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WildEarth Guardians celebrates reintroduction of wolves to Colorado
WildEarth Guardians’ wildlife program director Lindsay Larris issued the following statement:
“Colorado is richer, wilder and more resilient today with wolves wandering the land, and it’s worth celebrating their return. This reintroduction is the first step towards not just having a handful of lone wolves in the state, but the re-establishment of a robust wolf population that has been absent for 80 years. Without this reintroduction process, Colorado would never see the ecological benefits of wolves across the state or the key role they play in helping to maintain healthy lands and waters. Now, wolves will be roaming in places where they had been for thousands and thousands of years before we wrongly wiped them out. That’s real rewilding and real progress that was accomplished because of the will of Colorado voters.
The state has done a lot of work preparing livestock owners for wolves as well as ensuring that there will be ample compensation in the event of unfortunate livestock loss. We’re optimistic that livestock owners will utilize the resources at their disposal to foster coexistence. This thoughtful planning will hopefully allow us, collectively, to focus on the positive impacts of wolf restoration across the state. I’m confident that Colorado can and will serve as an example of how the reintroduction of native species can be done to benefit people, wildlife, and the natural world we all rely upon for our survival.”
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