The Colorado Rockies may soon see wolverines roaming their slopes again after the Colorado Wildlife Commission approved a plan in January to reintroduce wolverines to the state over the next three years.
Colorado lawmakers approved the return of 45 wolverines in 2024, which would be the first time they have been spotted in the state in 100 years, the Sierra Club reported.
Wolverines, which belong to the weasel family but are not a species of wolf despite similar names, could be released as early as 2027, according to conservation groups such as Wildlife Defence.
More than a century ago, they thrived in the remote, snowy backcountry of Colorado. The Colorado Sun reports that they disappeared around the early 1900s because people trapped them for their gorgeous fur and poisoned predators.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, three areas in the Colorado Mountains at approximately 10,000 feet above sea level will become the wolverines’ new home. Although they are carnivores, they are elusive in nature and rarely target cattle.
State officials, through CPW, are working to develop a compensation program for ranchers and farmers who lose livestock.
Conservation advocates welcomed these latest efforts to restore the wolverine population, which is currently listed as a national endangered species. The state provides suitable habitat for them, and lawmakers noted that reintroducing wolverines would enhance Colorado’s wildlife diversity, according to CPW.
Kaitie Schneider, Dow’s representative for the Rockies and Plains region, said the meeting announcing the plan was a rare moment of unity.
“It’s really cool,” she told the Sierra Club. “There were hunters in the room, there were ranchers in the room, there was no objection to reintroduction.”
Wolverines clean up carcasses left behind by other predators, thereby reducing the spread of disease, the Denver Post reports. Because their presence helps enhance the region’s biodiversity resilience, local ecosystems are better able to withstand the stresses of changing weather. Thriving natural environments help support clean water, fertile soil and other natural resources vital to local communities.
Biologists predict Colorado’s highlands will retain snowpack better than lowland habitats like parts of Montana.
The effort follows the state’s successful reintroduction of bobcats and mirrors similar initiatives happening across the country. Other examples include mountain lions in Oregon and grizzly bears in Washington state. These programs demonstrate how supporting local conservation efforts can help species thrive.
In 2024, Denver Zoo conservation officials said they expect wolverines to return to Colorado.
“Humans may be the problem, but we can also be the solution. This is a space where we can help bring back species that should be in Colorado,” Stefan Ekernas, its director of wilderness conservation, told CBS News.
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