Smart Wolf Policy Drives Statewide Shift on Wolf Reintroduction
- patrickdavis86
- Apr 14
- 2 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2026
Smart Wolf Policy Effort Drives Statewide Shift on Wolf Reintroduction
Colorado Springs, CO — Coloradans for Smart Wolf Policy today released their assessment of the Colorado House decision to block general fund spending on additional wolf acquisition. The newly approved state budget bars Colorado Parks and Wildlife from using general fund dollars to import more wolves. In Smart Wolf’s view, the defunding validates what rural communities have argued throughout this fight: the state’s wolf reintroduction program has failed to deliver on its promises.
House Speaker Julie McCluskie acknowledged the failure directly, stating that “the reintroduction has not gone successfully nor without significant cost.” That statement, from a Speaker whose own district has suffered livestock losses due to the administration’s choices, reflects a fundamental shift in how state leadership now speaks about wolf reintroduction. That shift did not happen without cause.
Smart Wolf’s work during 2025 on Initiative 35, and its team’s sustained engagement with Colorado and federal public servants and stakeholders, forced the wolf crisis into the open. Concerns about depredation, program costs, and animal welfare that officials once minimized are now being addressed consequentially by means of funding.
Patrick Davis, Campaign Manager for Smart Wolf, said, “The facts didn’t change. What changed is that people demanded to be heard. I was proud to lead Smart Wolf in giving them the platform to do it.” Chuck Duray, retired U.S. Army officer and Front Range Colorado rancher, added, “For years, the impacts on our communities were not acknowledged. Now they are reflected in the state budget. This accountability is a direct result of the pressure our organization applied.”
The budget action does not end wolf management in Colorado, and the bill now moves to the Senate. But it marks a decisive turning point: state leaders are now publicly grappling with the consequences of a program that was sold very differently to voters.
Contact:
Patrick Davis
202-251-4439
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