Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced over the weekend that a collard gray wolf’s GPS location was detected south of Interstate 70.

CPW normally reports watersheds—a sort of geographic region based on water flow—where collared wolves are believed to be moving. This is the first time a GPS location has shown a wolf south of I-70.

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The newest map indicates wolf activity in Lake County. The previous map, released 10 days earlier, did not show probable wolf locations in Lake County.

Wolves have been moving further south over the last two months, according to CPW maps.

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“This kind of wildlife activity was anticipated,” CPW said Saturday.

“Translocated wolves are currently exploring the Colorado landscape, and as wolf population numbers grow, some wolves will migrate to establish new territories,” the statement said. “Wolves are habitat generalists, meaning they can thrive in various environmental conditions and habitats. If prey is available, wolves can use a variety of areas. It is anticipated that wolves will expand widely over time.

Gray wolves were first relocated to Colorado in Grand and Summit counties last December. However, wolves had already been in Colorado for at least five years before that in Jackson County.

The reintroduction was plagued with communication failures. CPW officials and the governor’s office failed to notify local governments or livestock producers in the affected counties when the wolves were released, leading to an ongoing backlash against the agency and its staff. Ranchers closed their gates to CPW for wildlife and habitat conservation programs and hunting and fishing access.

The first batch of 10 wolves included a mating pair that produced at least four pups. However, livestock producers claimed the male of the mating pair was responsible for numerous livestock kills. In September, CPW rounded up the Copper Creek pack and moved them to a wildlife sanctuary. The male died shortly after due to injuries unrelated to his capture. In addition, two other wolves have died, including one in Larimer County and a second in Grand County. Necropsies on those wolves, conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, have not yet been released.

In Grand and Jackson counties, wolves have killed dozens of livestock and working ranch dogs, although the process for payment for wolf depredations has been anything but smooth for some ranchers. Last month, the Parks and Wildlife Commission rejected a staff recommendation to deny payment to a Jackson County rancher where a wolf had killed a calf during the spring.

Due to the numerous problems of the wolf program, many organizations, including Colorado Counties, Inc., Stockgrowers, and county officials, have called on CPW to delay the next round of wolf reintroductions, with wolves that are expected to be brought to Colorado from British Columbia and released sometime in early 2025.

CPW encourages anyone who believes they have seen a wolf to fill out the wolf sighting form found on the CPW website.