WASHINGTON, D.C. — April 7, 2026 — The Endangered Species Coalition is condemning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s newly announced request for information on implementation of the gray wolf nonessential experimental population rule in Colorado. This is a politically motivated effort to undermine Colorado’s voter-backed wolf restoration program and lay the groundwork for broader attacks on wolf protections nationwide.
The USFWS’ notice, scheduled for publication April 6, 2026, seeks public comment on Colorado’s implementation of the section 10(j) rule for gray wolves, with a particular focus on wolf-livestock conflicts, compensation, agency coordination, and allowable forms of take under the rule.
“This is another attempt by a small but wealthy set of special interests to overturn the will of Colorado voters and push wolves toward eradication once again,” said Ryan Sedgeley, Southern Rockies Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition. “When these interests fail in state processes, they run to Washington looking for political intervention. That is not science-based wildlife management. It is a set-up for misinformation, fear, and another attack on wolf recovery.”
Colorado’s wolf restoration program was created to restore a native species to the landscape while also allowing for management flexibility, conflict response, nonlethal deterrence, and compensation for livestock losses. The federal notice itself acknowledges that the 10(j) framework was established to provide management flexibility while supporting conservation goals, and that the Service is now collecting information on conflict response, nonlethal deterrence, coordination, and communication.
“Like any restoration effort, there have been challenges,” Sedgeley said. “But conflict mitigation tools and compensation programs exist for exactly that reason, and the management framework allows for improvement. The answer is not to sabotage restoration. The answer is to keep improving implementation while staying committed to recovery.”
The Endangered Species Coalition warned that the Colorado action cannot be viewed in isolation.
“What is happening in Colorado is part of a broader attempt to weaken protections for wolves nationally and to undermine the Endangered Species Act itself,” Sedgeley said. “We have seen repeated efforts to strip protections from gray wolves through politics rather than science. This request for information raises serious concerns that the administration is once again using administrative process as cover for a predetermined anti-wolf agenda.”
For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has been the nation’s most effective law for preventing extinction, saving 99 percent of listed species from extinction and maintaining strong public support across party lines, according to ESC materials and recent polling.
“Americans support the Endangered Species Act because they understand that extinction is forever,” Sedgeley said. “Wolves belong on the landscape, and decisions about their future must be guided by science, transparency, and the public interest, not by a small minority of politically connected industries.”
The Endangered Species Coalition urges the public to submit comments opposing any attempt to use the federal process to weaken wolf recovery in Colorado or open the door to broader delisting efforts.
The federal notice states that comments must reference Docket No. FWS–R6–ES–2026–0958 and be submitted through the methods identified in the notice. Comments will be accepted for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.