Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to release 30 to 50 gray wolves in sparsely populated areas of the states central mountains over the next three to five years, according to a draft plan released Friday .

The long-awaited draft plan irons out the details of a politically contentious wolf reintroduction scheme triggered by a referendum in 2020. It also sets up the state for battles over the future of wolves status as an endangered species and whether to hunt or trap them debates that have attracted national attention in other Rocky Mountain states.

Wildlife officials plan to dart and capture wolves from northern states at a clip of 10 to 15 per year, then release them on private and state public land after fitting them with GPS tracking collars. All releases will take place at least 60 miles away from neighboring states or tribal lands to account for wolves tendency to roam far from their release sites.