Researchers at Colorado State University are partnering with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to discuss the reintroduction of gray wolves to Colorado in a five-part webinar series.

Titled Wolves in Colorado: Science & Stories, the series will focus on the potential impacts of Colorado Proposition 114, an initiative set to be on the November ballot that, if passed, will require Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) to bring wolves to the state by 2023.

Starting this week, each session will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursdays:

  • The Science of Restoring Wolves to Colorado - September 24
    • Stewart Breck, research wildlife biologist at USDA Wildlife Services, and Kevin Crooks, professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU
  • Media Coverage and Public Perceptions on Wolves - October 1
    • Sam Brasch, Colorado Public Radio reporter, and Rebecca Niemiec, assistant professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at CSU
  • Community Perspectives and Conflict Over Wolves - October 8
    • Bill Fales, local rancher, and Jonathan Proctor, Rockies and Plains program director at Defenders of Wildlife
  • The Values and Costs of Wolves - October 15
    • Stanley Ash, professor at the University of Washington, Shauna Baron, naturalist guide at Yellowstone National Park, and Dana Hoag, professor in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics at CSU
  • The Experience of Living with Wolves - October 22
    • Denny Iverson, secretary of the Blackfoot Challenge, and Kim Skyelander, associate director of the Center for Collaborative Conservation at CSU

"Some Coloradans praise the restoration of an endangered apex predator to its ancestral range while pointing to the associated ecosystem benefits. Others are wary of the economic impact on agriculture and the challenges of adding wolves to the increasingly populated Western Slope," reads the webinar's description. "So what does the science tell us about the pros and cons of wolves returning to our backyard?"

You can register for the webinar series here. 

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