COLORADO, USA — On Monday, Colorado lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill that would bring North American wolverines back to the state after more than 100 years.
Colorado's wolverine population went extinct in the early 1900s due to unregulated trapping and poisoning, according wildlife group Rocky Mountain Wild. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed wolverines as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in November, the group said.
“Bringing wolverines back will be a huge win for Colorado’s wildlife and wildlands,” said Stefan Ekernas, director of Colorado Field Conservation at Denver Zoo. “Denver Zoo supports reintroduction efforts for wolverines that proactively engage communities and stakeholders to unite Coloradoans in bringing this native species back home.”
SB24-171 would authorize Colorado Parks and Wildlife to start a multi-year reintroduction process that involves reviewing the agency's existing reintroduction plan addressing stakeholder concerns. It introduced by Sens. Perry Will (R) and Dylan Roberts (D), and Reps. Barbara McLachlan (D) and Tisha Mauro (D).
Wolverines depend on high alpine habitats that makes them vulnerable to climate change. Colorado's wolverine habitat is projected to stay snowier and colder than other parts of the West. The state has an estimated 7 million suitable acres, the largest unoccupied habitat for wolverines in the lower 48 states, according to Rocky Mountain Wild.
“Wolverines are one of the last species that historically called Colorado home that have yet to be restored,” said Megan Mueller, conservation biologist for Rocky Mountain Wild. “Bringing wolverines back to Colorado is the best way to give them a chance to survive as the climate changes. We are grateful to see this bipartisan leadership and support for wolverine reintroduction.”
The last wolverine confirmed in Colorado was in 2009: a male that traveled from the Tetons in Wyoming to central Colorado, then to North Dakota, where it was shot. Female wolverines stay closer to where they're born.
“No species better symbolizes the importance of connectivity through large, intact landscapes than the wolverine,” said Michael Dax, western program director for Wildlands Network. “Colorado is in a unique position to help recover this iconic species, and we thank Senator Will, Senator Roberts, and the other sponsors for their bipartisan leadership this bill represents.”
More information can be found on Rocky Mountain Wild's website.
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