Overview
- USFWS Director Brian Nesvik sent a Dec. 18 letter demanding a complete account of Colorado’s wolf conservation and management actions from December 2013 to the present, including narrative summaries of releases.
- The agency cites alleged noncompliance tied to Colorado’s January 2025 import of 15 wolves from British Columbia, arguing the 10(j) rule authorized sourcing only from specified U.S. states.
- USFWS also points to Colorado’s re-release in Grand County of a wolf linked to the Copper Creek Pack, which had a record of livestock depredation, as contrary to the state’s management plan.
- The letter gives CPW 30 days to provide documentation and serves as a 60-day notice of intent to revoke the state’s 10(j) authority, which would shift management, relocations and lethal removals to USFWS.
- CPW says it will comply and aims to remain the lead manager; the same day the letter went out, the U.S. House passed a bill to delist wolves, which could return full authority to states if it becomes law.