Colorado votes on reintroducing wolverines after over a century, backed by $1.7M and habitat plans.

Colorado is set to vote on a historic plan to reintroduce wolverines, absent for over a century, with the state’s Parks and Wildlife Commission reviewing a final strategy and compensation rules for ranchers. The effort, backed by $1.7 million in state funding and years of planning, aims to restore the federally threatened species to high-altitude public lands in the Western Slope, where suitable habitat remains. The last confirmed sighting was a male in 2009. Scientists say Colorado could support 100 to 180 wolverines, potentially boosting the regional population by nearly 30%. The project, led by wildlife experts Robert Inman and Jake Ivan, includes acclimating animals at a state facility and using phased releases, with potential sources in lower-elevation Canadian populations. Federal approval remains pending, and the initiative follows a broader push for wolverine conservation amid climate-driven habitat loss.