Colorado group files ballot measure to repeal wolf reintroduction in 2026
Jan 3, 2025 Updated 18 hrs ago
A Colorado group announced on Friday that it has filed a ballot measure to repeal the 2020 voter-approved measure that resulted in the reintroduction of gray wolves into Colorado.
Voters, primarily on the Front Range, narrowly approved Proposition 114, with just 50.9% of the vote in support and 49.1% opposed.
The measure mandated that wolves be reintroduced west of the Continental Divide. Four of the five counties targeted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife overwhelmingly voted against the proposition.
Proponents of the ballot measure to repeal the wolf reintroduction program are Stan VanderWerf of El Paso County and Spencer Thomas of Garfield County, one of the three counties targeted by the state for the next release of wolves in 2025. Proponents plan to put the measure on the 2026 ballot.
"Our heritage and our people are in danger in Colorado today," said Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy in a statement Friday. “Since gray wolves were reintroduced to Colorado in December 2023, taxpayers have paid for the privilege of watching these apex predators tear into our agricultural economy and ecosystem."
The group said wolves "disrupt the delicate balance that has defined the Western way of life for generations" and that the law was a mistake.
The proponents cited five reasons for repealing the 2020 ballot measure.
• Economic harm: Colorado’s ranchers and livestock producers, the backbone of rural communities, suffer devastating financial losses from wolf predation
• Rising grocery prices: Increased costs for ranchers translate to higher grocery prices, affecting households
• Threats to food security: Wolves pose a risk to sustainable, local food production, making communities more dependent on distant suppliers
• Preserving the farm-to-table movement: Local ranchers provide fresh, sustainable food options; without them, corporate chains and distant suppliers would dominate the market
• Protecting the Western heritage: The West has long symbolized independence, resilience, and land stewardship; this legacy must be preserved for future generations
The wolf reintroduction program has caused disputes between ranchers and the state. Notably, critics said, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Gov. Jared Polis failed to notify county officials and ranchers when the wolves were released a year ago in Grand and Summit counties.
Proponents have argued that wolves play a key role in a maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
Ten wolves, which came from packs in Oregon with histories of livestock killing, were released in Colorado and, by April, were killing livestock in Grand County. Other wolves that migrated from Wyoming had already been killing livestock in Jackson County. Since then, more than two dozen confirmed wolf depredations have taken place, including in Routt County. Ranchers said the losses are far more than that.
Two of the wolves formed a breeding pair and produced a litter of at least four pups. The breeding pair was believed responsible for much of the livestock killing in Grand County and was captured at the end of August. The male of the pair died several days later. Wildlife officials said it was in poor health and had deep puncture wounds. However, a necropsy report from the US Fish & Wildlife Service said the wolf died from injuries sustained from a gunshot wound.
Three of the 10 Oregon wolves died in 2024.
Last week, three ranchers submitted claims totaling more than $581,000 to the state under its wolf compensation fund.
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