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The Trust Project

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The last confirmed sighting of a native wolverine in Colorado was in 1919.

In 2009, researchers tracked one from the Grand Teton National Park in northwest Wyoming into north-central Colorado before it migrated back north. That was the last time a wolverine was confirmed in Colorado.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife states that the animal has been long extirpated from the state, but it still lists the animal as “state endangered.” A division spokesman said the designation acknowledges past instances and the continued possibility of wolverines migrating into Colorado.

On May 20, 2024, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill to reintroduce wolverines in Colorado.

Wolverines are the largest land-dwelling member of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels and badgers. Solitary and ferocious, they roam mountainous and subarctic territories. Fewer than 400 exist in the lower 48 states.

Wildlife officials say Colorado has the capacity to sustain up to 180 wolverines.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

References:

Wolverine, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, accessed June 2024. Source link.

Threatened and Endangered List, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, accessed June 2024. Source link.

Governor Polis signs wolverine reintroduction bill at Loveland Pass, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, May 20, 2024. Source Link.

Email response, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, June 14, 2024. Source Link.

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Justin George is a 1995 graduate of Columbine High School. He has worked as a reporter at six news organizations including the Boulder Daily Camera, the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post. Email him at justin@coloradosun.com