Washington’s gray wolves won’t be used to help boost Colorado’s struggling wolf population, at least for now.

At a Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting where the commissioners voted not to move any wolves to Colorado for its recovery effort, Commissioner Lorna Smith said she felt torn.

“Of course, I’d love to see wolves recovered across the Rocky Mountain range, including Colorado. But Washington’s wolves, I don’t believe, are in a position to assist with that at this point in time,” Smith said

Colorado has been moving a few wolves at a time from more robust populations since 2023.

First, they moved 10 from Oregon. Then, 15 from British Columbia.

Jeff Davis, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife director, said wolves don’t easily migrate to Colorado from other states.

“We have challenges in getting wolves to come in from neighboring states due to some of their management practices and state laws,” he said at a Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting. “These initial wolves have led to the formation of four breeding pairs and successful pup production this year and last.”

In 2020, Colorado voters decided their state’s wolf population needed help, approving a measure to begin reintroduction by the end of 2023.

Since, the state has been successful at bringing wolves in from areas in the northwest. Colorado was planning to acquire its next wolves from Canada, but in October, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik told them that they can no longer import wolves from outside the northern Rocky Mountain states, according to a letter obtained by various media outlets.

So, Colorado turned to Washington.

“You have the opportunity to help gray wolf recovery on a larger scale by helping us establish a sustainable population of wolves that are critical to the recovery in the Southern Rocky Mountains,” Davis said.

The Evergreen State previously denied a similar request. At Saturday’s commission meeting, most Washingtonians asked the commissioners to turn down Colorado’s plea.

“Your priority must be Washington’s wolves. Protecting or rebuilding Washington’s endangered population is the only science-based, responsible and ethical path forward,” said Francisco Santiago-Avila, the science and advocacy director for the animal rights group, Washington Wildlife First.

The type of protections wolves get in Washington all comes down to what part of the state they’re in. Federal protections have been removed in the eastern third of Washington. In 2022, a U.S. District judge ordered wolves in the western two-thirds of the state be listed as federally endangered. All wolves in Washington are protected as endangered under state law.

As of December 2024, wolves numbered at least 230 in Washington. The population declined by around 9% from the previous year, the first time wolf numbers have decreased in 16 years.

Even so, Washington Fish and Wildlife staff say moving up to 15 wolves from the Evergreen State shouldn’t cause problems here.

Colorado has two recovery zones west of the Continental Divide, where it’s releasing wolves. So far, the state has released 25 wolves in its northern recovery section. This next round of wolves would be released in its southern recovery section, Davis said.

Several Coloradans spoke over Zoom to ask the Washington commissioners to consider their state’s request.

“Colorado needs the genetic diversity that only wolves from out of state can provide. Right now, we have only a handful of wolves. It’s like mating with your brother or sister. I can tell you that that’s not sustainable,” said Rhonda Dern, who founded the Colorado Wolf Alliance.

However, Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioners haven’t changed their minds since the request was last made.

Commissioners said the fact that the majority of people spoke out against the move factored into their decision. In addition, some commissioners said the time frame was just too short, with too little information. Colorado would like to move wolves into the state next February.

Commissioners aren’t saying no forever, though. They said they’ll revisit the issue, likely when Washington’s wolves are no longer listed as endangered under state law.

Idaho, Montana and Wyoming also have previously denied Colorado’s request.

Courtney Flatt is a reporter with Northwest Public Broadcasting. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/18/washington-wolves-colorado-fish-and-wildlife/