Smart Wolf Policy Pauses Petition Drive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 27, 2025

Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy Pauses Petition Drive for Initiative 13

DENVER, CO — Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy (CASWP) announced today that it is pausing its campaign to circulate petitions for Initiative 13, which aimed to end Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program as of December 31, 2026.

This pause gives the Colorado Legislature and federal policymakers one last opportunity to:

>>>Permanently halt further wolf importation into Colorado

>>>Require Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to responsibly manage the existing wolf population.

>>>Enact long-overdue federal delisting and international wolf importation bans

If these actions fall short, the initiative will return stronger than ever.

“We would like to thank our 360 volunteer petitioners and the thousands of supporters who signed up with our campaign. Our ballot measure and your efforts gave the Smart Wolf Team a voice we used to meet with state and federal legislators and the Trump Administration. From delisting to defunding to banning international importation, we started a series of initiatives that are already helping our ranchers, hunters, and Colorado taxpayers. We expect more good news in the future! Thank you for all your hard work and the voice you gave us,” said Stan VanderWerf, public proponent of Initiative 13 and former El Paso County Commissioner.

CASWP emphasized that this is merely a pause. The group intends to resume the ballot initiative if the state and federal governments fail to stop the scientific fraud of wolf trafficking.

“California, Idaho, and Montana are living with the destruction this agenda causes to ranchlands, hunting ecosystems, and wildlife,” said Spencer Thomas, a public proponent from Garfield County. “Ranchers, hunters, and taxpayers have made clear this wolf reintroduction law (CRS 105.8) cannot remain as it is.  Compensation for depredation must endure because the wolves are here and they’ve had pups.  Further introduction, however, must end now.”

Chuck Duray, an El Paso County rancher, emphasized the bottom line: “Ranchers are not the only ones on the front lines of wolf trafficking and importation. Taxpayers now shoulder the burden of exploding costs due to dumping more and more wolves into ecosystems that did not support roaming apex predator populations for over a century and long before a state population of six million people. While ranchers worked this land for generations to preserve Colorado’s natural beauty, make the land productive, and provide natural protein to consumers, those same consumers are now hit with both high prices and tax payments for the destruction caused by radical environmentalists and bureaucrats. Everyone knows that livestock compensation is both too much for Colorado taxpayers and too little to compensate ranchers. Enough is enough. It’s time to stop trying to turn Colorado into one big HOA run by Rewilding Karens.”

Thanks to the efforts of thousands of grassroots volunteers, the campaign exceeded its goal of collecting signatures from volunteers despite limited resources. CASWP expressed gratitude to supporters and reiterated its commitment to fight for ranchers, sportsmen, taxpayers—and the wolves themselves.

“We’re eager to work with groups like the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and the Colorado Wildlife Conservation Project,” VanderWerf added. “We all agree: CRS 105.8, the law mandating wolf reintroduction, must be amended; retain compensation but halt reintroduction.”

CASWP will continue to organize, educate, and engage with voters, taxpayers, stakeholders and elected officials across the state.  Next steps are expected to be announced in September.

For media inquiries, contact:

Patrick Davis

Colorado Advocates for Smart Wolf Policy

(202) 251-4439

www.SmartWolfPolicyCO.com