Bill to reintroduce wolverines to Colorado passes: Here’s what happens next
DENVER (KDVR) — Two months ago, lawmakers proposed a bill that aimed to reintroduce the North American wolverine to Colorado. Now, the bill is in the final stages of becoming Colorado law.
In November, the federal government listed the North American wolverine as a threatened species, largely due to climate change. Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimates less than 400 wolverines exist in the continental United States.
Proposed bill aims to reintroduce wolverines to Colorado
Experts believe parts of the high country could be an ideal habitat for wolverines to thrive again, which led to Senate Bill 24-17, a proposed bill authorizing CPW to reintroduce wolverines to the state.
While the bill has passed, wolverines will not come to Colorado just yet.
Next steps of reintroducing wolverines to Colorado
The bill has already passed through the Colorado General Assembly, but it still needs Gov. Jared Polis’ signature to become official law.
If the bill is signed into law, that does not mean wolverines will be reintroduced into the state immediately.
According to the bill, as long as the North American wolverine remains on the list of threatened or endangered species, CPW cannot reintroduce them until a final rule designates the North American wolverine in Colorado as a “nonessential experimental population” under federal law.
“There’s a requirement that we get a 10(j) in place before we do any sort of restoration, which means that Colorado needs to be designated as a nonessential experimental population before we put animals on the ground,” Jake Ivan, wildlife research scientist for the CPW office in Fort Collins, said during a commission meeting.
Bill to reintroduce wolverines to Colorado advancing in legislature
The bill also states that the division must adopt compensation rules for any loss of owners’ livestock caused by wolverines.
That said, the wolverine is not known to attack humans or livestock.
Ultimately, the next step is for Polis to either sign the bill into law or veto it. Because the bill passed right around the end of the legislative session, Polis has 30 days to make a decision.
After that, the timeline is around one to two and a half years, according to CPW.
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