Colorado's Strategy For Restoring Wolverines To The Rockies

Well, Colorado’s reintroduction of gray wolves has not gone as smoothly as some would hope, yet some feel the time is right to bring back one of the Centennial State’s most elusive mammals – the wolverine.

Officials say Colorado’s high-elevation terrain makes it the ideal place to reintroduce this rugged alpine survivor. Keep scrolling to learn more about the restoration plan led by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to bring back one of nature’s toughest creatures to the Centennial State.

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Colorado’s Wildest Comeback Story Starts With a Wolverine

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Wolverines are stocky, bold, and famously hard to spot — and Colorado wants them back in the Rocky Mountains. The largest members of the weasel family once roamed the state’s highest peaks before disappearing more than a century ago. Now, wildlife officials believe the timing is right for their return, pointing to millions of acres of public land and cold, high-country habitat that offer some of the best remaining conditions for the species to survive.

The Habitat, the Law, and the Timing Have Lined Up

In 2024, Colorado lawmakers cleared the way for Colorado Parks and Wildlife to restore wolverines to the state. Biologists say the Rocky Mountains could support as many as 100 wolverines, thanks to cold, high-elevation terrain that ranks among the best remaining habitat in the country. Unlike gray wolves, wolverines are solitary animals and rarely come into conflict with livestock, a key reason many view their reintroduction as far less risky than Colorado’s wolf restoration effort.

How the Wolverine Return Will Work

Colorado’s plans to relocate 15 wolverines per year for about three years. They would be released in high-mountain zones to the north of I-70, the central Rocky Mountains, and in the San Juan Mountains. Colorado would use tracked GPS collars to monitor the survival and movement of the wolverines. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services still needs to issue final approval before releases can begin.

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