Colorado officials this week released the first five gray wolves brought in from Oregon as part of a repopulation plan called for in a 2020 state ballot initiative.

A federal judge denied a request from two cattle organizations for a temporary delay in the predators’ release pending more environmental reviews.

While the lawsuit will continue, Judge Regina Rodriguez’s ruling allows Colorado to proceed with its plan to find, capture and transport up to 10 wolves from Oregon, The Associated Press reported.

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association say their concerns about looming wolf-livestock conflicts were not sufficiently resolved as the state Parks and Wildlife Commission developed its wolf management plan, which is subject to National Environmental Policy Act requirements. The suit sought more environmental reviews before the wolves are released.

Wolves were reintroduced in the northern Rocky Mountains in the 1990s and solitary wolves have entered Colorado since at least 2014, and a resident group was confirmed there in early 2020. That year, voters in the state narrowly passed Proposition 114, giving state officials until the end of this year to reintroduce and manage gray wolves in designated areas.