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This Week in Wolf News

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and UC Berkeley have partnered to launch the California Wolf Project, an initiative aimed at monitoring and managing California's growing gray wolf population. This program brings together scientists, wildlife managers, and conservationists to study wolf ecology and their interactions with humans and prey in a rapidly changing environment.

Gray wolves, absent from California since the 1920s, began naturally recolonizing from Oregon in 2011. As of 2024, there are at least seven wolf packs in the state. According to the announcement, the project will focus on scientific research and community outreach to support effective management strategies. With wolves returning to California after nearly a century, We hope that this initiative prioritizes recovery and protection of wolves in the state.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has confirmed that gray wolves have officially traveled south of Interstate 70 for the first time since their reintroduction in December 2023. This marks a significant milestone for Colorado’s wolf recovery efforts.

CPW emphasized that this movement was expected, as wolves need food, large connected landscapes, and space from humans to thrive. As the state prepares for a second release of 10-15 wolves from British Columbia this winter, CPW is also ramping up nonlethal conflict reduction training for ranchers. These proactive measures aim to prevent livestock losses from the getgo and start off on a better footing this time.

An encouraging new article highlights a family ranch in Steamboat Springs, Colorado that’s reducing predator conflicts through a USDA program that provides livestock guardian dogs to ranchers. The program offers ranchers two free dogs, training support, and medical coverage for the first year to help safeguard livestock.

Nonlethal resources like guardian dogs are becoming more and more essential, especially as Colorado continues to reintroduce wolves. These dogs work as a team with ranchers to protect livestock instead of utilizing lethal methods. We are thrilled to see these nonlethal methods in action!

A new wolf exhibit is opening in LA! The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is showcasing a powerful exhibit capturing the lives of wild wolves through stunning images and videos from National Geographic photographer Ronan Donovan.

This exhibition offers a look into the resilience and critical role played by wolves in our ecosystem, giving people a better understanding of this misunderstood species. It will run until June 22, 2025. To learn more check it out here!

Admittedly, for me it was because of a child trauma. I was 6yo when I first watched Diensy's Peter and The Wolf and this son of a bitch here

https://preview.redd.it/k2q96uc8m30e1.jpg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f0b1d0cb1b1ef962f51c627aa5bbb3c5388c3955

Scared the living crap out of me, so much in fact I can't bring myself to watch this scene even now that I'm nearing 39yo. But that very trauma brought me to get interest into wolves, maybe as a coping mechanism, I wouldn't know for sure, but still everything originated with this fella here, at least for me. What's your story? If there's a story to tell about it, that is

I'm not here to dive into the election, but with the sea change here in the US, I'm concerned about environmental conservation and protection, and particularly about the future of wolves. Red wolves and Mexican wolves are nearly extinct, and gray wolves are struggling too.

I'm sure many of us in this sub are already doing what we can as far as promoting wolves and supporting conservation organizations. I'm mostly concerned that we will find federal support of these efforts on the financial chopping block or the groups that work to remove protections and support removal of the species will have their voices amplified.

Is there anything more proactive we can do?

Five Key Races Every Wildlife Advocate Should Be Watching this November

This election season, you'll hear about all the issues on the ballot—from the presidential race down. The news and social media are saturated with conversations about inflation, healthcare, and immigration. But as all-encompassing and important as these national ballot issues are, they aren’t the only elections that could reshape our country. State, local, and senate races, many of which will be decided in November, could have even bigger consequences for wildlife advocates.

With so much on the line and so many pressing issues, I want to remind Americans that we can't let wildlife fall to the wayside. Wolves are the perfect example to see how these down-ballot elections could have cascading repercussions on critical issues. Forgetting these species until the next election could mean it's far too late—for many endangered species, we can’t let this be their last term. According to a new survey, 71% of Americans are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports protecting threatened and endangered species. With that in mind, here are five key races every wildlife advocate should be watching.

Update on Last Week’s Oregon Call to Action

We’d like to provide an update on the Oregon call to action shared in last week’s newsletter. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced it will no longer send email notifications when wolf kill orders are issued, instead requiring the public to check a monthly PDF on their website. In response, we shared a letter calling for transparency and to maintain real-time notifications. THANK YOU to everyone who sent or attempted to send this letter.

However, it has come to our attention that our advocacy partners in Oregon are actively engaged in good-faith negotiations with ODFW. Out of respect for our partners, we have decided to pause letters being sent directly to ODFW so as not to inadvertently interfere with ongoing negotiations. We thought it would be wise to avoid overwhelming ODFW as they work towards implementing improved communication practices.

While we share many of your concerns that moving to a static PDF limits public access to timely information, we also respect the negotiation process with which our partners are engaged with ODFW. We look forward to learning more about ODFW rolling out better communication processes and will keep you all posted as we learn more.

This Week in Wolf News

Two federally protected gray wolves have been illegally shot and killed in Washington state. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are seeking information regarding these illegal killings, with the Service offering a $10,000 reward for any helpful information. One wolf, an adult male, was found in Klickitat County, and the other, an adult female, in Okanogan County. Both are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

These poachers must be brought to justice and held accountable for their crimes! If you have ANY information, please contact the USFWS TIPs line at 1-844-FWS-TIPS or the WDFW hotline at 877-933-9847. Callers can remain anonymous.

Francine Madden, who was hired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in December 2023, is leading a three-year national dialogue entitled “National Conversation about Thriving Communities, Tribes, Conservationists, Working Landscapes, and Wolves.” She has released a snazzy little video detailing her vision for the project.

The video outlines Madden’s approach to finding common ground among a “diverse” stakeholder group over the course of a year – with wolves as an afterthought, barely mentioned in the video. Instead, it appears primarily people-centric and focused on how people feel about the issue.

There is much concern among conservation groups regarding the process and the ultimate purpose/outcome of this national dialogue. We have been closely monitoring this process and will continue to provide updates as they are released.

A wolf exhibit is happening now in LA! The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is showcasing a powerful exhibit capturing the lives of wild wolves through stunning images and videos from National Geographic photographer Ronan Donovan.

This exhibition offers a look into the resilience and critical role played by wolves in our ecosystem, giving people a better understanding of this misunderstood species. It will run until June 22, 2025. To learn more check it out here!

Montana’s Wolf Hunting Season is Underway

Montana’s general wolf hunting season opened on September 15th, and 51 wolves have been killed so far.

One area that borders Yellowstone, Wolf Management Unit 313, has already EXCEEDED its allowed wolf kills with 4 Yellowstone wolves killed versus a “quota” of 3 wolves.

These wolf hunts are undeniably sickening and deeply troubling. Nonetheless, it’s important to stay informed. Here’s a link to a tracker that provides up-to-date information on the number of wolves killed in Montana so far.

We will continue to track this number for the rest of the hunting season.

Please note that Wyoming’s hunting season is also underway. Here is a tracker on wolf kills, not including the trophy/predator zone.

It's captive, so I was able to see it up close with my camera.

The local PBS just put out a new documentary about wolves in Colorado... the history and reintroduction. It's pretty fascinating!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmgssyiHsx4

I’m not an artist or skilled carver by any means, but it’s a tradition I keep with myself to put a wolf on a pumpkin every year :p I’m improving. Slowly.