Washington Denies Colorado’s Request for Gray Wolves
Over the weekend, Colorado’s request for up to 15 gray wolves from Washington to continue its wolf reintroduction program was denied. Kelly Susewind, director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, stated that while the request was biologically possible, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected it due to a lack of public support and the endangered status of wolves in the state.
Colorado had turned to Washington for wolves after being unable to source them from British Columbia following a directive from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik. Nesvik informed Colorado Parks and Wildlife that wolves could only be sourced from northern Rockies states not federally listed as endangered, such as Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, and Utah. Despite Parks and Wildlife’s differing interpretation of the agreement, they are working to comply with Nesvik’s direction and source wolves from the approved region.
For more details, you can read the full story at our partner, Summit Daily.
