Login
A historic day for Colorado and for the first time ever — we released 5 wolves, 3 males and 2 females, in Grand County today.
Captured in Oregon, the wolves were evaluated by our veterinarians & biologists, fitted with GPS collars & transported to Colorado for their release. pic.twitter.com/1Q1EiRxoZf
— Colorado Parks and Wildlife (@COParksWildlife) December 19, 2023
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) released five gray wolves in Grand County, Colorado Dec. 18, a voter-mandated requirement of a ballot initiative passed in 2020. The release of the wolves is the kickoff of a restoration and management plan that is the culmination of a remarkable two-year public, stakeholder, and technical engagement effort spearheaded by CPW and Keystone Policy Center that can serve as a model for bringing people with different perspectives together to develop substantive, long lasting recommendations and solutions.
“This process convened by CPW and shepherded by Keystone illustrates that we can move people from conflict to collaboration on even the most contentious of issues,” said Julie Shapiro, director of the Center for Natural Resources at Keystone Policy Center.
In November 2020, Colorado voters passed Proposition 114 directing the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to restore and manage gray wolves in Colorado no later than December 31, 2023. In Spring 2021, Keystone was selected by CPW to implement a robust public involvement effort that would provide a variety of opportunities for Coloradans to engage, learn, and provide substantive input and feedback on the wolf restoration and management planning process.
Keystone and CPW engaged more than 3,400 participants through 47 meetings and an online comment form in the summer of 2021. The meetings included 16 in-person public open houses throughout the state, 17 in-person Western Colorado geographic focus groups, 10 virtual interest-based focus groups, two in-person Tribal consultations, and two virtual town halls. Keystone prepared a Summer 2021 Public Engagement Report to share the insight from these meetings, which is available here.
CPW also convened a Technical Working Group (TWG) and a Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) to serve as advisory bodies to the agency as the Commission and CPW staff developed the final plan to restore and manage gray wolves in Colorado. Keystone facilitated each of these groups. The TWG contributed expertise towards the development of restoration logistics, conservation objectives, management strategies, and damage prevention and compensation planning. The Technical Working Group released its final recommendations report in August 2022.
“The Technical Working Group brought together experts with experience in wolf restoration, management, and biology along with other technical and experiential expertise from many states across the West,” said Shapiro. “This group was invaluable in offering insights and lessons learned to help inform Colorado’s decisions. The TWG’s insights also helped inform the SAG’s deliberations.”
The SAG provided a range of viewpoints from diverse geographic areas of the state and proposed recommendations for the final plan. All meetings of the SAG were open to in-person observation and public comment. The Stakeholder Advisory Group released its final recommendations report in September 2022. In an introduction for the report, the members of the SAG wrote:
This charge may have seemed impossible in a world of often polarized opinions. Over the course of 15 months of relationship-building, difficult conversations, and information gathering, the SAG ultimately reached consensus on a wide range of important issues that will guide CPW as wolves are returned to the state. Throughout, the SAG fostered civil discussion and understanding across differences, often resulting in strong convergence even on the most contentious issues.
In the SAG’s attempts to reach consensus, members recognized that there are areas where interests and beliefs remained disparate and there was disagreement, as will be the case with the public. However, for Colorado’s wolf program to be successful, there is a need to realize that there are real people affected by any decisions and recognize people have more in common than apart. Everything will have unintended consequences that need to be considered and can be lessened by having early conversations that lead to effective actions. Room needs to be made for individual perspectives and locally-based solutions that help resolve challenges and reduce divisions.
“The SAG set out to find consensus where it could, and it really did a remarkable job of achieving consensus on a number of tough topics, including on restoration logistics; principles for livestock compensation and livestock conflict minimization; impact-based management principles; and a number of challenging management-related issues, such as the need for funding, the importance of outreach, and the need to address concerns regarding ungulate populations,” Shapiro said.
Keystone and CPW also met several times throughout the process with the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribes to identify and address issues wolf reintroduction and management would bring to Tribal and Indigenous communities. Keystone guided the consultations through direct knowledge and experience in developing government-to-government guidance between state and federal agencies and sovereign tribal governments.
“Respecting both state and Tribal lands was, and continues to be, an important cultural lesson in this endeavor,” said Ernest House, Jr., director of Keystone’s Center for Tribal and Indigenous Engagement.
Keystone and CPW appeared before the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission throughout the process, updating the Commission on the public engagement effort, convening of the advisory groups, Tribal consultations, and the overall planning effort. An overview of each appearance as well as the presentations offered by CPW and Keystone is available here.
CPW drafted a plan that was informed considerably by the recommendations from the SAG and TWG recommendations reports. Keystone analyzed and synthesized 4,000 comments on the draft plan for the Commission, which were considered throughout the Commission’s own deliberation process on the draft.
On May 3, 2023, the Commission unanimously approved the Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management plan, which reflects the important consensus-building and input of the SAG, TWG, and public. The final Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management plan is available here.
Keystone Policy Center is a trusted, independent leader that for nearly 50 years has given communities an active voice in policy discussions that have the most direct impact on them. This endeavor highlighted that ability and showcased how we propel conflicted groups, coalitions, and divergent leaders beyond entrenched positions to common higher ground.
“Throughout this process, particularly with the engagement with the SAG and TWG, we saw a willingness to work with each other and listen to each other,” added Shapiro. “That meant that whether they agreed or disagreed, they moved the needle on deepening understanding for each other’s perspectives, on being collaborative, and respecting the diverse opinions on this topic. They saw each other as people that had a lot in common and recognized the need to consider different perspectives as well as local contexts—and we are incredibly proud of the role we played in making that happen.”
Effective March 1, 2025, Thomas J. Vilsack, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of Iowa, became the first Chief Executive Officer for the World Food Prize Foundation. In this new role, Governor Vilsack is focusing on expanding the Foundation’s global network, and will further position the Foundation as a leader in addressing global food and nutrition insecurity, continuing his lifetime of public service.
Shelby Coffey III is a distinguished journalist, media executive, and thought leader whose career has helped shape the landscape of American news and public discourse. Over several decades, Coffey has held some of the most influential roles in journalism, including serving as editor of the Los Angeles Times, executive vice president of ABC News, and deputy managing editor of The Washington Post. His editorial leadership extended to key roles as president of CNN Financial News, editor of the Dallas Times Herald, and U.S. News & World Report.
Jerry Steiner has spent 40 years involved in agriculture following growing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm. He began his career with Monsanto, in multiple business leadership roles. From 2003-2013 he served as a member of the Executive team, as the company’s Executive Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs. He led the company’s global Government, Public and Industry Affairs teams across the 70 countries where Monsanto conducts business. This experience got Jerry connected to the Keystones centers work in agriculture. Key among his responsibilities were shaping the company’s public policy and building partnerships aimed at helping farmers around the world produce more food, while conserving valuable resources like water and energy. Two unique partnership that developed under his leadership were drought tolerant corn with 5 African countries, CIMMYT and the Gates foundation, and a building a sustainable business model in Brazil with the value chain leading to significant multi-company investment and soybean varieties that can protected themselves.
Jennifer Morris is the Chief Executive Officer of The Nature Conservancy, leading a team of nearly 6,000 staff working in more than 80 countries and territories tackling the dual crises of the 
Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November 2018, becoming the first Black Member of Congress in Colorado history. In December 2022, Rep. Neguse was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), becoming the first Coloradan to serve in a senior elected leadership role in the House in over 85 years. He serves on the Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees, and was also appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to serve as one of four Democrats on the prestigious Rules Committee. Rep. Neguse serves as Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands, which he previously Chaired in the 117th Congress.
Llewellyn King was born in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. He went into journalism as soon as he turned 16, stringing for Time magazine and United Press in Africa.
Steven Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo North America, overseeing a more than $48 billion business that spans PepsiCo’s Foods and Beverage operating units. His leadership encompasses more than 125,000 associates and over 900 locations across the U.S. and Canada. Steven joined PepsiCo in 2001 as part of PepsiCo’s acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company, which he joined in 1997, and has held leadership positions of increased responsibility since.