Courtney’s Conservation Corner
I wanted to create a little corner of the internet where I can freely speak and write about all the conservation happenings that have caught my attention the past month, so without further ado… Welcome to what I am calling, for now, “Courtney’s Conservation Corner”. I want this space to be fluid, open-minded and expressive but also educational and informational.
Here are 5 conservation stories from November 2025:
I like to get the hard things over with first, so let’s start with some bad news… another Colorado wolf mortality with a discovery of British Columbia female gray wolf 2506 in southwest Colorado on October 30th. This makes it 12 wolves that have died since the reintroduction began in Colorado in 2020. I think it is important to emphasize here just how much this species needs us to speak up for them, especially in Colorado right now.
With that, the next conservation story is more of a plea to protect the wolf reintroduction in Colorado. There are many players in the game of conservation and currently, wolves seem to have an army against them in this state. Earlier this month, Greg Lopez, a 2026 governor candidate, provided a letter to USFWS attempting to block the next group of wolves to move into the state. The letter stating that CPW illegally released Canadian wolves, but there is no language in the plan that states capturing and releasing wolves from Canada is forbidden. Basically, he has contorted the language within the wolf management plan to create restrictions that favor his beliefs and “wins him points” with his constituents.
At November’s commission meeting, CPW unanimously approved regulations giving bison a dual legal classification as both livestock and wildlife in Colorado, following the direction of the 2025 Protect Wild Bison Act (SB25-053). A win for Bison and conservation!
Speak up for Beavers! Right now, CPW is asking for input on the Beaver Conservation and Management Strategy draft. You can use this link to read more about it and submit a form with your input.
Wolves documented using tools in the wild for the first time! This doesn’t surprise me one bit. Wolves have long been known as clever, cunning and stealthy. Dr. Kyle Artelle observed these coastal wolves in British Columbia pulling the rope of a crab trap to retrieve the meal caught inside. For a long time, it was thought that only humans made and used tools, however, our ape relatives quickly debunked that sentiment to human intelligence. And then elephants did it too, birds as well, bears… whales… and now wolves. Diminishing the human species one brain cell at a time. Watch Video Here
Currently, the state advocate volunteer group is focused on getting a rodenticide bill in place, protecting fur bearer species, and creating coyote friendly communities in Colorado. Stay tuned for so much more!
