Defenders of Wildlife Blog

It didn’t have to be like this. On Friday, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced its plans to remove the entire Wedge Pack, and we found out yesterday that at least two had already been killed.

The state’s decision to take out up to eight wolves came on the heels of continued reports of cattle losses blamed on the Wedge Pack—some fairly, others not. We don’t fully understand the basis for this decision since some of our questions still haven’t been answered, but the state is moving forward nevertheless.

While we continue to support the state’s wolf management plan when properly implemented, it’s disappointing to see this pack being targeted unnecessarily. If the state had taken swift action after the first depredation reports to deter further attacks, this whole situation might have been avoided. This is the reason that we fought so hard to include nonlethal conflict management provisions in the plan, and it’s the reason we asked state officials last month not to pursue lethal removal of the pack.

Our bigger concern, however, is that we’re likely to see the same scenario play out in the future unless proactive steps are taken to prevent conflict before it happens. What will happen next year if a new pack moves in and unguarded cattle are still grazing in the area? From decades of work in the Northern Rockies, we have learned that lethal control alone doesn’t resolve these conflicts—it only perpetuates the loss of more livestock and more wolves.

Setting up electrified flagging, known as “turbofladry,” is just one of many nonlethal tools that can help prevent conflict between livestock and wolves.

While the state claims to have exhausted all their options, the root cause has still not been addressed. We have made numerous offers to the state to assist with implementing nonlethal deterrents and better animal husbandry practices. The state has used our equipment such as turbofladry in other areas, but it remains unclear what nonlethal measures, if any, were used with the Wedge pack.

Unfortunately, we do not have control over the fate of this pack, and it’s too late now to save them. But we stand ready to partner with the state and local ranchers to help make sure the Wedge Pack doesn’t die in vain. This is an important lesson for us all about the value of working together in advance to prevent conflict. In order to coexist over the long run, we need the willing participation of all stakeholders—state wildlife managers, national forest managers, ranchers and the conservation community. That’s the best and only way to ensure a future for wolves in Washington.

What You Can Do

Next Friday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is hosting a public meeting in Olympia.  Part of this meeting will be used to address the department’s handling of the Wedge pack situation.  If you are able to attend this meeting, please plan to be there.  Those arriving in time to register will have three minutes to express their concerns to the commission.  Click here to see meeting details.

Good things can happen when people just sit down and talk things out. This week, up to four wolves from Washington State’s Wedge wolf pack were slated to be killed by the state for allegedly preying on livestock. But after my meetings with state officials, I am happy to report that the state agreed to reassess the situation. Even before our meeting, they had already pulled traps and are withdrawing the sharpshooters today.

The state had decided to kill wolves based on assumptions that they were the cause of recent livestock injuries in the area. But I have been assessing wolf livestock kills for more than a decade and the physical evidence just didn’t add up. These injuries looked more like those commonly sustained by cattle grazing on national forest lands. I double checked my assessment with some outside experts and they agreed. So yesterday I took my case straight to the State Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Wolf activists at the Governor’s office

Along with other groups, I met with Director Phil Anderson and his staff and went over our assessment of the evidence. In contrast to many state wildlife officials in the region, he was very respectful and genuinely interested in what we had to say. And he acknowledged that our concerns were valid. We met with the governor’s office as well and they agreed a reassessment was in order.

I walked out of these meetings hopeful that our concerns were heard, but the entire episode reminded me of how collaborative and productive wildlife management can be when everyone respectfully listens to everyone else and lets sound science rule the day. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Governor’s office both deserve appreciation for being willing to listen to the concerns of others and acknowledge the need for further assessment. And a big thank you to our members and supporters who weighed in with state officials, asking them to take a step back, review the science again and spare these wolves. We heard from the governor’s office that they received over 1200 calls from wolf supporters just on Friday alone.

Washington State is a critical player in the ongoing saga of wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies, but lots of work remains. Yesterday’s developments, and the people who made it happen, gave me hope that we are on the right track.

Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Just a few months ago, we celebrated the discovery of Washington State’s eighth wolf pack, called the Wedge pack. This pack is particularly important because it’s a border pack that helps maintain a link between wolves in Washington and Canada.  In a small population like this, genetic exchange between these populations is very important.

Recently, wolves have been accused of killing livestock in the Colville National Forest on the northeastern boundary of the state’s border with Canada.  Under the state’s wolf management plan, if wolves repeatedly prey on livestock, and nonlethal deterrents fail, the state can choose to kill wolves to protect livestock.  However, in this case, there is no solid evidence that wolves did kill livestock and no details provided of any nonlethal deterrents being tried.

Several wolf depredation experts, including myself have reviewed the state’s investigation reports and found that none of the injuries are characteristic of wolf predation on livestock.  Though I’m not a field investigator, I have personally evaluated more than one million dollars of livestock depredations due to wolves, and managed Defenders’ wolf compensation program from 1999 to 2011. We would have rejected these reports and considered them unrelated to wolf predation.  Just because wolves are in the area does not mean they are killing livestock, and scavenging from dead livestock left in the national forest is not a crime punishable under the Washington State wolf plan. These reports fail to prove that wolves killed or injured livestock, and the majority of the injuries — most of which are not even close to life threatening — can be easily classified as those commonly sustained by cattle ranging on national forest lands, inflicted by barbed wire, trees or bushes, moving debris during storms, and a host of other possibilities, including animals other than wolves.

Photo courtesy of Didier Lindsey

Despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary, the state has already used the complaints as a basis to kill a female wolf from the pack, and now has issued a kill order on the rest of the pack’s adult wolves. Since one of the adults has been fitted with a GPS collar, the state’s sharpshooters will find it all too easy to locate the pack and carry out this unjustified sentence, and they have been given the go-ahead to do so as soon as possible. It will mean the deaths of four adult wolves, and likely the death or forced captivity of the pack’s several pups as well. An entire pack wiped out based on circumstantial evidence that they were in the area and therefore responsible for the depredations.

Unless we act now, it appears that the Wedge pack could be eliminated this week — as early as tomorrow.  That’s why we’re asking our members and supporters to contact Governor Christine Gregoire (360-902-4111); Phil Anderson, Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (360-902-2200 Assistant Director Nate Pamplin (360-902-2693); and the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission (360-902-2267 or commission@dfw.wa.gov) today and respectfully tell them that this was the wrong decision. Tell them:

1)    Stop: Rescind the kill order! Don’t sentence an entire pack to death.

2)    Prove it: Conduct an independent review of the evidence to determine that wolves were at fault for the injuries, and publish the review’s findings. If the wolves are at fault, there should be no problem in proving it publicly.

3)    Start slow: If the review finds that the wolves are at fault, use non-lethal deterrents first. Sending sharpshooters after wolves should be the absolute last resort, not the go-to option.

Ask these officials to stand up for responsible wildlife management, not give in to fear and false information. If Washington starts down this path of killing wolves based on misidentification and speculation, no pack in the state will be safe.

Back by popular demand…A holiday poem from our wolf expert Suzanne Stone:

Twas that Eve before Yuletide

Photo illustration by Peter Corcoran; photo copyright Michael Quinton/National Geographic Stock

‘Twas the eve before Yuletide
And to Santa’s dismay
Came a blizzard of such fury
Reindeer couldn’t lift his sleigh.

As the elves paced and worried
And Santa’s face grew a scowl
Came a song from the woods:
A wolf pack’s mighty howl.

From the thick of the storm
O’er deep snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

Santa’s mouth hung open for a blink
As the wolves lined up in front of his sleigh
Then he sputtered an order to the elves
“Well then… let’s be on our way!”

Santa met and thanked each wolf
As the elves finished loading the last gift
Then he sprinkled them with fairy dust
Chuckling, “That’ll give you the lift.”

“They won’t believe this in Wyoming..”
He laughed, a merry twinkle in his eyes
Then the elves harnessed the wolves
And they took to the skies.

On Lightfoot! On Blacktail! On Windswift! On Howler!
On GreenEyes! On MoonSong! On Hunter! On Prowler!
The wolves’ eyes glowed as they leapt through the storm
Santa wished his own coat could keep him as warm.

That night the wolves even taught Santa to howl
An ancient song filled with hope for Peace and Joy
That this season may bring for all Life on Earth
As they left special gifts for each girl and boy.

‘Twas that eve before Yuletide
Santa will always fondly remember
When wolves rescued his mission
That stormy December.

Despite continued conflict, wolves are expanding to new areas across the Rockies. A wolf in Oregon known as OR-7 has dispersed from the northeast corner of the state, over the Cascades, and within 50 miles of California.

While the news this last year regarding wolves has often been worrisome, it has also been a year of important achievements and good transitions.  Top among those is the westward expansion of wolves in Oregon and Washington.

A single pioneering wolf has made his way through the Cascades and is within potential range of the northern Californian border.  If he reaches the state, he’ll be the first documented wild wolf in California since 1924, when the last known native California wolf was trapped and killed.

In Washington state, wolves have been dispersing westward as well. The Teanaway wolf pack is the state’s fourth documented wolf pack that lives less than 100 miles southeast of Seattle.  Only a month after this pack was found, a fifth pack was documented in the northeastern corner of the state and named the Smack Out pack after a nearby mountain.

Even in the heart of wolf country there is plenty to be thankful for. Our Wood River Wolf Project in central Idaho keeps picking up steam and gaining crucial support from local stakeholders. In a recent feature story that ran in the ag-friendly Capital Press, ranchers and county officials alike spoke favorably about the effectiveness of nonlethal deterrents:

Commissioner Larry Schoen believes such demonstrations help in understanding the economics of nonlethal options. He said lethal controls can never be taken off the table but should be the option of last resort.

“The goal here is to avoid the losses up front and not wait until livestock are killed and try to find the offending animal,” Schoen said.

Lava Lake ranch supports expansion of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s wolf radio collaring program to better track packs. They’ve found that nonlethal deterrents work best in combination.

“The nonlethal program has been very effective, and we’ve learned a lot working with all of the partners involved,” said Lava Lake official Tess O’Sullivan. “We intend to continue using nonlethal methods to protect our sheep.”

Participant John Faulkner found the turbo fladry worked better for neighbors with flat land than on his steep terrain. He’ll continue using spotlights to ward off wolves.

“They’ve done us some good, there’s no question about that,” Faulkner said. “The main thing that helped was (Defenders) had people out there who stayed up there all night.”

Hopefully, the idea of “coexistence” will continue to catch on across the region and help reduce the animosity that has stifled wolf recovery for far too long. Thanks to all our partners who have helped transform this idealistic dream into a practical reality.

For your holiday enjoyment (and with apologies to Clement C. Moore)!

‘Twas the eve before Yuletide
And to Santa’s great dismay
Came such an icy blizzard
Reindeer couldn’t lift the sleigh.

Photo illustration by Peter Corcoran; photo copyright Michael Quinton/National Geographic Stock

As the elves paced and worried
And Santa’s face grew a scowl
A song echoed from the woods:
A wolf pack’s ancient howl.

From the thick of the storm
O’er snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

Santa’s mouth hung open wide
As the wolves paired up in front of his sleigh
Then he sputtered to the elves
“Well…then… let’s be on our way!”

Santa met and thanked each wolf
While the elves finished loading the last gift
Then he sprinkled their fur with fairy dust
Chuckling, “That’ll give you a lift.”

“They won’t believe this in Wyoming!”
He laughed, a merry twinkle in his eyes
Then the elves harnessed the wolves
Giving a mighty pull they took to the skies!

From the thick of the storm
O’er snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

On Lightfoot! On Blacktail! On Windswift! On Howler!
On GreenEyes! On MoonSong! On Hunter! On Prowler!
The wolves’ eyes glowed as they leapt through the storm
Santa wished his own coat would keep him as warm.

That night the wolves even taught Santa to howl
A song filled with hope for Peace and for Joy
That this season may bring for all Life on Earth
As they left special gifts for each girl and boy.

‘Twas that icy eve before Yuletide
Santa will fondly remember
When wolves rescued his mission
That stormy December.

For Orion. Suzanne Asha Stone ©2010