DENVER— Colorado lawmakers today passed legislation allowing the continued reintroduction and release of wolves this fiscal year while reallocating some general funds toward the state’s health insurance fund. Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign the bill later this week. The original bill would have stalled the voter-approved wolf restoration program for a year.

“This bill was never about fixing the healthcare funding crisis. It was about derailing gray wolf restoration and ignoring the will of the voters,” said Alli Henderson, southern Rockies director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Now it’s time to work together to ensure reintroduction succeeds. The future of wolves in the southern Rockies depends on it.”

In 2020 Colorado voters approved Proposition 114, requiring state wildlife officials to restore a self-sustaining population of wolves and start reintroductions by December 31, 2023. In the winter of 2023-2024 the state reintroduced 10 wolves, and this year reintroduced another 15. Colorado’s wolf restoration and management plan calls for relocating 30 to 50 wolves over three to five years, guided by science and expert analysis on what it takes to successfully restore the species.

“The people of Colorado are deeply grateful to the thoughtful debate that took place in the General Assembly, and that ultimately led to this bill advancing without language that could have killed the wolf program in the cradle,” said Rob Edward of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project. “Colorado’s wolf restoration program is world class, and the ‘Born To Be Wild’ license plate will ensure that continues to be the case for decades to come.”

The livestock industry and others have attacked the program since it began, including a failed effort to delay this year’s wolf releases.

“We thank the lawmakers who defended the future of wolves and the will of Colorado voters by removing the most damaging provisions from SB 5,” said Aubyn Royall, Colorado state director for Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States. “The amended language will allow critical wolf conservation work to continue, and we look forward to seeing more paws on the ground this winter.”

Although the amended bill removes about $260,000 for reintroduction work in fiscal year 2025-2026, which ends June 30, it allows other funding sources to be used for procuring wolves for a third release and preparatory work.

“WildEarth Guardians is very happy to see only a drastically amended version of this bill passing the Colorado legislature,” said Lindsay Larris, strategic partnerships director at WildEarth Guardians. “Testimony the past few days revealed the original version for what it really was: yet another attempt to subvert the will of voters and interfere with wolf reintroduction under false pretenses. This compromise bill - diverting a small amount of funding to Coloradans’ health insurance while still allowing wolf reintroduction to proceed - shows that Coloradans can support both human and ecosystem health.”

The changes to this bill are important for the small, nascent gray wolf population. The current population faces increased risk of population bottlenecks, low genetic diversity, and threats to population size and survival due to difficulties finding mates. The expected release of another 10-15 wolves this winter will provide a necessary boost, setting Colorado up to succeed in meeting the voter mandate of a self-sustaining wolf population.

Scientists estimate that as many as 2 million gray wolves once roamed North America, including much of the contiguous U.S. Because of government-sponsored killing programs, wolf numbers in the lower 48 states had dwindled to fewer than 1,000 animals.