This update provides an overview of gray wolf conservation and management activities in Washington during January 2020.
Program updates
- An investigation of a range rider previously contracted by WDFW was recently reported in the news. WDFW’s statement on the investigation is as follows:
WDFW has been investigating alleged inappropriate billing of work by a range riding entity during the 2018 livestock grazing season in northeast Washington.The case has been referred to the Thurston County Prosecutor for consideration of filing charges.
WDFW has invested significant resources into its investigation and cannot jeopardize those efforts by discussing details at this time, as it could negatively impact the legal process. Public documents pertinent to this case are available through Spokane and King county courts.
Although not universally effective, WDFW believes that range riding can be a critically important means of protecting cattle and deterring wolf depredations of livestock. Many communities, groups, and individuals work diligently to make range riders available where they are needed, and we all count on range riders to take pride in their work performance; we are thankful to those who so frequently do so.
- The Wolf Advisory Group had a meeting in Olympia in January. Meeting minutes are available here. The next Wolf Advisory Group meeting will be held on March 31 – April 1 in Ellensburg; details will be announced in a future update.
- WDFW staff are making preparations for spring and summer when livestock are turned out on grazing allotments and the potential for interactions with wolves is highest. This includes meeting with livestock producers to complete paperwork for reimbursable costs associated with implementing deterrence strategies to prevent attacks on livestock. Others include renewing annual agreements and seeking new cost-share agreements with other producers. We are also coordinating the training of all conflict staff in developing contracts and processing invoices. We are working together to prepare contract language for bid proposals for people interested in becoming contracted range riders, as well as providing pre-season training to all new and current contracted range riders. This training opportunity is anticipated to be open to producers and non-government organizations that offer range riding to assist producers in minimizing wolf-livestock interactions.
Communication and coordination
At the 3Rivers Grazing Conference in Lewiston, Idaho, WDFW staff gave a presentation on signs of depredation from different predators as well as a brief overview of wolf management in Washington including current status, depredation activity, and population information.
WDFW staff gave a “Wolf 101” presentation and update to the public in mid-January at the Pybus Market in Wenatchee. The event was hosted by the Wenatchee World newspaper. The presentation was filmed and is available for viewing.
Current population status and proactive conflict mitigation
Wolf biologists surveyed, captured, and collared wolves in several packs this past month using a helicopter. Three wolves (one in the Smackout pack territory, one in the Goodman Meadows pack territory, and one in the Loup Loup pack territory) were captured and collared.
Biologists also attempted to locate and collar wolves in the Togo, Stranger, Huckleberry, and Beaver Creek pack territories, but were unsuccessful due to factors including inclement weather (which makes flying excessively dangerous or impossible and requires helicopters to be grounded) and wolves being located in heavy forest cover, where aerial capture is not possible. Biologists will conduct an additional aerial capture effort in February.
The year-end minimum population count for 2018 was at least 126 known wolves in 27 known packs including at least 15 breeding pairs. Annual wolf population surveys are conducted in the winter because wolf populations experience the least amount of natural fluctuation during this time. Counting the population at the end of each year allows for comparable year-to-year trends at a time of year when the wolf population is most stable. The year-end minimum population count for 2019 will be released in April 2020.
Reports of remote camera images or videos, wolf tracks, or sightings from the public are extremely helpful in locating previously undocumented wolf activity and potential new packs on the landscape. Please take photos of wolves or wolf sign (use some way to measure the size of a track) and upload them to the wolf reporting page via the following link: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray-wolf/observations
Definitions: A “pack” is defined as two or more wolves traveling together in winter, and a “breeding pair” is defined as at least one adult male and one adult female wolf that raised at least two pups that survived until December 31. In any given year, the number of packs will always be greater than or equal to the number of breeding pairs. The known territories and more information for each pack can be viewed by clicking the pack name.
Beaver Creek pack
No activity to report.
Butte Creek pack
No activity to report.
Carpenter Ridge pack
No activity to report.
Diobsud Creek pack
No activity to report.
Dirty Shirt pack
No activity to report.
Goodman Meadows pack
Biologists collared a wolf in the Goodman Meadows pack during aerial survey operations this month.
Grouse Flats pack
No activity to report.
Huckleberry pack
No activity to report.
Leadpoint pack
No activity to report.
Lookout pack
No activity to report.
Loup Loup pack
Biologists collared a wolf in the Loup Loup pack during aerial survey efforts this month.
Naneum pack
Staff conducted several snowmobile surveys to locate the Naneum pack this month in multiple areas of the suspected pack territory. No wolf sign was observed. Staff also conducted surveys south of I-90 this month and no wolf sign was located.
Salmo pack
No activity to report.
Sherman pack
No activity to report.
Smackout pack
Biologists collared a wolf in the Smackout pack during aerial survey efforts this month.
Stranger pack
No activity to report.
Strawberry pack
No activity to report.
Teanaway pack
A landowner observed a wolf feeding on a dead elk in their horse pasture. The elk had broken its neck jumping over a steel gate near her hay barn. No conflicts with livestock were documented. Staff placed trail cameras in several areas to the west of the known Teanaway Pack territory to follow up on any reports of wolves in that area.
Togo pack
No activity to report.
Touchet pack
No activity to report.
Tucannon pack
No activity to report.
Wedge pack
No activity to report.
Miscellaneous/lone wolves
No activity to report.
Note: The Frosty, Nason, Nc’icn, and Whitestone pack territories are within the Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) reservation and are managed under tribal authority. Information regarding these packs is proprietary and reported at the discretion of the CCT.
Mortalities
There were no wolf mortalities documented in January.
Depredation activity
Please report any suspected livestock depredations or the death or harassment of wolves to the WDFW Enforcement Hotline at 1-877-933-9847.
In 2019, 85% of known wolf packs were not involved in any documented livestock depredation.
There were no documented wolf depredations in January.
Below is a summary of packs with documented depredation activity within the past ten months (some packs have depredation history prior to the current ten-month window; this timeframe is considered based on guidance from the wolf-livestock interaction protocol).
|
Pack |
Depredation date |
Depredation type |
Proactive non-lethals |
Ten-month window |
Agency lethal removal actions |
|
Togo |
7/24/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
5/24/20 |
|
|
|
7/29/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
5/29/20 |
|
|
|
7/31/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/31/20 |
|
|
|
8/11/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
6/11/20 |
|
|
|
8/11/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/11/20 |
|
|
|
8/11/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/11/20 |
|
|
|
8/23/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
6/23/20 |
|
|
|
8/31/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
6/30/20 |
|
|
|
9/10/19 |
Probable kill of calf |
Yes |
7/10/20 |
|
|
OPT |
7/6/19 |
Confirmed kill of cow |
Yes |
5/6/20 |
Adult male lethally removed 7/13/19 |
|
|
7/18/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/18/20 |
|
|
|
7/18/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/18/20 |
|
|
|
7/20/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
5/20/20 |
|
|
|
7/22/19 |
Probable kill of calf |
Yes |
5/22/20 |
|
|
|
7/26/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/26/20 |
|
|
|
7/26/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/26/20 |
|
|
|
7/26/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/26/20 |
|
|
|
7/31/19 |
Confirmed injury of calf |
Yes |
5/31/20 |
|
|
|
8/5/19 |
Confirmed kill of cow |
Yes |
6/5/20 |
Juvenile lethally removed 8/7/19, juvenile lethally removed 8/8/19, adult lethally removed 8/13/19, two adults and two juveniles removed 8/16/19 |
|
Grouse Flats |
7/8/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
5/8/20 |
|
|
|
7/22/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
5/22/20 |
|
|
|
8/30/19 |
Confirmed kill of calf |
Yes |
6/30/20 |
|
|
|
9/12/19 |
Confirmed injury of cow |
Yes |
7/12/20 |
Adult female lethally removed 9/25/19 |
|
Wedge |
6/12/19 |
Confirmed kill of cow |
Yes |
4/12/20 |
|