We’re already a year into Colorado’s voter-approved wolf reintroduction, and the wolves have taken to their new home state with the majority of activity focused in the northwestern counties. With 15 additional wolves slated to move into the Centennial State in early 2025, the latest map from Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) shows where the current nine have traveled, according to the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

The nine remaining wolves, which are tracked using GPS collars, include seven surviving members from the December 2023 release, one pup from the Copper Creek pack and another wolf that found its way to Colorado on its own. As of this month, wolves were seen in watersheds in Rio Blanco, Routt, Jackson, Grand, Larimer, Eagle, Summit, Lake and Garfield counties. 

“If wolves are moving quickly enough, a GPS point may not be taken in every watershed they travel through,” according to CPW. “GPS points are currently taken every 4 hours.”

While wolves have been exploring their new territory, their appearance in the watershed crossing between Jackson and Larimer counties this month is new, according to the Steamboat Pilot & Today.

CPW Director Jeff Davis believes the wolves are “moving alone or in pairs and traveling between 150 to 200 miles each week.”

Five additional wolves (one adult and four pups) are currently in captivity and CPW plans to release them this winter around the same time the 15 wolves from British Columbia are released in the same northern area as before – likely in Eagle, Pitkin or Garfield counties, though that hasn’t been confirmed.

“Our communities (in Eagle and Pitkin counties) are a little bit different than some of these other landscapes,” said Matt Yamashita, CPW’s district wildlife manager for the area covering Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties. “There’s livestock here, but there’s also a lot of people here — that includes residents, visitors and recreation. There are some differences here in Eagle County that are not quite the same as some of these other landscapes, inclusive of where these animals are being captured from.”

CPW is continuing to work with local stakeholders to reach achievable coexistence with the newly reintroduced wolves.