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Mere days before voters in Colorado this month approved the reintroduction of gray wolves into the wild, the US Department of the Interior announced that wolf numbers had recovered and would no longer receive federal protection under the Endangered Species Act as of January 4, 2021. Although lawsuits will be filed in the next month or so to reverse DOI’s decision, delisting would have both positive and negative consequences on reintroduction efforts.
According to the wording of the state’s Proposition 114, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission would be responsible for devising a reintroduction plan for the wolves and would need to begin carrying it out before December 31, 2023, along with compensating farmers for lost livestock. According to NPR, this was the first time any state had planned to take individual action on an endangered species. This in itself sparked debate about who should be in ...
