Building Colorado's new wolf pack means help from other states -- and Mother Nature
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (CN) — Preparing to build a new pack of wolves by the end of the year along the state’s Western Slope is no simple task for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
As part of a reintroduction project approved by voters in 2020, state biologists got collars, hired a data manager and stocked up on the visual deterrent known as fladry, a rope strung with flags that flap in the breeze — but part of the plan includes praying for snowfall.
“We really need that snow for helicopter capture,” said Reid DeWalt, assistant director of Aquatic, Terrestrial and Natural Resources for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, at the agency's meeting on Friday, which was held at the Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs.
December snow in the Northwest will make it easier to spot wolves from the air and capture them. Without snow, finding wolves might entail trapping or snaring, depending on the rules set by the state that decides to supply Colorado. The Centennial State is currently negotiating with Washington and Oregon for animals, while Idaho, Montana and Wyoming declined to participate.
The state is working to meet the voter-created deadline to reestablish wolves by Dec. 31.
https://www.courthousenews.com/building-colorados-new-wolf-pack-means-help-from-other-states-and-mother-nature/
