A year after Colorado kicked off its historic wolf restoration program, the state has brought a second group of Canadian wolves to the Western Slope.

Colorado wildlife officials announced the second wave of releases of wolves from Canada in the central mountains over the last week, as part of the second wave of the state’s historic,

The releases were done separately, the agency said in a press release Sunday, and all wolves were released into Eagle and Pitkin counties. The agency noted that this is the second of between three to five wolf release seasons.

This week, more wolves were released in Colorado as part of an initiative to reintroduce the species to the state. The gray wolf has been endangered in the United States for many years, and recent poaching and habitat loss have further diminished their numbers.

Fifteen wolves from British Columbia were released from Jan. 12 to Jan. 16. CPW also rereleased five members of the Copper Creek pack that they captured last year.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife released 15 more wolves into the state, capping off the second year of wolf restoration efforts.