Contact: Ryan Sedgeley,rsedgeley@endangered.org

Wolf Restoration Film Welcome Home Wins Best Conservation Film at The Portland EcoFilm Festival

Montrose, CO – January 28, 2025—The Endangered Species Coalition with Reel Earth Films is thrilled to announce that our short documentary film, Welcome Home, has been awarded the Best Conservation Film at the prestigious Portland EcoFilm Festival! This honor celebrates the powerful storytelling and impactful message behind our film, which tells the story of how people across Colorado are working together to make gray wolf restoration a success.

Welcome Home celebrates the reintroduction of wolves to Colorado. When the people of Colorado voted to return wolves to the state, they set in motion a unique conservation success story. The film shows the value of returning this historic carnivore and how people and wildlife can live together. 

Alan Lacy, director of Welcome Home, expressed their gratitude: “When we set out to produce “Welcome Home,” our goal was to create a film that not only captured this monumental moment for conservation in Colorado but to celebrate the decision of the people within the state to bring back wolves. Winning Best Conservation Film at the Portland EcoFilm Festival extends this celebration as a victory for wolves returning to their native habitat, and it’s truly an honor to continue this celebration as part of this year’s festival.” The Portland EcoFilm Festival is one of the leading showcases for films that focus on environmental and conservation themes, attracting filmmakers and audiences from around the globe. Winning this award underscores the importance and urgency of the issues presented in Welcome Home and highlights its ability to resonate deeply with viewers.

The Endangered Species Coalition and Reel Earth Films would like to thank the festival organizers, judges, and our incredible team of collaborators, including The Volgenau Foundation, Associate Producer Alana Helapitage, Cinematographer Chris Fischer, and Writer and Editor Patrick Lehr. Most importantly, we extend our gratitude to the communities and individuals who shared their stories and inspired this work.

As part of the momentum from this award, we are excited to announce that the film can be viewed at select film festivals across the world, with a public release planned for 2025. We invite everyone to join us in spreading awareness of this conservation success and driving positive change for the future of our wildlife.

For more information about Welcome Home, including upcoming events and how to support its mission, please visit endangered.org/welcomehome.

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Right now, outfitters and hunters are allowed to hunt these animals using packs of dogs with GPS collars and even drones that chase down a mountain lion until it finally retreats up into a tree. Once the outfitters and hunters catch up to the trapped and exhausted lion they shoot it out of the tree for a photo and a wall mount used as a decoration.

Learn about trophy hunting here: WARNING GRAPHIC!

Similarly bobcats are allowed to be trapped with live traps in freezing cold weather where eventually they are bludgeoned to death for their fur. These furs are often exported to China where markets exist. On top of that, it only costs about $35 to be able to capture and kill as many bobcats as a person wants to, it is unlimited!

Learn about trapping here: WARNING GRAPHIC!

Colorado voters have a record of ending barbaric and disrespectful practices through the ballot. Voters approved a very similar measure in 1992, Amendment 10, that banned the same brutal practice of using dogs to hunt bears. It also prohibited spring hunts and the use of bait to hunt bears. Back then that measure passed with 70% of the vote!

The Endangered Species Coalition supports Prop 127. We think its passage will treat our wildlife with the respect and value that is deserved.

Please visit Cats Aren’t Trophies, the organizers of Prop 127 for more information and make sure you vote on or before November 5th!

Thank You,

Ryan Sedgeley
Southern Rockies Representative
Endangered Species Coalition

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Denver, Colo. – Celebrate Colorado’s historic wolf reintroduction at the world premiere of the Endangered Species Coalition’s new film, Welcome Home. This beautiful, moving 20-minute documentary tells the story of wolves’ return to Colorado and how wildlife and people can live together in a state that cares for both.

WHAT:           Welcome Home—documentary film on wolf restoration, followed by panel discussion with filmmaker and wolf experts. Reception to follow.
WHERE:         Sie Film Center, 2510 E. Colfax Ave.
WHEN:           Thursday, July 18. 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:00pm)
WHO:             Endangered Species Coalition and Reel Earth Films
HOW:             Free–Limited seating—CLICK HERE to RSVP and to view the trailer

From time immemorial the family of people, wolves, and fire shared our world—until the 1940’s, when the last remaining gray wolves in Colorado were shot, trapped, and poisoned out of existence. In November 2020, the citizens of Colorado voted to restore wolves to the state. Three years later, in December 2023, state wildlife officials welcomed gray wolves home to Colorado by releasing the first of ten wolves into the wild.

“Welcome Home” celebrates the developing story of wolf reintroduction to Colorado. This incredible conservation success story in-the-making is unique in the world in that direct democracy led to the restoration of this iconic North American native carnivore. “Welcome Home,” includes interviews with biologists, ranchers, wildlife professionals, Native Americans, hunters, and of course, wolf advocates.

Welcome Home is directed by Alan Lacy, founder of Reel Earth Films. Alan’s first film, “Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest” is an award-winning documentary that has screened internationally. Alan’s work has aired on National Geographic, Disney+, and PBS Nature, with more upcoming work soon to air on the BBC. The Coalition will host a reception in the theater immediately following the film and panel discussion.

Learn more about the film at https://www.endangered.org/welcomehome/

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Along with this exciting development, we are excited to announce the completion of our new short film celebrating the success of  Colorado wolf reintroduction efforts. The film by Director Alan Lacy is titled “Welcome Home” and we are excited to share it with you! This 20 minute film will premiere in Denver on Thursday July, 18th at 6pm. Stay tuned for details on how to view the film online. 

Along with creating an amazing new film. We have been advocating for Colorado wolves at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meetings. We’ve been asking for patience from ranchers, CPW and all folks learning to live with wolves. Thankfully, the Commission heard us and they have decided to assemble a working group to determine questions about what constitutes “chronic depredation.” We have also been asking the Commission to do all they can to protect wolves on the border with Wyoming where they are not only without protections, they are often brutally killed there as part of the culture of disdain and abuse of wildlife there. 

We need to continue to give ourselves and our wolves room to learn what life together is like again while keeping in mind that Colorado can do this and do this right. We need to choose restraint and thoughtfulness even in the face of provocateurs who are cynically spreading lies and generating fears about wolves. 

As we enter summer let’s look at the hope and promise that wolf pups bring. Let’s remember to speak up for the wolves who need advocates like you to ensure they have a chance to thrive. 

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Reintroduction of this Threatened Species is a Historic Step for Wildlife Conservation

Denver, Colo.–Today the Colorado General Assembly gave final approval to a bill to restore wolverines to the mountains of Colorado. SB24-171 directs the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce the threatened North American wolverine to suitable habitat within the state.

“With the passage of SB24-171, we celebrate another historic victory for wildlife conservation in Colorado and another step towards healing our relationship with the lands that we inhabit,” said Ryan Sedgeley, Colorado Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition. This step complements Canada lynx reintroduction in the 1990s and the more recent gray wolf reintroduction in December 2023, and it puts Colorado at the cutting edge of wildlife restoration.” 

The wolverine is a newly-protected species under the Endangered Species Act, having just been listed in November 2023. Living high in the alpine, they traditionally ranged from Alaska’s arctic to Colorado, Utah, California, and the Upper Midwest. Today, there are only about 300 in the lower 48 states.  These tenacious and impressive animals require a deep snowpack that lasts late into spring and summer for successful reproduction. According to the text of the bill, Colorado has some of the best remaining habitat like this in the lower 48 states. 

Wolverines are largely scavengers that eat carrion. When this is not available they are capable hunters that have been observed to kill and eat animals many times larger than themselves such as deer. 

The wolverine became threatened due to habitat fragmentation and efforts to extirpate it in the early to mid-20th century. This new law will give this species the chance to continue to thrive in a world rapidly changing from global warming. 

“We thank the sponsors and look forward to working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife as they develop a plan to implement restoration of this incredible animal, which in many ways is emblematic of Colorado’s iconic wild mountainous country,” said Sedgeley.  

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These license plates not only look great, the funds from people buying them will go directly towards supporting conflict prevention between wolves and livestock. We know from experience conflict prevention can work very well. In places where livestock producers are using these techniques, depredation of livestock is near zero! This is the goal here too and we can do it with everyone’s buy in. 

People on the western slope of Colorado, and in particular livestock grazers, are the first to begin our process of learning to live with wolves. This means that people who live on the front range and in cities can show that the concerns and needs of our fellow coloradans are heard and answered. These license plates are a good faith act of support for folks being asked to be impacted by the changes most. This program is paired with the  years of work by Colorado Park and Wildlife listening, planning, and creating a robust and generous compensation plan for any livestock killed by wolves. Working together to take care of our wildlife and each other in the process is something people in Colorado should be proud of. We are doing it our way, the Colorado way. 

To get your “Born to be Wild”  license plates go to your county DMV and request to purchase them. More information can be found at https://wolfplate.org/

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The Endangered Species Coalition is working on the western slope of Colorado to secure a welcoming home for wolves for the long term. To achieve this we have been meeting with leaders and policy makers to make sure they understand how we got here and what resources are available for ranchers as well as how wolf watching could bring additional sources of revenue to rural areas and outfitters. Alongside that, we are holding information sessions for the public and stakeholder groups to answer questions and make sure people understand just how much has gone into the process and the resources available to those who might be impacted. On the regulatory side, we are also watchdogging the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission to make sure they continue to support wolves and the wildlife values of everyone, not just hunters and outfitters. In the upcoming year we will be taking on a project to secure structural changes to help cement funding and wildlife advertising that is reflective of all wildlife interests. 

Returning wolves to part of their historical range will restore balance to a natural order that has been missing this key species for over 70 years. We are celebrating this amazing story not only for the fact that wolves will inhabit more of their historic range, but also because Colorado has been able to apply lessons learned over the past 30 years of wolf reintroductions. Endangered Species Coalition recognized the need to collect and share this knowledge and experience with other states and activists. We took the lead in developing what we consider the “gold standard wolf management plan” and an accompanying activist toolkit. Our staff and activists used these tools when engaging with CPW as they developed a wolf management plan for Colorado. After several years of listening and working together with people who will be impacted by and have an interest in wolf reintroduction, CPW released their final wolf management plan. While not perfect, it is a solid plan that incorporates most of the recommendations that are in our gold standard plan. Additionally, the plan is an adaptive management plan, so as CPW considers changes we will continue to advocate for the remaining protections we think should be in place for the protection of Colorado wolves. 

We are grateful that the Colorado General Assembly and Governor Jared Polis have both shown leadership by providing the resources to prevent conflicts with wildlife and to ensure livestock growers are well compensated for any livestock that may be killed by wolves. They have done this through allocating general funds and approving a new license plate, set to be released in early 2024, that will help make the implementation of the voter approved reintroduction, successful and fair.

Colorado can be a shining example of wolf reintroduction done right. So far we are on the path to doing this. That said, acceptance of wildlife, especially carnivores cannot be taken for granted. Now more than ever we need to ensure that our efforts are reaching people on the western slope so that we can secure this accomplishment and live side by side with these incredible creatures. 

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Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is pushing a bill with a narrower but no-less-deadly focus. Her legislation would require the Administration to abandon gray wolves’ protections in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

You may remember that the last time Senator Baldwin’s home state of Wisconsin was entrusted with wolves, they set a hunting and trapping season which went wildly over their “quota” and was closed in just days. Hundreds of wolves were killed in just days by some of the most gruesome methods imaginable. Wisconsin is alone in permitting the use of packs of dogs to chase wolves to their violent end. This is what Senator Baldwin’s bill would ultimately permit.

Lawmakers meddling in conservation is a frequent problem that Senator Baldwin and Representative Boebert are continuing. Scientists and biologists who should make these decisions are being ignored by those offices in favor of special interest groups that are definitely not seeking preservation of this maligned species.

Please email your representative and both senators today and ask that they oppose these reckless bills.

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