Indigenous cultures have told stories of wolves for centuries, revering them as powerful spirit guides and protectors. Wolves are associated with strength, courage, intelligence, and loyalty. Many native people consider the wolf a “medicine being” with the spiritual power to heal.
Wolves have been central characters in fables and folklore. Lupa, a she-wolf, is part of the origin story of Rome’s founding. Fairy tales like “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs,” wilderness adventure novels like “Call of the Wild” and “White Fang,” and tales of humans who can shapeshift into werewolves have fed our individual imaginations and informed our collective attitudes about wolves.
The Estes Valley Watershed Coalition hosted “From Myth to Reality: Wolves in Modern Ecosystems ” on Saturday, May 10. The four-hour symposium examined the mysteries and misconceptions people have about wolves and addressed the challenges and blessings of reintroducing wolves, an apex predator and keystone species, to the Centennial state.
Speakers and panelists included Doug Smith, a retired wildlife biologist from Yellowstone National Park, Joanna Lambert, a scientist and professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Stewart Breck, a researcher for the USDA-National Wildlife Research Center, William Deacy a biologist with Rocky Mountain National Park, Eric Odell, the Wolf Conservation Program Manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Ryan Sedgeley, an advocate for gray wolves and other imperiled species with the Endangered Species Coalition.
Topics addressed included wolf ecology and behavior, the biodiversity of the Estes Valley, how rewilding wolves may affect wildlife and domestic animals, and finding a balance between humans and the gray wolf.
The symposium began with a screening of “Welcome Home,” a 21-minute documentary directed by Alan Lacy and produced by Reel Earth Films, with the Endangered Species Coalition as executive producer, that focuses on the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado.
A brief history of Yellowstone wolf reintroduction
Canis lupus has lived in North America for thousands of years, but as the population of settlers across the United States increased, conflict between wolves and people, particularly with farmers and ranchers, led to federal and state predator control programs aimed at eradicating them.
By 1926, wolves were extirpated from Yellowstone. In the ensuing years, biologists began to observe an imbalance in the habitat. The elimination of wolves altered the balance of the natural predator-prey relationship, particularly with elk. As the elk population increased, overgrazing damaged vegetation, which impacted water systems and the habitats of beavers and songbirds.
Following the passage of the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 and the 1973 Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was tasked with creating a recovery plan to reintroduce wolves to their historic range.
Between 1995 and 1997, 66 wolves were translocated from Canada and northwest Montana into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, spanning Wyoming and Idaho. Over the past 35 years, the wolf population has grown and dispersed, establishing territories outside the park. Today, the estimated number of wolves in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming is around 1,500.
Despite this growth, wolves have not succeeded in migrating south and reestablishing themselves in Colorado.
Rewilding Canis lupus in Colorado
Scientists recognize that the food chain consists of multiple layers, referred to as trophic levels. The first layer is the producer level, which includes plants and algae. Herbivores are the primary consumers that feed on plants. Carnivores that consume herbivores are known as secondary consumers. Carnivores that prey on other carnivores are categorized as tertiary consumers. Apex predators, like the wolf, have no natural predators.
Research has shown that the eradication of gray wolves in Colorado during the 1940s contributed to the overpopulation of elk and deer, leading to vegetation degradation and negatively impacting other species such as songbirds and beavers.
The ripple effect of changes in one trophic level on others within an ecosystem, known as the trophic cascade, impacts biodiversity, alters interactions between species, and affects ecosystems.
Colorado’s elk population is the largest in the world, estimated by CPW to exceed 280,000. Elk thrive by grazing, but overgrazing depletes vegetation and disrupts watershed health.
CPW has relied on hunting as a primary tool to manage elk populations. The effort, however, has been insufficient. Although a handful of lone wolves have been seen in Colorado over the past decade, they have not played any meaningful role in managing the overpopulation of elk.
In 2020, Colorado voters passed Ballot Proposition 114, which mandated the reintroduction of the gray wolf into the state.
While proponents of the ballot initiative argued that wolves would help balance the ecosystem, and some Indigenous representatives advocated for the wolf’s return due to its cultural significance, opponents raised concerns about the effects of wolves on livestock, game populations, and even traditional hunting practices.
Much like the experience of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem during the reintroduction of wolves, Colorado is undergoing a process of trial and error.
In December 2023, CPW translocated the first group of wolves. Currently, it is believed that there are 29 wolves in Colorado, including seven from the original group of 10 released in Grand and Summit Counties, five pups born in the spring of 2024, and 14 that survived from the group of 15 released in January 2025. Two Colorado wolves have died in Wyoming this year. A USDA Wildlife Services official legally shot one in March after the wolf killed five sheep on private land.
A piece of the puzzle, not an ecological panacea
Not all scientists agree that the eradication of wolves in Yellowstone a century ago is responsible for what some call a trophic cascade, nor do they believe that bringing wolves back will restore the riparian ecosystem anytime soon, if ever.
Thomas Hobbs, a professor of natural resource ecology at Colorado State University, warns against assuming that correlation implies causation.
While Hobbs is not opposed to wolves being translocated back to their historic range, he argues that it is a fallacy to claim that their reintroduction has restored the ecosystem.
Hobbs bases his opinion on research he conducted over 25 years in Yellowstone, noting that multiple variables—weather patterns, climate change, the presence of other predators such as cougars and grizzly bears, the presence of bison, fire suppression, and human behaviors like hunting—have impacted the size of the elk population and, subsequently, the woody biomass, waterways, and other species.
Navigating the human-wildlife interface
Sedgeley, an attorney and the Colorado field representative with the Endangered Species Coalition, has spent a decade living among wolves, grizzly bears, and bison in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. As a wolf advocate, Sedgeley educates others on how to coexist peacefully with wolves.
No one denies that livestock losses will result from depredation. According to CPW data, five wolf-related deaths have been reported so far this year and 24 in 2024. However, information from CSU Extension shows that respiratory and digestive illnesses, calving complications, weather, and other factors are the leading causes of death among livestock, particularly cattle.
When wolves kill livestock, Colorado ranchers can receive compensation from the state. Additionally, the state provides ranchers with resources to help protect their livestock and property.
To coexist with wolves, biological deterrents and non-lethal tools like cell phones, GPS, electric fence chargers, poly-woven wire fences, and fox lights can be employed.
Wolves have a natural fear of humans, and until wolves overcome their fear, the chances of someone being attacked by a wolf are highly unlikely.
If confronted by a wolf, Kyle Patterson, the public information officer for Rocky Mountain National Park, advises “stop, stand tall, wave your arms, yell, and flare your jacket. If it continues, throw something at it or use bear pepper spray.”
Wolves in and around Rocky Mountain National Park
Since the gray wolves were reintroduced to Colorado in December 2023 and the second release occurred in January 2025, officials have reported a total of 30 known wolves in the state, with the possibility of as many as four dens this spring.
Wolves can travel great distances to find food, mates, and habitat. According to collar data, one female wolf released in January has covered over 1,700 miles across several watersheds since her translocation.
The first wolf in Rocky Mountain National Park was detected in July 2024, and reintroduced wolves have been seen traveling across the Continental Divide and into the Park.
In April, CPW biologists received a mortality alert for a female gray wolf in RMNP. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the death because wolves are a federally listed species under the Endangered Species Act.
Because gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains generally have an average lifespan of three to four years, mortality levels have been incorporated into the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. Any wolf deaths should be reported to CPW, which monitors the state’s population.
Federal and state laws: Resident responsibilities
Wolves are federally protected and classified as an endangered species in Colorado. It is illegal to harm, harass, or kill wolves for any reason other than self-defense. Penalties for illegally taking wolves can include fines up to $100,000, imprisonment, and loss of hunting privileges.
CPW has an agreement with neighboring states to ensure that wolves crossing outside of Colorado are safely recaptured and returned to the state. These protocols are designed to protect the genetic integrity of federally listed species. However, as the wolf population in Colorado increases, wolves are expected to pair, breed, and form packs naturally.
Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado biologists are working to maintain at least two active tracking collars per pack. This phase of wolf restoration is unique in that 24 wolves in Colorado are collared.
Estes Valley Watershed Coalition and wolves
Founded in 2015 after a devastating flood in 2013, the Estes Valley Watershed Coalition works to restore the natural resources in the upper Big Thompson Watershed, popularly referred to as the Estes Valley.
The organization collaborates with local partners and allied groups, including local, state, and federal agencies and community groups, to protect natural resources through various flood restoration, forest health, and wildlife projects. It is also involved in community outreach, education, and fundraising.
Well written! Thanks.