Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is asking the state legislature for $450,000 to bring more wolves into Colorado during 2026-27. The catch is CPW does not yet know where it will get them. The request comes despite a $1.5 billion state budget deficit and would double 2025 spending on the wolf program. 

According to Colorado Politics, CPW made the ask before Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee (JBC). The JBC staff had earlier made two recommendations. One was to ask CPW for new information about its work related to wolves and the costs of preventative actions, while the other would create a new 2026-27 budget line for the program. 

“Separating wolf reintroduction expenses into its own line item could allow for increased transparency and clarity on the funds used for wolf reintroduction,” according to JBC analysis and as reported by Colorado Politics.  

Committee members chose to go with the informational request, but not creating the separate line-item. One state lawmaker objected, saying a budget line would be more transparent because it would spell out actual costs. 

According to Colorado Politics, the annual budget for the wolf program is $2.1 million or almost three times more than original 2020 estimates voters were told it would cost, while compensation is slated for $350,000 per year. In just the first three months of 2026, CPW has already paid out $724,000 in wolf-livestock compensation. 

A source for acquiring wolves remains up in the air. Colorado captured and relocated 10 Oregon wolves in late 2023 and 15 more from British Columbia in 2025. Fourteen of those wolves have since died. Oregon said it will not provide any more wolves and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) told Colorado it could only receive wolves from six western U.S. states and not Canada. The other states have also refused to provide source wolves. Should wolves be delisted in the Lower 48 states, USFWS restrictions on source wolves would be moot, but legislation to delist wolves is currently tied up at the U.S. Senate. 

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org. 

(Photo credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife)