A map published today on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s website will inform the public, recreationists and livestock producers on where wolves have been in the past month. This map will be updated with new information on a monthly basis, produced on the fourth Wednesday of every month, and will reflect data for the prior month, give or take several days.
These maps are created using GPS collar data collected from all 12 collared wolves in Colorado. This includes the 10 animals reintroduced from Oregon, as well as the two collared wolves in North Park.
About the GPS collar data
- Currently, the collars are programmed to record a position every four hours.
- Once four locations have been recorded, the packet of four locations is then transmitted via satellite to CPW biologists.
- The frequency of both position recording and transmission of the data can be delayed by a number of factors such as dense cloud cover, closed terrain, etc.
- By looking at the data, CPW staff can learn where wolves have been, but they cannot tell where wolves are at a current point in time, nor can they predict where the wolves will go.
- To protect the wolves, specific GPS data will not be shared.
Learn more about living and recreating in wolf country on our website. CPW also created this hands-on resource guide to help reduce wolf depredations on livestock.
CPW’s New Map Indicating Current Collared Wolf Activity in Colorado
This map depicts watersheds where the 12 collared wolves in Colorado have been for the last month. A watershed is a geographic unit that drains water into a specific waterbody. These are also known as Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC). Information is shared at the HUC 10 level. Watersheds are the appropriate mapping unit to display wolf activity information because wolves are far more likely to use geographic features to affect their distribution than they are political boundaries. The HUC 10 scale provides detailed information that can help agricultural producers be informed of the general areas where wolf activity is known to exist without being too general (i.e. as a county level map would be), and also is not so specific so as to risk the protection of individual wolves (as a finer scale HUC12 map would be). More can be learned about HUCs at water.usgs.gov/GIS/huc.html.
In order for a watershed to indicate wolf activity, at least one GPS point from the wolf collars was recorded within the boundaries of the watershed. Simply because a watershed indicates wolf activity, it does not mean that a wolf or wolves are present throughout the entire watershed nor that they are currently in the watershed. For example, a wolf has not yet been located south of I-70, even though the watershed in which a wolf was detected spans both north and south of the Interstate.
CPW reserves the right to buffer maps that will be shared with the public if doing so protects wolf welfare during sensitive times of the year (e.g., mating season).
At this point, all known wolves in Colorado have functional GPS collars. This allows for an accurate depiction of the watersheds where wolves are known to be active. It should be expected that through immigration from other states and natural reproduction of pups, the proportion of wolves that have collars will be reduced over time. Therefore, the accuracy of this map will be diminished over time as the activity of uncollared wolves may not be included in this map.
Written by Joey Livingston. Joey is a statewide public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
11 Responses
Not terribly informative since a ‘watershed’ can cover hundreds of square miles.
At some point I hope the wolves will expand their hunting ground to where people and their dogs live so they can watch a pack of wolves attach their dogs. May be will be able to watch a recording of the wolves killing their prey like the ranchers in the mountains get to watch the wolves kill their cattle and sheep.
Thank you. Being a native of Minnesota and long acquainted with the wolf activity in the northern part of the state, I am glad to see the reintroduction of the animal into Colorado, and sincerely hope it is successful.
I knew they had to be by Kremmling, just smell it.. Too bad!
Hard to believe it shows no wolves around Rocky Mountain National Park. I think they were released on the edge of it so they can feast on all the elk solving the over population until they go into downtown Estes and hunt them. CPW is not being forthright. This map is a joke.
Not in favor of it. Next thing they will be sneaking in grizzly bears so you can’t let your kids hike on their own.
This is green collar crime. Colorado Parks and Wildlife released a uncontrolled Pandemic like Covid. They released it and have no way to stop it, or even control it in any way. The responsibility for this act on CPW. The 1 and only reason that they are doing it is for the CP&W bankaccount. For every wolf in Colorado the CP&W get $1000 every year from the Fish and Wildlife through the back door and no one is told. The Govenor is all in favor of this because the Parks and Wildlife bank account on 12/31 of each year rolls up to the Govenor Polis slush fund. Then it also does not have anything attaached to it, regarding use for Wildlkife. So the Gov Polis used it in town for bike paths, and socker fields, and items that will personally get him votes. Elk don’t vote. You can see the corruption in the CP&W structure.
Then the division of wildlife sells licenses to hunter to areas where the elk, Moose, Deer and Antelope have been cleared out by the wolves. It is a true act that they are lining their pockets, and have no regard to hunters or the game animals that hunters have managed to manage the big game population. The CP&W has managed to Double dip for their pockets destroying big game and cattle ranching in Colorado, and call it legal because they don;t tell anyone.
Their 1 and only job is to manage Wildlife, not to be politicians with Colorado wildlife and private land owners cattle, horses, then refuse to pay any dame claims, and tell landowners that they cannot kill a wolf that is killing their own cattle right in front of them. It is really The Communist Colorasdo Parks and Wildlife Gustopo!
Please check your facts about wolf reintroduction – https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Wolves-in-Colorado-FAQ.aspx
Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff have worked across areas of expertise, scientific backgrounds and partner agencies to prepare this FAQ page. The page will be updated and expanded as the agency works through the reintroduction and public involvement process.
Proposition 114 – now state statute 33-2-105.8 – directed the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a plan to restore and manage gray wolves in Colorado no later than December 31, 2023. The statute indicates the wolves are to be released onto the Western Slope of Colorado. CPW’s initial release of gray wolves on the Western Slope occurred on December 18, 2023.
Can someone make sure you post this reply on the next Dead by Wolf Human Body Bag?.. and if it’s a child..someone most surely will be in jail..Trust me.
I can’t wait till This turns in to a single spot on the map. If you want to see wolves go to wolf sanctuary in Divide. You should have released them in Boulder and Denver where they are wanted.
Way cool – Congrats to all involved for bringing back a keystone species to balance the ecosystem. It would be a dream to catch a glimpse of 1 of these magnificent animals. Kudos!!!