Bipartisan legislation that would restore the North American wolverine in Colorado clears the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee
This morning, there is news from the Colorado General Assembly that a bipartisan bill to restore wolverines to enhance Colorado’s biodiversity has passed a major hurdle.
SB24-171, sponsored by Senator Dylan Roberts (D-Frisco), and Senator Perry Will (R-New Castle), would authorize Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) to reintroduce wolverines and enhance Colorado’s biodiversity.
“Wolverines were a natural part of Colorado’s landscape for centuries and it’s long past time for us to bring them back and help play our part in restoring this threatened species and improving the health of our mountain ecosystem,” said Roberts. “This is the right way to do wildlife reintroduction – backed by science, supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders through years of deliberation, proper legal protections for agriculture and business, and with bipartisan support.”
“During my storied career as a game warden, I fell in love with our state’s beauty and I developed a great respect for Colorado’s wildlife,” said Will. “I am always a strong proponent for the reintroduction of wildlife species to our ecosystem as long as it is done responsibly by wildlife experts. The introduction of any species should not be done with ‘ballot box biology’. This bill ensures the reintroduction of wolverines is done responsibly in a process that is science-based and transparent.”
Wolverines, for those who have only heard of them in relationship to a favorite sports team, are members of the weasel family. Don’t let that fool you, they are the largest terrestrial species of weasel in the world. They have long claws and large teeth and a reputation for being fierce fighters. They like to live solitary lives in high alpine regions, meaning Colorado provides some of the best remaining wolverine habitat in the United States.
Wolverines were listed as “threatened” in 2023 under the Endangered Species Act, and disappeared nearly 100 years ago from the northern United States (primarily due to being hunted out).
If the bill were to become law, it would also require CPW to create rules for providing payment of fair compensation to owners of livestock for losses caused by wolverines and to create a robust public communications plan. Reintroduction would be contingent on the federal government designating wolverines as a “nonessential experimental population” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
SB24-171 will now move to further consideration before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Featured image: courtesy of Britannica.com
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