It’s official – Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released their 106-page plan to restore the state’s wolverine population. The plan follows the success of the bipartisan effort to pass SB24-171, which called for state wildlife officials to bring back the species. Expected to reside in alpine terrain near treeline, wolverines are relatively small at about 20 to 35 pounds. That said, they’re known for their tenacious behavior and bravery in terms of fighting off other predators and taking down larger prey.

Note: If you’re only here for the bullet point ‘takeaways,’ scroll down a bit

“Colorado has great unoccupied wolverine habitat, and we have the opportunity to conserve a species that has been missing from our state,” said former State Senator Perry Will. “Our legislation provides Coloradans with the ability to advance conservation while maintaining the management flexibility required to restore this species in a reasonable and efficient manner.”

Following the passage of the related bill, four steps need to be completed prior to any effort being rolled out – the creation of a restoration plan, the establishment of a rule related to compensation for livestock depredation, the establishment of a communication plan for stakeholders in areas of wolverine release, and the designation of Colorado’s wolverine population as a ‘nonessential experimental population’ at the federal level with the species currently a ‘federally protected threatened species’ under the Endangered Species Act. The recent release of the plan is the first step toward eventual approval of the full-blown restoration effort.

Key features of the plan include information about wolverine ecology, the justification for restoration, analyses related to how many wolverines should be reintroduced, a ranking of potential places to obtain wolverines involved in the program, and details related to how the translocations could unfold.

As noted, the full plan is lengthy. Here are a few bullet-point takeaways that might make it easier to digest:

• The wolverine was native in Colorado until the early 1900s when poisoning and unregulated killing resulted in rapid population decline. While some wolverines have been spotted in the Centennial State on rare occasion in recent decades, a breeding population has been absent for a century.
• With the species considered to be threatened at the federal level, Colorado’s landscape could account for 20% of primary wolverine habitat in the lower 48 with a successful reintroduction at about 30,000 square kilometers
• Mapping shows that the lower 48’s wolverine population is found in Washington, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, with a big gap in habitat found between Wyoming in Colorado. Presumably, this gap would make it difficult for the species to spread south into Colorado without a concerted reintroduction effort, meaning that ideal terrain for the threatened species could remain underutilized.

• Over the course of three-plus winters, the goal will be to release a total of 45 translocated wolverines into the state. The effort will target translocating 15 wolverines into Colorado per winter.
• Central and southern Alberta and central and southern British Columbia scored the highest in terms of ‘source ranking’ (chart on page 63)
• Three release zones exist: North of I-70 (including Rocky Mountain National Park), the Elk and West Elk Mountains between I-70 and Highway 50, and the San Juan mountain range in southwest Colorado
• Colorado Parks and Wildlife suggests that a population of about 100 wolverines can exist in Colorado with a population of more than 180 “highly improbable” given the large and typically solitary range of each animal.
• One study recommended stocking seven wolverines (two males, five females) per 2,000 square kilometers – or about one per every 110 square miles.
• Colorado’s goal population would ultimately make up about 25 percent or more of the entire population in the contiguous United States. It’s estimated around 300 to 400 wolverines are currently found in the lower 48.
• Typical sex ratio of the species is two males for every five females, with Colorado likely to forego translocating many males due to the risk of infanticide. Instead, initial males in the population will likely be Colorado-born, with the goal being to transport pregnant female wolverines instead. The chances of male translocation goes up if not enough males are being born.
• Chances of depredation on livestock are low, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife providing two examples of wolverine depredation that have taken place in the United States involving sheep – one in Wyoming in the late-1990s and another in Utah in which a wolverine killed four sheep and founded another 14 (page 44).
• Wolverines are opportunistic foragers and scavengers, though they’re also good hunters. They can even take down larger ungulates, especially if they’re able to exhaust an animal in deep snow or via a long pursuit. As far as hunting goes, typical food sources can vary greatly to include rodents, birds and bird eggs (wolverines are great at climbing trees), beaver, fox, and ungulates. Scavenging carrion is more common though, with wolverines said to be great at finding deer carcasses, also known to stash parts of animals they find in a cache for winter consumption.

It’s possible this plan may change a bit throughout the process of reaching a point where the reintroduction program can be implemented. Colorado Parks and Wildlife didn’t provide a specific timeline for when the reintroduction would take place, though prior reporting from Gunnison Country Times referenced 2027 as a target date.

Find the full wolverine reintroduction plan here.

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