A proposal to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado has qualified for the 2020 ballot.
On Monday, the secretary of state’s office confirmed that supporters exceeded the proposal’s 124,632 signature minimum to secure its place in the fall election. If passed, it would direct Colorado Parks and Wildlife to bring wolves to western Colorado before 2024.
The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund is behind the campaign, arguing a possible wolf introduction as being beneficial to the ecosystem and its food chain.
The proposal has been met with organized opposition like the Colorado Stop The Wolf Coalition, a group mobilizing counties to pass resolutions opposing reintroduction. Montezuma County commissioners approved their own resolution in November.
The proposal includes a requirement for the state to compensate owners of livestock killed by wolves, a point the Wolf Action Fund believes will win over voters.
Hunters killed the last of the state’s wolves by 1940, according to CPW. Rare sightings near state borders have been recorded in recent years.
