A report released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service says Colorado can support at least 1,128 wolves. The agency
studied seven national forests and their surrounding public and
private lands, and determined that Colorado’s abundant elk and deer
herds would not only sustain wolves but also discourage them from
killing livestock. The report estimates wolf predation would affect
less than 1 percent of the ranchers in areas where the wolves could
roam, although some ranchers could suffer significant losses. The
report also suggests that any wolf recovery plan include New
Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Michael Robinson, executive director of
Sinapu, a group trying to bring wolves back to the state, has urged
the agency to draw up a wolf recovery plan for the southern
Rockies. For a copy of the 318-page Colorado Gray Wolf Recovery: A
Biological Feasibility Study, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 730 Simms St., Suite 290, Golden, CO 80401 (303/231-5280).
*Bob Wilson
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Plenty of room in Colorado.
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