Two livestock associations expressed disappointment over a court decision to allow efforts to proceed to reintroduce gray wolves in Colorado.

Regina Rodriguez, a judge with the U.S. District Court in Colorado, declined to issue a temporary restraining order that would have prohibited the reintroduction.

While declining to comment on litigation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced it would move forward with a wolf restoration and management plan in response to a ballot measure approved by Colorado voters in 2020.

CPW released five gray wolves onto public lands in Grand County on Dec. 18, beating the Dec. 31 deadline imposed under Proposition 114. CPW plans to release 10 to 15 more wolves by mid-March and 30 to 50 wolves over the next three to five years.

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and Gunnison County Stockgrowers filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately review the potential impacts of the plan.

Robert Farnam, president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, said the groups remain committed to ensuring the claims asserted in the case are addressed.

“The will of the people must be respected. But the experiential knowledge of ranchers cannot be ignored,” Farnam said. “Wolf introduction in our state should not be moving forward without consideration of all the impacts, especially for the livestock, wildlife and communities most affected.”

The two livestock groups asserted compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act would have required an analysis of all the effects of wolf reintroduction, including the effects on the livelihoods of livestock producers.

Attorneys for the federal government argued requirements for environmental reviews were met and any future harms wouldn’t be irreparable. A state compensation program will pay owners for livestock killed by wolves.

The two livestock groups said they will study the court ruling, confer with their legal teams and consider the alternatives. The two groups stated in a news release: “This is a setback to our legal strategy, but not the end of our efforts.”