CPW Establishes Colorado Wolf Restoration Temporary Working Group

Rebecca Ferrell
Branding and Communications Manager
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-291-7764 / 720-595-1449
[email protected]

DENVER, CO – Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announces the implementation of a temporary working group, facilitated by the Consensus Building Institute, to provide input to CPW staff in specific areas related to the implementation of the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan. 

The working group is comprised of representatives from both wolf restoration and ranching interests and CPW staff. The working group will provide input to CPW on building trust, addressing conflict as it arises while the implementation of the plan continues, and potential alternatives to addressing chronic depredation and determining when an agency-directed control action or issuance of a depredation permit should be considered to help ensure CPW understands the relevant pros, cons and considerations of each from stakeholders’ perspectives.

“We are creating this forum to enable stakeholders to come together and discuss issues related to Colorado wolf reintroduction in a cooperative, face-to-face manner,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “We’ve brought in a neutral, experienced facilitation team to manage the discussions. The willingness of this group to come together and collaborate on tough issues will help us achieve positive outcomes for all stakeholders in Colorado wolf restoration.”

The group will help lay the groundwork for decreasing conflict, increasing collaboration and working together on these areas moving forward. The role of the group will be to explore different interests, jointly consider options and ideas and their pros and cons, and provide input to CPW. Members will be announced once the working group has convened. Working group members are being selected from both the ranching and wolf restoration advocacy communities, based on demonstrated experience working across sectors and interests, credibility across constituencies, and an ability to represent and actively communicate with other stakeholders.

The group will meet roughly three times for in-person, half-day meetings on the West Slope. Themes and take-aways from these discussions will be presented to the Parks and Wildlife Commission (PWC) this summer with an invitation for public comment.