UPDATE: Victory! Colorado Voted to Restore Wiped-Out Wolves

While the Trump administration continues to wage a cruel and senseless war on wolves, as a Colorado voter, you’ll soon have the power to decide the fate of these iconic animals in the state.! When you fill out your ballot for the 2020 General Election, vote YES on Proposition 114 to reintroduce gray wolves in their rightful territories in Colorado.

In the 1930s and 1940s, wolves were mercilessly killed by ranchers and government agencies for acting on their natural instincts. Wolves often hunt slow-moving, weak, or injured animals to feed themselves and their families. Despite this knowledge, ranchers made the decision to raise cattle and other livestock within gray wolf territories.

In the 1990s, wolves were reintroduced in the Northern Rockies in an effort to restore the decimated gray wolf population. A few wolves migrated into Colorado, however, they have either been killed or disappeared and have not since been able to establish a foothold in the state; a comprehensive restoration plan is needed to see them return and establish a thriving population. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed delisting gray wolves, they are still considered endangered in Colorado and they need YOU to make your voice heard! 

Now, YOU can speak up for endangered gray wolves by voting YES on Prop. 114!

If passed, Proposition 114 will direct the Colorado Fish and Wildlife Commission to:

• develop a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves in Colorado by December 31, 2023, on designated lands west of the Continental Divide; 
• hold statewide hearings about scientific, economic, and social considerations;
• periodically obtain public input to update the plan; and
• use state funds to assist livestock "owners" in preventing conflicts with gray wolves and pay fair compensation for livestock losses.

Under Proposition 114, gray wolves would be introduced in the Western Slope, where elk and mule deer would be their primary prey. Colorado is home to 430,000 mule deer and over 280,000 elk, the largest elk population of any state. According to Colorado State University, the overall elk populations have not declined in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho over the past 20 years, despite wolf reintroduction. 

The availability of prey, ample space to roam, and low human interaction at high elevations make western Colorado’s public lands an ideal environment for gray wolves. 

Gray wolves are apex predators who help maintain balance and support biodiversity within Colorado’s ecosystems.

Please vote “YES” on Proposition 114 to bring gray wolves back to their historic range in Colorado. You will see the following question on your ballot:

“Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes concerning the restoration of gray wolves through their reintroduction on designated lands in Colorado located west of the continental divide, and, in connection therewith, requiring the Colorado parks and wildlife commission, after holding statewide hearings and using scientific data, to implement a plan to restore and manage gray wolves; prohibiting the commission from imposing any land, water, or resource use restrictions on private landowners to further the plan; and requiring the commission to fairly compensate owners for losses of livestock caused by gray wolves?”

Thank you for voting on behalf of wolves!

NEED TO REGISTER OR REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT? CLICK HERE NOW! 

Registration deadlines:

Online: Oct. 26

By mail: Received by Oct. 26

In person: Nov. 3

Absentee ballot deadlines:

Return by mail: Received by Nov. 3 by 7:00 p.m.

Return in person: Nov. 3 by 7:00 p.m.

Early voting

Oct. 19 - Nov. 2, but dates and hours may vary based on where you live