A newly enacted law clears the way to reintroduce wolverines to Colorado.

Gov. Jared Polis signed the measure into law during a May 20 event atop Loveland Pass. The law gives Colorado Parks and Wildlife authority to reintroduce North American wolverines.

“I am thrilled to welcome wolverines back to Colorado,” Polis said. “A diverse and healthy environment strengthens Colorado’s booming eco-tourism and outdoor recreation sectors. Today, we begin to add wolverines to the list of animals reintroduced to Colorado, ensuring Colorado remains the best state in the nation for ecodiversity and outdoor enthusiasts.”

The law includes a provision that wolverines in Colorado are designated as a nonessential experimental population before reintroduction begins. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in November.

The law also requires Colorado Parks and Wildlife to adopt rules providing for the payment to owners of livestock for any losses caused by wolverines.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to work with federal land management agencies to determine where wolverines will be released.

“Colorado’s high elevation habitats are expected to resist the effects of climate change as well or better than other parts of wolverine range, and play a critical role in the wolverine conservation story,” said Jeff Davis, director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “I want to thank the CPW staff and partners that set the groundwork for these efforts. CPW will continue to work together with partners across the state on wolverine restoration.”

Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, also praised the effort. “This legislation represents a significant commitment to restoring a native species back to Colorado’s landscape,” Gibbs said. “Colorado has some of the best remaining unoccupied habitat for wolverines, and we have the opportunity to bolster the population significantly with a science-based restoration.”

The largest terrestrial member of the weasel family, wolverines are a native species to Colorado. Their range once spanned down the Sierra Nevada in California and the Rocky Mountains to Colorado. Wolverines were extirpated in Colorado in the early 1900s due to unregulated harvest and poisoning.