Southern Rockies Wolves Chronology

1808  
  Zebulon Pike reports wolves in what is today Colorado
1893  
  Colorado legislature establishes bounties on wolves
1914  
  Predatory Animal and Rodent Control (PARC) established by Congress – predecessor to Animal Damage Control (ADC) which is now called Wildlife Services. Government-endorsed wolf extermination program begins.
1945  
  Last confirmed wolf killed in Colorado.
1976  
  Gray wolf listed as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act.
1991  
  Defenders commits to compensating ranchers market value for livestock lost to wolves.
2000  
 

Defenders hosts “Carnivores 2000” in Denver to highlight wolf reintroduction to the southern Rockies, releases petition to the USFWS for a DPS in the southern Rockies.

USFWS proposes to reclassify gray wolves throughout lower 48, reducing protections to threatened across vast swaths that not yet have wolves. More than 20,000 public comments received, 95% opposed to the reclassification.

2005  
  Federal District Ct agrees with Defenders and other groups and overturns the Reclassification Rule – wolves now back to protected as endangered throughout most of US.
2006  
 

Defenders releases “Places for Wolves” LINK, a scientific report presenting a vision for recovery of ecologically-effective populations of wolves throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

Colorado legislature repeals state wolf bounty