About the Series
Can we coexist with wolves?
In November 2020, voters narrowly passed a ballot initiative to reintroduce the gray wolf to Colorado. Five years later, wolves are here, and wolf reintroduction in Colorado remains a divisive issue. Building a plan was one thing. Making it work on the ground for everyone involved is something else entirely.
A wolf runs across snow-covered terrain in British Columbia, Canada, in January 2025, with the shadow of a helicopter cast above. (Photo credits: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)
Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Managers carry a crate with a gray wolf inside to the release location on Jan. 14, 2025.
A gray wolf glances backwards while finding a path through a field of sagebrush after being released. The wolf is illuminated by a light being held by Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists, allowing the biologists to monitor the wolf’s gait, alertness, and path of travel.
Go behind headlines and politics.
Us-versus-them narratives run amok and monopolize headlines, so it may be easy to think this is a simple story. Urban vs rural. Pro-wolf vs anti-wolf. Frustrations and tensions do exist. But at the same time, there are people working through the day-to-day realities of learning to live with wolves.
This story is about more than wolves.
It’s about who gets to make decisions about the landscapes we share. It’s about navigating what comes next when there is no simple answer. It’s also about rebuilding trust to move beyond conflict and create a path forward.
