reintroduced wolves recently dropped to 60%, which is below what the state's management plan anticipated before the releases began.
Lopez urged the commission to imagine being one of the wolves chosen for the trip to Colorado.
"Imagine the confusion and fear, the disorientation of being pulled from your family group, flown thousands of miles away and released to a non-familiar landscape where every variable works against you," Lopez said.
Wolf advocate Delia Malone, who lives on Colorado's West Slope, said Washington's wolves would find a "good home" in the Rocky Mountains.
"Colorado Parks and Wildlife's conflict prevention program is working," she said, citing more than two hundred visits state workers have made to ranches to help shore up defenses against wolves, and miles of electric fencing deployed.
Colorado has released 25 wolves so far in northwest Colorado. The first wolves were sourced from Oregon. The next releases are scheduled to occur in a southern release zone.
It's unclear where the next wolves will come from. In 2023, Colorado sent letters to Idaho and Montana asking if they'd donate some of their wolves. The states declined. Wyoming's leaders also said no.
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