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New Numbers Show How Much the State Has Spent on Wolf Restoration Program
NORTHWESTERN COLORADO, JUL 19 – Colorado Parks and Wildlife approved over $130,000 to compensate ranchers for livestock losses caused by wolves, amid ongoing challenges from the state's wolf reintroduction program.
- Since the beginning of 2025, a total of five wolves have died in connection with Colorado's ongoing wolf restoration efforts across multiple counties.
- The program began after voters passed Proposition 114 in 2020 with 51% approval, mandating wolf reintroduction and compensation to ranchers.
- Officials documented multiple wolf packs with pups this spring in Routt, Jackson, and Rio Blanco counties, while ranchers face rising livestock losses.
- The budget for this fiscal year totaled $3.6 million, comprising $2.1 million allocated from the general fund and $539,454 sourced from the fund dedicated to wolf-related damages, alongside more than $582,000 in claims still awaiting resolution.
- Despite wolf mortalities and compensation challenges, wildlife officials plan to continue releases and hire a manager to minimize conflicts and support restoration goals.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Colorado Springs Gazette
Denver GazetteEDITORIAL: The wolf symbolizes the state's famous boondoggles
Colorado’s wolf restoration program, mandated by the 2020 Proposition 114, has spiraled into a financial boondoggle, costing taxpayers $8 million in five years — greatly exceeding the annual estimates in the General Assembly’s Blue Book. It symbolizes widespread economic and…
New numbers show how much the state has spent on wolf restoration program
New numbers are showing just how much the state has spent on its wolf restoration program over the last five years.According to a presentation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the state has spent more than $8 million, which is ten times higher than what voters were told when they approved the program.CPW says this is due to several unexpected expenses, including hiring more staff to manage conflicts and paying ranchers for livestock losses.…
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approves over $130,000 to compensate ranchers for wolf-related losses, sparking debate over what is fair
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission at its Thursday meeting approved over $130,0000 to compensate two Western Slope ranchers for wolf-related livestock losses. The vote and hours-long debate emphasized a divide in the commission over what ranchers should be compensated for. In the two claims before the commission on Thursday, while the ranchers and Parks and Wildlife officials agreed on some compensation elements, the crux of the disagre…
The wolves in Austria, especially in Carinthia and some other federal states, continue to provide for discussions. Despite the reduction of protection, wolves can only be shot down under very specific conditions. After it became known that the EU has already initiated criminal proceedings against Austria because of the many shootings of wolves – only in Carinthia 22 – the "Verein gegen Tierfabriken" (VGT) warns the policy against further rapid s…
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