Push to reintroduce wolves in Colorado gains momentum with delivery of 211,000 signatures for ballot initiative

After months of collecting signatures, proponents of a ballot initiative to reintroduce wolves in Colorado on Tuesday presented state officials with what they believe are more than enough signatures to put their measure to voters next year. If placed on the ballot, the measure would ask Colorado voters whether to require state wildlife commissioners to reintroduce gray wolves by the end of 2023 on designated public land in western Colorado. Proponents argue wolf reintroduction is a way to restore ecological integrity to the state. But the measure is strongly opposed by livestock groups that fear the predator will cause too much conflict. Reflecting a rising urban interest in natural ecosystems, this voter-driven reintroduction of a species would break new ground for ballot initiatives. Wildlife survival and ecosystem health have emerged as urban priorities amid population growth and a development boom that is densifying cities and leading to fragmentation of habitat. Colorado voters set a precedent in 1992 when they banned the spring hunting of bears just emerging from their dens. Colorado government officials for years have rebuffed popular efforts to bring back wolves. In 2016, wildlife commissioners passed a resolution committing the state to oppose any reintroduction. But proponents have raised more than $1 million, have drawn strong support from an army of volunteers and are about to launch a fundraising campaign, said Rob Edward, president of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund...MORE