Colorado is part of the gray wolf's native range, but wolves were eradicated from the state by the mid-1930s. Over the past decade, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reintroduced gray wolves into Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico and Arizona, and some observers believe it is only a matter of time before wolves start migrating into Colorado from the north and south.

To prepare for any future wolf migrations into Colorado, the Colorado Division Of Wildlife set up a multi-disciplinary work group to develop a draft Colorado Wolf Management Plan. The Wolf Management Working Group was composed of members of the livestock, environmental, and sportsman communities as well as wildlife biologists and local government employees.