Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies Representative 

Last weekend, Defenders helped cosponsor the 28th Annual Edmonds Community College PowWow, and I was fortunate to be able to attend. This year, the international tribal gathering honored the “Teachings of the Wolves,” which have renewed importance both for Native American communities and those of us working to restore a gray wolf population to the Pacific Northwest.

Children at the Quileute school especially enjoyed meeting the ambassador wolf (©Joe Whittle)

Defenders recognizes the deep historic cultural ties that many tribal communities have with wolves. Wolves have been demonized by politicians as being uncontrollable threats to livestock over the years and many ranchers have remained resistant to implementing readily available nonlethal tools that can dramatically reduce or prevent livestock losses. Some politicians have used these conflicts as platforms for promoting anti-wolf campaigns in the Pacific Northwest region. Thus, the recent PowWow was a welcome break from the heated rhetoric attacking wolves and provided a rare chance to learn from tribal leaders who have strong cultural ties to wolves.

We have met several times with leaders of the Quileute Tribe, whose reservation is located on the Olympic Peninsula, a key future recovery area for wolves. Just a few years ago, we helped organize a Mission:Wolf ambassador wolf program for the Quileute school and village dance center. Almost all tribal members participated in the event, from the elders to young children, and celebrated by presenting their sacred wolf dance.

When we heard about the Edmonds PowWow event honoring wolves, it was obviously essential to have the Quileute there to share their stories, dance and drumming. The organizers of this event agreed, and our support enabled the Quileute representatives to attend the event.

Participants at the PowWow were especially honored that tribal elder Roger Jackson was able to attend the event and even danced their sacred wolf dance. He told stories about the Quileute wolf society and the ceremonies that have been handed down from generation to generation. PowWow participants from several tribes danced while drummers performed a traditional song – listen here:

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Tribal member Marco Black (©Suzanne Stone/Defenders)

Tribal member Marco “Jacob” Black, who was the inspiration for the Jacob Black character in the popular Twilight series, spoke about the tribe’s respect for wolves and told their origin story in which the orca transforms into the wolf on land. He spoke of the importance of honoring the elders and encouraged all the young people to speak in the manner of their grandmothers and grandfathers – with respect. Like wolves, their voices are the voices of their ancestors.

As wolves struggle to disperse and return once more to key parts of their historic range in the west, there is an urgent need for a strong community of support and understanding for this much maligned and often persecuted species. Many Tribal members relate to the plight of the wolf in very personal ways. They want to honor their cultural heritage by sharing their spiritual deep respect for wolves and other native wildlife. As in the teachings of native leaders, their wisdom in regard to our natural world is needed now more than ever.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”
- Chief Seattle, Duwamish (1780-1866)

Two great friends of wolves: Quileute tribal elder Roger Jackson and Defenders’ Representative Suzanne Asha Stone

Jonathan Proctor, Rockies and Plains Representative 

As I wrote last week, there are a number of anti-bison bills sailing through the Montana state legislature this year. These bills pose all kinds of threats to wild bison, including stopping restoration of wild Yellowstone bison to other parts of the state and allowing landowners to kill all bison that set hoof on private land. We have been working hard with Native American tribes, sportsmen’s groups and other conservation organizations to stop these bills.

On Tuesday, we all held a rally inside the Montana capitol building in Helena. Bison supporters from across the state were there to show legislators that the people of Montana want wild bison. Native American tribes from across Montana ran the event, and the crowd was predominantly from Montana’s seven Indian reservations. Dr. Ken Ryan, tribal elder from the Fort Peck Reservation Assiniboine tribe, held what we think is the first-ever pipe ceremony in the capitol building. Senator Sharon Stewart-Peregoy, a member of the Crow tribe, gave a talk that brought the crowd to their feet. A performance from Fort Belknap Reservation’s Wahkpa Nakoda Drum Group reverberated throughout the building. The message was clear: Kill the bills, not the bison.

News of the rally appeared in the Great Falls Tribune with a nice video of the event, the Bozeman Chronicle, Montana Public Radio, and local television stations. With so many Montanans speaking out in support of bison and against these harmful bills, we hope these attacks on Montana’s wild bison will soon come to a close.

We’ll keep you posted on our progress. In the meantime, check out these photos from the rally:

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Montana Capitol Building

The rally took place at the Montana state legislature in Helena.

Under Attack

All 10 of the anti-bison bills present serious threats to wild bison, and could put an end to all efforts to restore these iconic animals to the Great Plains.

"We're here to help you understand the significance of the buffalo in our culture."

Thomas Christian, member of the Fork Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Council, emceed the rally.

Drums in the Capitol

Wahkpa Nakoda Drum Group from Fort Belknap Reservation performed for the crowd, a rare event inside the Montana capitol building.

Looking Up

Even the artwork on the dome of the capitol building reflects the variety of people and cultures that form Montana.

"Let's find a better way."

Ervin Carlson, President, Intertribal Buffalo Council, discussed the unanimous tribal opposition to these anti-bison bills.

Bringing Bison Home

March 19, 2012: About 60 genetically pure bison were relocated from Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, marking the long-awaited homecoming of wild bison to an important part of their historic range.

Bison at Fort Peck

Thomas Anketell, Council Member, Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board, spoke to the crowd about the importance of the new Yellowstone bison herd at Fort Peck Reservation.

"Don't Destroy Our Culture"

Tracy King, Fort Belknap Tribal Council President, told the legislators about the importance of wild bison to the tribes.

"The buffalo are one with the people of the state of Montana."

Senator Sharon Stewart-Peregoy (D, Crow Agency), a member of the Crow tribe, brought the crowd to its feet with a rousing speech.

Working Together

Jonathan Proctor, Defenders' Rockies and Plains Representative, talks with Defenders' allies Mike Fox, member of the Fort Belknap Tribal Council, and Mark Azure, Director of the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department, about our collective strategies to kill the bills.

A Future for Bison

Intolerance is the greatest threat to bison today. Together with our allies in the northern Great Plains, we're working to spread acceptance of wild bison and find more places for them to roam, so that we can continue the effort to bring these beautiful animals back to their historic range.

Suzanne Stone, Northern Rockies Representative

Defenders of Wildlife long ago recognized the importance of tribal wildlife programs to a vast number of species across the country, including salmon, grizzly, bison, black-footed ferret and more. In the West, more than 55 million acres are held in trust for tribal reservations, and even more are dedicated as ceded lands, which are held or managed by treaty. When combined with federal lands managed by agencies such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, these lands represent the majority of wildlife habitat in the western United States. But beyond providing significant habitat for wildlife, tribal leaders and scientists have assisted with the restoration of imperiled native species, including the return of wolves to the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest.

In 1995, when the state of Idaho refused to participate in the restoration of wolves to the region, the Nez Perce tribe offered to take their place. The tribe entered a contract agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and assisted with the reintroduction efforts, then monitored wolf restoration for the next decade. Horace Axtell, now 87 years old and a venerated World War II veteran, is a spiritual leader of the tribe. He and other tribal elders conducted a ceremonial blessing for the wolves before they were set free to repopulate the state. Click here to listen to Horace share the stories passed down from his grandmother, who remembered the bond that the tribe held with wolves before they were eradicated from the region.

Jaime Pinkham, Nez Perce leader and former Defenders of Wildlife board member, explains that the Nez Perce shared a similar fate to wolves as both were driven from their homelands in the region. Wolves, he explains, are a “kind of mirror for Indian people. When the non-Indian settled the West, there were obstacles. The Nez Perce people were one of them: They got in the way, and they were removed. The gray wolf suffered a similar fate. Now, man and animal are each struggling to regain their rightful place.” Nez Perce schoolchildren named one of the reintroduced wolves “Chat Chaaht,” which means “older brother.” Chat Chaaht became an alpha male of his pack and lived to be 13 years of age — one of the oldest documented wolves in the region.

With the help of the Nez Perce and other tribes, wolves are regaining range across much of their historic homeland. Before federal protections were removed from wolves in Idaho, the state’s restored wolf population peaked at nearly 1,000 wolves. Wolves dispersing from Idaho have also now returned to other parts of their traditional homeland in Oregon and Washington. One adventurous, wide-ranging wolf dubbed “Journey” (also known as OR7) is now the first documented wolf to return to California since the early 20th century.

Wolf pups spotted on Umatilla land.

As wolves disperse, they are being aided and monitored by tribal wildlife officials. This summer, I was thrilled to hear that the Umatilla tribe in northeastern Oregon had documented the return of the first wolves to their land. The tribal wildlife managers had helped develop the Oregon Wolf Conservation Plan and had waited a long time for wolves to make it back to their homeland. Defenders assisted the tribe with monitoring cameras, and tried to ease the transition with area livestock owners by offering our expert information on nonlethal measures to help wolves avoid conflict with livestock. Carl Scheeler, Umatilla biologist and tribal liaison for the Oregon Wolf management team, said that as wolf range expands in the state, there are still some groups that demonize wolves, while others welcome their return.

“Currently, we’re looking at wolves through a magnifying glass. Every single depredation is elevated in the public eye. Every time a sheep dies by a wolf it makes front page news, but cougars, bears and coyotes still represent the vast majority of depredation losses.” Like the Umatilla elders, he values their return, not just in a cultural sense, but in an ecological way as well.  “I believe wolves fill an apex predatory role in the ecosystem,” he says.

In Washington, more tribal governments are taking an active role in wolf conservation as new packs become established in the state. Among the newest is the Colville nation, which has named its first reestablished pack “Nc’in,” the Okanogan word for wolf. While the tribe has some concerns regarding competition for elk and deer, a main source of sustenance for their community, they are willing to share their land with wolves and welcome their return. Just this fall, Colville tribal biologists documented another new pack, now the ninth documented pack in the state, and named it the Strawberries pack.

High school students perform the Quileute “wolf dance” when an ambassador wolf visits from Mission: Wolf.

Another tribe associated with wolves in Washington is the Quileute Nation, made famous by the popular series Twilight. Like other tribes, the Quileute still have a long and rich cultural tie to wolves, despite the fact that no wolves have yet been restored to their historical coastal range in the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle. The Quileute celebrate their long-held connection with wolves through special dance and stories, which they often share with visitors. Last year, Defenders helped arrange for the Quileue people to meet ambassador wolves from Mission: Wolf, and study the wolves’ movements to help with their dance techniques. The tribal gathering included the youngest to eldest tribal members, and was a memorable, heartfelt celebration. It is our hope that someday wild wolves will regain their homeland in the Olympic range and fulfill their historic role, not only as a native cultural icon, but as an important carnivore in this spectacular and rich ecosystem.

I’ve had the honor to work with tribal leaders from across our region, and their wisdom guides much of our work today. Perhaps a quote from Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-waututh Nation in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia best sums it up: “If you talk to the animals, they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears, one destroys.” Our goal in promoting coexistence with wolves is to help people better know and understand wolves as a valuable species, and not one they should fear.

Erin Edge, Rockies and Plains Associate

The Flathead Reservation, composed of 1.3 million acres in northwest Montana, is situated at the base of the Mission Mountains and is home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), which includes the Salish, Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai Tribes. On the eastern side of the Flathead, the majestic Mission mountain range rises up with its tall, snow-capped peaks, lush avalanche chutes, wetlands and mountain lakes. Amidst such varied habitats, the Flathead Reservation is home to grizzly bears, wolves, peregrine falcons, elk, bighorn sheep, fisher, lynx, wolverine and myriad other wildlife species.

“Although each of the Tribes on the Reservation possess distinctive beliefs and practices, the people share one important similarity: Tribal people value the Earth — its air, water, and land — as the foundation of Indian culture…The Tribes believe everything in nature is embodied with a spirit. The spirits are woven tightly together to form a sacred whole (the Earth). Changes, even subtle changes that affect one part of this web affect other parts.”
- Excerpt from the Flathead Reservation’s Comprehensive Resources Plan

These Confederated Tribes have a long history of working in support of their deep respect for this connection with nature. In 1982, when the Tribal Council defined the Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness Management Plan, it was the first time in the United States that a Tribal government had decided to protect lands as wilderness. Along with this significant achievement, the Tribal Council established a special Grizzly Bear Management Zone. This area, which covers approximately 10,000 acres, is critical to grizzlies while they feed on insects — a rich and vital source of protein — from mid-July to early October, and is completely closed to human activity during these months.

The grizzly’s hump distinguishes it from black bears

Grizzly bears are a keystone predator, meaning they have a top-down effect on entire ecosystems. Through their scat, bears help disperse seeds throughout a region, which helps the ecosystem’s vegetation spread. Bears can also help limit the population density of certain animals like deer, elk and other ungulates by preying on them. This keeps populations in balance with other species and prevents these types of animals, which feed on foliage and other vegetation, from overgrazing the area. Just as grizzly bears need intact ecosystems to survive, these ecosystems need grizzly bears to help keep them healthy. In 1975, grizzlies were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Due to protections under the ESA and efforts of agencies like the CSKT, grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 are now estimated at 1,400-1,600 bears and are expanding into historic ranges. Things can get a little tricky, however, when balancing a recovering grizzly population with rapid human development.

Land ownership in the Flathead valley bottom is complex, full of residential areas, towns, agricultural lands and an extremely busy highway, creating a daily challenge to tribal biologists who routinely answer human-grizzly conflict calls. The largest threat to grizzly bear recovery is human-related mortalities. For example, chickens are an increasingly popular backyard sustainable food item. In grizzly country, chickens are an enticing treat that can lure the bears into an area they may have otherwise avoided. Grizzlies that receive a “food reward” like this often return to the same location, or may even search out similar food at other locations, leading to a bear that is food-conditioned and comfortable around human activity. These bears may do things that lead management agencies to believe they are a human safety concern, like paying frequent visits to people’s homes. Sadly, these bears are often either relocated or euthanized if a zoo cannot be found to take them. Sometimes they can be killed by homeowners who perceive them as a threat. More often than not, something as simple as an electric fence can prevent these conflicts from occurring.

An electric fence around a chicken coop can prevent a lot of trouble for grizzlies and humans alike.

In an effort to combat the escalating conflicts between grizzlies and people, tribal biologists work tirelessly to address these threats by encouraging people to use nonlethal tools like electric fences and bear-resistant garbage containers. Recently, the CSKT has offered these bear-resistant containers free of charge to residents on the Mission front. They also actively purchase and protect lands to try to secure the remaining suitable habitat for grizzly bears in the valley bottom.

We are happy to be working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to assist with these efforts to provide electric fencing incentives and outreach and education to residents. This region provides a connective corridor to other grizzly bear recovery areas such as the southern Bitterroot ecosystem, and the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem to the west, so it is vital to the long-term recovery of grizzlies.

In the coming year, we will continue to work with our partners to promote the use of electric fencing through workshops, one-on-one assistance with setup and design, and an incentive program. We will also be working closely with biologists to identify new approaches to reduce conflicts between wildlife and humans or livestock. While there is much yet to be done, it is heartening to work in an area where wildlife and wild places are honored and appreciated, and where the road to coexistence seems a little bit brighter.