Gray Territory
The Return of Wolves to Colorado
Colorado is the first state to intentionally bring back wolves by popular vote. But voting was just the beginning. From the ballot box to paws on the ground, Gray Territory takes a closer look at wolf reintroduction and shows there is much more to the story than you might think. All episodes available now.
Listen to the Series Trailer!
Episode 1: Wolves Are Back
By a razor-thin margin in 2020, Colorado voters decided to bring gray wolves back to the landscape. Now, paws are on the ground, and real work is just beginning. For some, wolves returning to the landscape feels like tightening the vice on the already challenging profession of ranching. Yet for others, wolves mean the restoration of an ecosystem that humans deliberately interfered with. What is really behind the tension over wolf reintroduction? Why did it get on the ballot in the first place, and how did this become such a polarizing issue?
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Episode 2: Whose Voice Counts?
How does the diversity of society’s values and perspectives get incorporated into wildlife decisions? In this episode, we explore the gap between democratic ideals and messy reality, how a vote becomes policy and then becomes lived experience, and who gets heard along the way. We examine how the vote for wolf reintroduction became politicized along partisan lines and whether ballot initiatives undermine scientific expertise in wildlife management. And as the vote evolved into a reintroduction plan, hear both the excitement for the first reintroduced wolves on the ground and the frustration of not having all the pieces in place to support frontline communities.
Available now
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Episode 3: Can We Coexist with Wolves?
The reintroduction of wolves has created a new reality for many ranchers. While many expected challenges when reintroducing a large predator, the experience on the ground has proven to be both more complex and emotional than they anticipated. The story of the Copper Creek wolf pack brought this to the forefront and has dominated Colorado news headlines. They were some of the first wolves born from the reintroduction effort, but they also became known for their threat to livestock. In this episode, we grapple with the early years of wolf reintroduction. What’s working and what’s not, and how do we balance what we owe nature with what we owe each other?
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Episode 4: Solutions for Coexistence
There are many tools being tested and deployed to help make coexistence with wolves a reality. Range riders provide a human presence on the landscape night after night to keep wolves at bay. Ongoing conversations between wolf advocates and ranchers to build understanding. Raising money across the state to support non-lethal deterrents for the people who need them most. Testing modern-day technologies like AI alongside traditional ones to give ranchers a toolbox of options to protect their livestock. In this episode, we learn about the range of solutions being used on the ground to reduce conflict with wolves—and each other.
Image: Kaitie Schneider, Defenders of Wildlife
Available now
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Episode 5: Beyond the Divide
In our final episode, we examine what the future might hold for wolves, ranchers, advocates, and the people working every day to move us beyond conflict and simplified narratives. From museum specimens that document our shared history to voices on the ground navigating life with the gray wolf, we explore whether Colorado can move beyond the mistrust and pendulum swings toward something sustainable. Because coexistence isn't a destination, but an ongoing practice of adaptation, humility, and seeing the humanity in those with whom we disagree. And the wolf story is just beginning.
Available now
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Bonus Episode | Saint or Sinner : Interview with Wolf Biologist David Mech
David Mech has been researching wolves since 1958 and has authored hundreds of articles and 13 books on wolf behavior and ecology. From his decades of studying wolves across the globe, including Isle Royale, Minnesota, Canada, Italy, Alaska, Yellowstone, Ellesmere Island, and elsewhere, to modern wolf management and conservation, David has witnessed and helped shape decades of evolving scientific understanding. In our bonus interview with David, hear some of his key learnings, from the now-debunked "alpha wolf" concept to the nuanced realities of predator-prey dynamics and trophic cascades, along with his views on the complexities of managing wolves in human-dominated landscapes.
Available now
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Bonus Episode | Citizen Lawmaking: Decoding Direct Democracy
This whole series started with a vote.
That vote not only revealed the ongoing debate about reintroducing the gray wolf to Colorado, but also who gets to make decisions and what the best way to do that is. In this interview with direct democracy expert Dr. John Matsusaka, we break down how this system of governing functions more broadly, when it is most effective, and the philosophy behind it. The discussion illuminated that what happened in Colorado in 2020 wasn't just a wildlife story; it was a democracy story too.
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Laws of Notion Podcast
Check out previous seasons of our award-winning podcast series, Laws of Notion. Listen here or find it on your favorite podcast app.
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