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HomeMy Public PortalAboutWolf Recovery Project BH - Big Hole BV - Bear Valley CB - Chamberlain JM - Jureano Mountain KC - Kelly Creek LM - Landmark MB - Moyer Basin SB - Stanley Basin SP - Snow Peak SW - Selway TM - Thunder Mountain TP - Twin Peaks WC - White Cloud Distribution of Idaho wolf packs and pairs, Fall 1998 Wolf packs are currently distributed from the Clearwater River Drainage in northern Idaho south to Stanley Basin, and from the north fork of the Payette River east to head waters of the Main Salmon River Brochure produced by The Wolf Education and Keoearch Center (www.wolfcenter.org) & The Nez Perce Tribe, in conjunction with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife 5ervice, Wildlife 5erviceo & the U.S. Forest Service. Additional copies may be attained by calling (208)924 -6960 Wolves in Idaho An informational brochure from the Idaho Gray Wolf Recovery Project Know your animals: Both wolves and coyotes have no spotted coats and ears never hang down. Generally, adult wolves are larger than adult coyotes. d' LONG 1S TALL Tall Pointed Lioht Grev/ Round W LONG 2S TALL IE COYOTE 051ZE: 4 feet long, 1.5 feet tall. Delicate, medium -sized body averaging 20 -30 lbs. 0EAR5: Tall and pointed with a conical -like shape. *FACE: Delicate, fox -like shape with a narrow, pointed muzzle. •PAWPRINT: 2 by 2.5 inches (thin, delicate legs). WOLF 051ZE: 5 -6 feet long, 2.5 feet tall. Massive and long- legged, averaging from 70 -120 lbs. •EAR5: Rounder and shorter, almost triangle -like. •FACE: Broad face with large, blocky muzzle. •PAWPRINT: 4 by 5 inches (thick and long legs). Role of the Nez Perce Tribe The U.5. Fish and Wildlife 5ervice's recovery strategy intended that states and /or tribes would have the primary responsibility for implementing wolf recovery in their respective areas, and for monitoring and managing wolf populations through the recovery process. In 1995, the U5FW5 and the Nez Perce Tribe entered into a cooperative agreement to recover and manage wolves in Idaho. The Nez Perce tribe completed, and the U5FW5 approved, the Nez Perce Tribal Gray Wolf Recovery and Management Plan for Idaho. The Idaho Recovery Program adopts an innovative partnership which focuses on collaborative efforts to balance the biological needs of wolves and the social concerns of Idahoans. ( NOTE: Wolf Pawprint is approx. size for an adult wolf. ) "If you live OUTSIDE the experimental areas (see map) you are not alloy The wolf is a federally - listed species, and you would be at He Wolves in Early Idaho Wolves have existed in Idaho for over 2000 years. Wolves occurred statewide, but were most numerous in east- central Idaho. Wolves were removed from Idaho by strychnine poisoning and killing pups found in dens during 1915 -1925. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the gray wolf as endangered in the early 1970'6 because of low wolf numbers and lack of documented reproduction. Between the late 1930'5 and mid 1980's, a handful of lone wolves, mostly males traveling south from Canada inhabited the Idaho backcountry. Despite increasing reports, re5earcher5 working in winters and summers between 1978 and the mid 1990'6 found little evidence of reproducing wolves or the establishment of wolf packs in Idaho. Wolf Recovery 35 gray wolves from Canada were released into the Idaho backcountry in 1995 and 1996 5o that wolves might establish themselves as a reproducing population in Idaho. All tran5located wolves were released with radio collars for monitoring. Recovery goals for the Northern Rocky Mountains is to establish 10 breeding pairs of wolves for 3 consecutive years in 3 recovery zones. Once recovered, their federally protected status would be eventually removed and wolves would be managed along with other wildlife in Idaho. Wolves released from Canada are managed under the Endangered Species Act as an Experimental Population. This means the wolves are managed without imposing land use restrictions on public lands. Special rules allow that wolves depredating on livestock can be controlled and, if necessary, killed. For More Information or Assistance: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service RoyHerberger ......................................................... ............................... ..................(208)378 -5347 PaulWeyland ........................................................... ............................... ..................(208)378 -5333 Nez Perce Tribe CurtMack ............................................................... ............................... ..................(208)843 -7335 Cell Phone: (406)544 -8075 Wildlife Services (formerly ADC) George Graves (Boise) ......................................... ............................... ..................(208)378 -5077 Layne Bangerter ( Boise) ........................................................... .....................Hm(208)495 -2668 Rick Williamson ( Arco) ............................................................... .....................Hm(208)527 -8538 Chuck Carpenter ( Gooding) ....................................................... .....................Hm(208)934 -8129 Justin Mann (Lucile) ................................................................. .....................Hm(208)628 -3670 Craig Maycock (Pocatello) ................................... ............................... ..................(208)236 -6921 Doug Hunsaker (5weet) ........................................................... .....................Hm(208)584 -3446 red to harass, wound or kill a wolf except to protect your life or others. of fines as large as $100,000 and possible imprisonment." This clause of the special Rule places trust and responsibility for wolves' recovery and management with rural and urban Idahoans. Tracking a Success Cooperative efforts of wildlife officials, resource managers, stockmen and many interested individuals across Idaho contribute to Nez Perce Tribe biologists monitoring of wolves throughout Idaho Wilderness and national forests during winters and summers. Only a small percentage of wolves released into Idaho are known to have died in the time since their earliest release over four years ago. All wolves released were fitted with radio collars to allow biologists to follow their movements. Although a few radio collars are suspected to have malfunctioned over the years, Tribal biologists are still able to track the majority of released wolves. Three wolf pairs produced a total of 11 pups in 1996, and 6 wolf pairs produced 32 pups in 1997. In 1998, ten wolf pairs produced a total of 51 pups. 1998 is the first year that Idaho wolves achieved the benchmark number of ten breeding pairs. There are now 12 established packs in Idaho including over 115 wolves. Nez Perce biologists are successfully keeping track of the whereabouts of wolves across the State, but we cannot be everywhere. We benefit from the help we receive from interested professionals and citizens across Idaho including hunters, outfitters, stockgrowers and recreationists. By reporting observations of wolves or wolf sign, you can assist with gathering important information that will be useful for managing wolves into Idaho's future. If you see a wolf or sign, here's what we ask: pay careful attention to whatever detail or physical characteristics of a wolf or wolves you see, such as size differences, the number present, color, and whether or not they appear to be wearing a dark black or colored band located around their neck. We ask that you report your observations to the Nez Perce Tribe (208- 843 - 7335), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (208- 378 -5347) or the nearest Idaho Fish and Game office. Wolves are protected by State and federal law. Please report any game violations to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. (800- 632 -5999) Central Idaho Wolf Recovery A Management Report 1990 To our readers: The Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee was organized in January 1989. It operates as a recommending body for the five agencies participating in wolf recovery in central Idaho. The committee's purpose is to provide focus, direction and leadership toward the recovery of the gray wolf in this area. The strength of this organization is its interagency composition and its commitment to coordinated wolf management in central Idaho. Each agency contributes expertise essential to success, which will be measured by how well we achieve recovery goals. This report summarizes the accomplishments and direction provided by the Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee in 1990. Dave Rittersbacher Steering Committee Chairman Charter: Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee Gray wolves in the northern Rockies are listed as an endangered species in Idaho. A recovery plan outlining a strategy to recover the wolf in Idaho was approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in August 1987. The signatory parties below agree to proceed with wolf recovery actions using existing agency authorities. To this end we established in Idaho a Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee composed of one Forest Supervisor from the Northern Region, one Forest Supervisor from the Intermountain Region, a representative from the State Office of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, a representative from Animal Damage Control, and a representative from the Bureau of Land Management State Office. This Steering Committee will meet, select officers as needed, and may appoint such subcommittees as necessary to achieve recovery of the gray wolf in central Idaho. Mission: Provide focus, direction and leadership toward the recovery of the gray wolf in central Idaho. HN MU MA, Regional Forester AN TIXIER, Regional F r etegion 1 - Forest Service �' `Region 4 - Forest S ice WALLY`STEUCKE, Regional Director --jf . CONLEY, Di Region 1, Idah Fish and Wildlife Service Id ho a rtment of �)- 4 (-, ) , 1�2 DEL VAIL, Director, Bureau of Land Management M_ ] ry c,nomv . T:,.,:ractor USDA /A::SIS Animal Damage Control b Game Central Idaho Wolf Recovery A Management Report 1990 Prepared by Suzanne Morris and Rick Hobson Photography by Suzanne Morris and reproduction by the Wolf Recovery Foundation Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee: SUSDA Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service IVBureau of Land Management Animal Damage Control A4 Idaho Department of Fish and Game Contents Biology of the Gray Wolf A History of Wolves in Central Idaho 3 Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee 6 Recovery Monitoring 10 Wolves in Central Idaho Today 11 Biology of the Gray Wolf The Eskimo called him "amaguk ", the Nez Perce, "he'me "... The Cheyenne Wolf Soldier band, best known among wolf warriors, produced a great brotherhood of warriors who incorporated the lore of the wolf deeply into the rituals of their clan. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) once roamed from Florida to the upper northern boundaries of Canada and from the East coast to the Oregon shore lines on the West. An efficient predator, the gray wolves survived fluctuating their own numbers with the populations of available prey, until the near extermination of wolves throughout their former habitat in the continental United States around the turn of the twentieth century. Cousin to the domestic dog, the characteristics of the gray wolf are often recognizable and distinct... SIZE An adult male weighs around 100 pounds, the females slightly less. Their length ranges from 4.5 to 6.5 feet from the nose to the tip of their tail. An adult wolf usually stands about 26 to 32 inches high at the shoulder. COLOR Though commonly referred to as the "gray" or "timber" wolf, the color of the wolf can range from all white to all black or shades in between. Often, the longer guard hairs that cover the wolf's shoulders and back down through the tail are darker and tipped in silver -gray. The thick undercoat, more easily seen on the underside, is generally lighter. The tawny brown gray color of the coyote is also common among wolves. HEAD The wolf has a wedge shaped head enhanced by the ruff or longer guard hairs around the neck. The snout is longer than most dogs and more massive than a coyote's. The ears are rounded at the tips and smaller, in comparison to head size, than a coyote's. The eyes are typically yellow, green, or amber and reflect incandescent green in the dark. The eyes are almond shaped and tilt down toward the nose. BODY The body of the wolf appears long and lean. The legs seem disproportionately long and lanky and the feet large are quite large. A wolf track is often over 5 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width. The extending toenails generally leave marks that help distinguish a wolf track from a cougar's. Coyote tracks are similar to a wolf's but smaller. Wolves generally move in a straight line whereas a dog will often meander. The wolf's chest is narrow and keel- shaped so the tracks are also narrow across. The wolf's stride is long (26 inches or more from front to back). The wolf's tail is long and bushy. The tail is carried either straight out, as when running, or straight down, or even tucked under, in submission, but never up over the back like a husky. Wolves use verbal and non - verbal behavior, (body posture, eye contact, tail position and scent) to communicate. HOWLING Wolves verbally communicate through a series of whines, growls, barks and, most commonly recognized, howling. The wolf's sense of hearing is extremely keen and well beyond the range of humans. Wolves can hear frequencies up to 26kH (the same as bats and dolphins) and may distinguish each other's howls from several miles away. The purposes of howling include warding off other wolf packs (defending territory), announcing the presence of prey, locating other members of the pack, mourning the loss of a pack member, or simply Page 1 for the celebration of group howling. The full explanation of why and how wild wolves communicate is not fully understood and much remains a mystery to wolf experts. It is evident, however, that wolves have a very complex system of both verbal and non - verbal communication. Biologists, in their efforts to locate wolves, often howl as a means to evoke responses from wild wolves. SOCIAL STRUCTURE The wolf society is based on the pack or family. The pack generally consists of an alpha (leader) male and female, parents of the other pack members. The alpha pair are typically the only pack members to breed and produce offspring. The pups are born in the spring in a den prepared by the alpha female. The litter size may vary depending on prey abundance or pack size but 5 -8 pups to each litter is common. The wolf pups are deaf and blind until they are about two weeks old. Once the pups are able, the pack will relocate to a rendezvous site where the pups can play and begin to learn the skills that are vital to their survival. A member of the pack is left behind to "baby -sit" when it is necessary for the pack to leave the area. Once the pups are several months old they will establish a position in the hiearchy (structure) of the pack. The alpha pair is at the top of this order and each wolf has a position in rank order beneath these two. Wolves communicate their dominance or submission both verbally and non - verbally. Shows of aggression are common in this establishment of rank; however, wolves seldom fatally wound each other as the pack depends on its members for survival. Displays of affection are frequent, as well as games of tag and chase. Even the older members of the pack will suffer disrespectful play attacks from the pups with great patience and care. PREY Wolves are carnivorous mammals. The main prey base is ungulates- elk, deer, or moose but they also prey on smaller animals when available. The wolf concentrates its hunt on the old, sick, injured or very young, but will take healthy animals if conditions permit.. A wolf needs between 5 -10 Ibs of meat per day but may go a week or more without food. Though the wolf is an efficient predator, wolves seem to test their prey for weakness and may pass up several healthy animals before attempting to kill a weaker one. Concerns have been expressed regarding the loss of available game for human hunting if the wolf returns to Idaho. With a population goal of approximately 130 animals, biological studies reveal wolves will have less effect on hunting than Idaho's mountain lion population (estimated at 2,000 ), road kills, poaching, or starvation. Wolves may also cull the unhealthy animals from herds, thereby ensuring the reproduction of healtt animals and increasing the overall health of the hi wolves were to cause a dramatic impact onlocal c populations, management through control could b protect a balance between predator/ prey populati Page 2 Predators and their prey have been surviving together long before humans were in North America; though fluctuations occur in nature, there seems to be a balance allowing all species to survive. HUMANS Though myths and fairy tales have promoted the "big, bad wolf" that devours grandmothers and children, the truth is wolves don't kill people. Never has a healthy wild wolf attacked and killed a human in U.S. history. Even the "wolfers" who made a living of killing wolves never reported an incident of human mortality caused by wolves. Perhaps some of the fear developed as a result of losses of livestock or simply out of the mysterious, shy behavior of the wolf itself. LIVESTOCK Ever since livestock was introduced to wild game habitat there has been some conflict with the native predators. Such depredation may have been more severe when the native herds were first diminished and the predators were left to survive on whatever was available. Losses due to depredation were hard -felt on ranchers whose survival depended on their livestock. An open extermination program was enacted to control or completely rid such predators from these areas. The wolf became the central target for these control programs and by the early 1900's, wolves were eradicated from over 90 percent of their former habitat . Thousands of wolves were destroyed by government and private programs using poisoning, trapping and hunting. Today the wolf is protected under the Endangered Species Act and the federal government is charged with the recovery of the wolf to some of its former habitat. However, many of the same concerns are still expressed by ranchers who fear loss of livestock to wolves. Some of the specific concerns are over control methods of a protected species and the fear of losing grazing privileges on public lands. Minnesota has approximately 1,700 wolves and records indicate less than .1 percent of the livestock is lost to wolves. In Montana, where wolves have full endangered status,the U.S.F.W.S. is actively managing wolves to protect both the species and ranching interests. Wolves were relocated or even killed to protect livestock. There is also a depredation fund created by Defenders of Wildlife to compensate ranchers for their losses due to wolf depredation. Though conflicts may occur in Idaho, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a control program to ensure effective measures are taken. A History of Wolves in Central Idaho Wolves once roamed through much of Idaho, concentrating in the south and southeast on the prairies and foothills of the Snake River plain. Elk, deer and, to some extent, buffalo, provided their main food source. With the advent of mining in the mid -1800s and livestock grazing in the late 1880s, both wolf populations and their prey base were decimated. By the 1930s, wolves were seldom seen in the northern Rocky Mountain states. Elk numbers in the state did not begin to recover until the 1920s, recovery was possible largely because of hunting regulations and transplants from herds in Yellowstone National Park. It was shortly after this, in the 1940s, that scattered reports of wolves began in northern Idaho along the Canadian border. Wolves are tenacious, and their breeding patterns and dispersal activity allow populations to increase quickly, both over time and distance. During a brief hiatus in Canadian control efforts during the 1940s, packs were established over hundreds of square miles from which they had been eradicated. As the wolves extended their Canadian range, several wolf sightings were reported in both the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho and the northwest section of Glacier National Park in Montana. There was apparently little if any wolf activity along the Idaho - British Columbia border through much of the 1950s. There were, however, several wolf reports in central Idaho. Nine sightings were reported in the Boise National Forest between 1941 and 1957, for a total of 15 wolves; of these, four were killed, all from pairs, indicating that there may have been a breeding population in the area at the time. Indeed, some wildlife biologists believe that central Idaho had its own reproducing population of wolves in the 1950s because the Canadian control efforts of the time made it unlikely that dispersers from Alberta or British Columbia packs were traveling into the state. Reports of wolf occurrence in Idaho increased during the 1960s; in fact, they doubled between 1960 and 1973. This was probably less a matter of more wolves in the area than it was of more humans in the woods. The 1960s and early 1970s were a time of rediscovery of America's wildlands, and people began flocking to the rivers, mountains and valleys of central Idaho to enjoy the area's whitewater, wilderness and wildlife. Some of them reported seeing wolves. Because there was no systematic evaluation of these reports, it is difficult to assess their validity. There is some indication that some of the observers mistook large coyotes for wolves. Be that as it may, there were 56 wolf occurrence reports in central Idaho between 1960 and 1973, 38 from the portion encompassed by the Challis, Boise and Payette National Forests and 18 from the Clearwater and Nez Perce National Forests in the north - central portion of the area. The most significant aspect of these findings was that they primarily involved lone wolves, and there was no evidence during this time that the area was supporting a breeding population. Both Alberta and British Columbia reduced their wolf - control campaign during the 1960s, and Page 3 there is speculation that the increase in Canadian wolf and endangered species, convinced the agencies populations was producing dispersers, which then traveled responsible for wildlife management in central Idaho to down through the mountains that separate Idaho and fund an in -depth study of the historical and possible Montana. present locations of wolves in central Idaho. In 1983, with The presence and distribution of wolves from the funds from the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and mid -1970s through the 1980s received considerably more Wildlife Service and the Idaho Department of Fish and attention than the scattered information from past years. Game, researchers from the University of Montana Again, much of this was due to the larger number of Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit combed state and people using the backcountry, but the more detailed federal agency records and the scientific literature for information also reflected a new interest in wolves. In the historical evidence of wolf distribution and interviewed early 1980s, the Boise National Forest initiated an effort to backcountry residents, hunters, trappers, outfitters, track down and evaluate reports of wolf sightings on its ranchers and agency personnel to compile a list of lands during the 1970s. This was followed by a similar "probable" and "possible" wolf occurrence reports during survey on the Clearwater National Forest. These two the recent past. forests lie on opposite ends of a 3.6- million -acre The criteria for the "probables" are based on a system wilderness complex, the largest in the contiguous United that evaluates the observer's distance from the animal States, that includes the Frank Church -River of No Return reported and his or her ability to recognize characteristics and the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness areas. More than 60 unique to wolves, including color, head and body size, percent of the wolf reports through the early'80s were howling and tracks, particularly as compared to coyotes, from these two forests. with which wolves are often confused. Probable reports These reports, and the mandate to protect threatened can also include howling and scats if the observer is experienced enough to distinguish such evidence from that left by other canids. This system is now the standard method used to evaluate wolf reports in the northern Rocky Mountains. Wolf Occurrence Reports The Wildlife Research Unit study found evidence for 1974 -83 238 probable reports of wolves in central Idaho between .f 1974 and 1983. Broken down by general region within that area, the reports were as follows: Coeur d' A1^e ' Fork North (Bitterroot, Clearwater, Nez Perce) - -142 West (Boise, Payette, Sawtooth) 66 • d Miss--o- llaaa East (Challis, Salmon, Beaverhead) -- 30 1 r FA►k M °g ° °- It should be emphasized that these reports were �,�a.wa% • �r�',.' made by a variety of people over a 10 -year period and that ?. • • • m Butte they indicate the extent rather than the number of wolves. • .gel t- • The Wildlife Research Unit study included a two -year effort A to gather actual physical evidence of wolves -- scats, kill '_. • sites, tracks -- and the researchers found evidence of only one to four wolves. The study estimated that the wolf • "� population in the entire central Idaho area did not exceed ' about 15 wolves during the decade studied and that these o •,�^'D. were mostly lone wolves. •' •;' •• ••' The 1984 Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit report • �• = marked the beginning of a more organized and intensive ' , ,�• agency effort to track central Idaho's elusive wolves. The Fish and Wildlife Service produced a wolf recovery plan for �•:.: , . the northern Rockies, and other agencies such as the Boise Bureau of Land Management and Animal Damage Control of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service began Snaky getting involved as agency personnel contemplated the management and control issues that would surface with a _. recovering wolf population. Page 4 The move toward more formal organization and management continued with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's decision to enter a cooperative agreement with The Nature Conservancy to establish the Idaho Natural Heritage Program in 1984. Now a part of the Fish and Game Department, the Heritage Program developed a central data management system for information on the status and distribution of rare animals and plants throughout the state; it thus became a clearinghouse for the wolf occurrence reports scattered through the files of the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service and other agencies. In addition to pulling together older information and processing new occurrence reports from both state and federal agencies, the Boise National Forest contracted with The Nature Conservancy to survey Idaho elk hunters about any wolf sign they may have seen during the hunting season. Conducted from August 1988 through March 1989, the survey contacted 2,500 elk hunters and 110 outfitters through letters; 25 percent of the elk permit holders who had indicated that they were going to hunt in the central Idaho area were later interviewed by phone. The survey recorded 248 accounts of wolf sightings, howling or tracks; 137 of these were given a probable rating. The occurrence patterns showed considerable consistency with those of the past decade -- that is, a loose clustering in the Boise and Clearwater National Forests on the south and north ends of Idaho's vast wilderness areas and more scattered reports from the intervening and adjacent forests. The probable reports from 1984 through the early months of 1989 were as follows by general region: North (Clearwater, Nez Perce) -- 82 West (Boise, Payette, Sawtooth) -- 59 East (Challis, Salmon, Beaverhead) -- 27 Seventy -eight percent of the probable reports from the Heritage Program data base were of lone animals, a proportion similar to that found in the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit study and other surveys. Page 5 Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee Recovery Efforts and the Key Players The Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee was formed to provide focus, direction and leadership toward the recovery of the gray wolf in central Idaho. It is composed of one forest supervisor from the Forest Service's Northern Region, a forest supervisor from the Intermountain Region, and one representative each from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal Damage Control and the Bureau of Land Management. The interagency steering committee appointed and now oversees two working groups: 1) the Scientific and Biological Working Group, which is providing technical advice to those involved in wolf monitoring, and 2) the Information and Education Working Group, which disseminates information about wolves and recovery efforts to both agencies and the general public. The Scientific and Biological Working Group's role is to provide technical direction and advice for the agencies involved in wolf recovery, particularly when their efforts involve: 1) documentation and verification of wolves, 2) surveys of winter range and summer habitat, 3) monitoring, 4) establishment of wolf recovery boundaries and 5) nuisance wolf control. The Scientific and Biological Working Group divided central Idaho into three data - collection sections -- north (Bitterroot, Clearwater, Lolo, Nez Perce), west (Payette, Boise, Sawtooth) and east (Beaverhead, Challis, Salmon) -- and assigned a wolf verification team to each. Each team is made up of representatives from different agencies Page 6 in the area; the northern team, for example, consists of one biologist from both the Clearwater and Nez Perce National Forests, an Animal Damage Control officer and an officer from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. During 1989, team members received training in wolf identification, learning to distinguish, for example, wolf tracks from lion tracks; training also included scat identification and how to make plaster casts of tracks. Whenever there is a promising report of wolves or wolf sign, the designated section leader of the regional team will contact the other members, after which they will travel to the site of the report and look for physical evidence of wolves. Experience in other areas repopulated by wolves has shown that recovery depends on more than careful management. Without public support, wolf recovery will not be possible. The Information and Education Working Group has begun an effort to educate the public on general wolf ecology and provide information about the status of wolves in central Idaho and the management actions that do or could affect wolves in this area. The group has several ongoing responsibilities including the quarterly newsletter, educational programs, the establishment and monitoring of the wolf hotline, media - related events, the distribution of information concerning wolf recovery efforts, volunteer coordination and the annual report. The I & E working group has given thousands of children and adults the opportunity to become better acquainted with the wolf and Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Organizations Participating Agencies Bureau of USDA Idaho Depart- U.S. Fish and APHIS: Animal Land Mgmt Forest Service ment Wildlife Service Damage Con- STEERING COMMITTEE: Pro- vides policy direction to recovery efforts Scientific and Biological Information and Education Working Group Working Group Role: Provide technical direction Role: Provide information as to recovery effort needed internally and externally Wolf Monitoring Team Role: Conduct field surveys and monitoring studies recovery efforts through educational programs. While the focus has been concentrated in Boise due to the larger population base, the I & E working group has reached communities in McCall, Donnelly, Sun Valley /Ketchum, and Meridian. Other communities which express interest will be considered in the future. Also, in an attempt to evaluate local efforts, a representative was sent to Yellowstone, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to ascertain the effectiveness of other public awareness programs and concerns. The information received from this expedition helped coordinate better recovery methods such as trapping procedures, public service announcements, strengthen educational programs, and gain a better understanding of the what the different levels of recovery efforts has experienced in other regions. The importance of public awareness is critical for a successful recovery program to occur. Recently, in a poll produced by the University of Montana, Alistair Bath reported over 53% of Idahoans have a favorable attitude toward wolves. And 56% of Idahoans favor wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park. The reports concluded that people who are more familiar with the wolf and recovery efforts are also more supportive of both. Central Idaho's Mangaging Agencies Five agencies are involved in wolf management in Idaho. Each federal agency has a legal mandate to evaluate its management actions to ensure that they are consistent with the 1973 Endangered Species Act, which requires them to "use their authority to further the purposes of the act by carrying out conservation programs for listed species." Several federal agencies and one state agency are now part of the Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee, formed to coordinate recovery efforts in central Idaho. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of Interior) is the lead federal agency in conservation of threatened and endangered species, both plant and animal-, it also prepares and approves recovery plans and coordinates recovery actions and progress. Other federal agencies are required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service on any action that might adversely affect these species or their habitat. All wolf reports on the forests and other public lands are recorded on standard FWS forms, and the agency thus serves as the initial clearinghouse for this information. The USDA Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) manages the national forest lands in central Idaho. The agency cooperates with federal and state officials to manage threatened and endangered species habitat on national forest lands and to meet recovery objectives. The Bureau of Land Management (Department of Interior) is another agency with lands that may serve as wolf habitat. BLM lands are important to wolf survival because they are generally found at lower elevations, where prey animals such as elk and deer often winter. Animal Damage Control of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Department of Agriculture) is responsible for predator control on public lands. ADC works with the interagency wolf teams to help identify the presence of wolves. As experts in predator control. ADC personnel will be responsible for verifying suspected wolf kills. Along with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, ADC will be responsible for control of problem wolves. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is responsible for fish and wildlife management in the state. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for the conservation of wolves and other federally classified threatened and endangered species in Idaho, the Department participates at the level authorized by the Idaho Legislature and the Idaho Fish and Game Commission. Page 7 Recovery Almost half a century after the last wolf packs were seen in the northern Rocky Mountains, Congress passed the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Wolf recovery programs, which have the ultimate goal of astable breeding population, are now underway in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Southwest, and the northern Rocky Mountains. The northern Rocky Mountain recovery effort centers on three recovery areas: Yellowstone National Park, north- west Montana and central Idaho. Wolves returned on their own to northwest Montana during the past decade, and there are now three packs, representing 20 to 25 wolves, with territories extending into Canada. These animals were the first wolves known to den in the northern Rocky Moun- tain area for 50 years. In areas like northwest Montana where wolf packs have returned after years of absence, population recovery was preceded by many years of persistent but usually unsubstantiated sightings. Reports of wolves in central Idaho during the past 15 years have been consistent but scattered, indicating that the population has been composed primarily of single animals, whose presence does not necessarily indicate a breeding population. This does not mean that there are no wolves in the area. In Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, after undocumented sightings of wolves persisted through the 1960s, researchers finally documented the presence of a pair in the latter part of the decade: within two years, a pack had formed. and the wolf population reached 180 by 1975. Page 8 Recovery plans for threatened and endangered animal species generally take one of two approaches: 1) reintroduction of the species into appropriate habitat from which it was eliminated or encouragement of natural recovery. One example of the first approach, which is the less frequently used, is the highly successful reintroduction of peregrine falcons in both Western and Eastern states. The recovery of bald eagle populations in much of the nation after the ban on DDT is a good example of the second approach. Natural recovery of wolves is occurring in the area drained by the North Fork of the Flathead River along Glacier National Park's western boundary. Here, after persistent rumors of sightings during the late 1970s and early 1980s. 90 percent of which involved single wolves. Wolf Ecology Project researchers discovered that dispersers from Canada had established a pack in 1982; it was the first pack seen in the United States west of the Mississippi River for almost 50 years. This pack eventually split into three new packs. There are now about 50 wolves in the northwest Montana /southeast British Columbia area. Like the northwest Montana population, the central Idaho wolf population will depend initially on dispersers from Canadian packs living in the north. Wolves have proved themselves determined travelers, particularly loners searching for a mate and /or territory, and will occasionally reestablish themselves hundred of miles from their home pack. The Wolf Ecology Project has documented five dispersers from the northwest Montana packs, one of which traveled almost 550 miles to the north. If that animal had chosen to travel the same distance south or southwest, she would have easily reached Utah's Great Salt Lake. In less than five years, the northwest Montana wolves more than doubled their numbers, and are now increasing at about 40% per year (although some of these may have been immigrants from Canada). Hypothetically, at least, a central Idaho population could do the same once breeding pairs were established. The human role in this natural recovery is spelled out in the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan, prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a set of guidelines for those agencies who manage the lands where wolf recovery is planned. Within these general guidelines, the strategy to promote wolf recovery varies in different areas. In central Idaho, with its natural and very slow wolf recovery, the emphasis is on encouraging cooperation among the affected agencies to monitor the existing wolf population and determine whether recovery is taking place. Recovery in central Idaho is defined as 10 breeding pairs. Once this goal is reached and maintained for at least three years, wolves will be reclassified from endangered to threatened, which would provide more flexibility for control; if the population increases well beyond the recovery goal, the wolf may be "delisted," and management of the animal would be turned over to the state. As defined by the Northern Rockies Recovery Plan, natural reestablishment of wolves depends on 1) large blocks of land with a low density of people, 2) suitable and somewhat secluded denning and rendezvous sites, 3) ample year -round prey 4) legal protection and 5) public support. The extensive wilderness and adjacent lands of central Idaho obviously meet the first two criteria. The third criterion was addressed by the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit work of the early 1980s, which included a survey of elk summer and winter ranges; researchers found a prey base that could support more than twice the number of wolves envisioned for recovery. Legal protection can take several forms, ranging from management tactics for other species that enhance or protect wolf habitat to specific law enforcement activities. An example is the use of existing seasonal road closures and elk hunting restrictions on several central Idaho forests, which also protect potential wolf habitat. The forests regularly close roads with berms or gates as part of elk management during hunting and calving seasons; because wolf habitat overlaps prey habitat, these closures would also protect wolves from contact with poachers and other human intrusion. In another example of management tactics, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management include a biological evaluation of impacts on endangered species in their plans for timber sales and other activities, just as they evaluate the effects of such actions on other resources such as water quality, recreational use, etc. The biological evaluation, which includes formal or informal consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service, ensures that the action will not harm endangered populations in the affected area. Protection of wolf populations occasionally requires removal of individual wolves, either through relocation or elimination. Although the wolf is considered an endangered species in the northern Rockies, court decisions have ruled that the Endangered Species Act allows control actions when such actions would enhance the population's ability to survive and /or propagate. The reasoning here is that depredating wolves are a potential threat to the wolf population as a whole because they could spark human retaliation, legal or illegal. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a draft wolf control plan that would allow for removal of wolves that attack livestock. To date, 11 wolves have been removed in Montana. Page 9 Control actions must follow specific guidelines designed to make sure that only depredating wolves are targeted. Basically, control is an interagency effort involving the Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal Damage Control, the land management agency (Forest Service or BLM) and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The authorized control officers from one or more of these agencies must respond to a depredation report within 48 hours after it is made. In the early stages of population recovery, depredating wolves may be radio - collared and relocated rather than killed; if the offending animal kills a second time, it will be eliminated. As recovery progresses, problem wolves may be killed after their first depredation. Wolves reproduce quickly, so the loss of an individual does not usually represent a threat to the population as a whole, as it might in a grizzly bear population. Also unlike grizzlies, wolves are not primarily carrion eaters, although they may be attracted to a carcass during lean times. Studies in both Canada and Minnesota indicate that they prefer natural (as opposed to domesticated) prey and that they will normally leave livestock alone if their natural food source is sufficient. This does not mean that wolves never cause problems for livestock owners. In Minnesota, where about 1,550 to 1,750 wolves live in the northeastern part of the state, Animal Damage Control officers and personnel removed 85 problem wolves between October 1988 and August 1989 because of depredation problems. In 1985, on the other hand, control officers verified 35 livestock deaths due to wolves; this is an area with about 250,000 cattle and 90,000 sheep. On the other hand, in Alberta, which has a substantial wolf population, the provincial agricultural agency considers bears much more of a problem than wolves; in 1988, the agency verified 48 wolf depredations in the province's southern half. Monitoring The Central Idaho Wolf Steering Committee has decided that its first task is to concentrate on verifying future sightings and providing some hard evidence of wolves -- in the form of photographs, scat and plaster casts of tracks. This effort is basically taking three routes: 1) a public survey of central Idaho wolf occurrences conducted by Jim Johnston for the Boise National Forest from June 1989 - February 1990, 2) interagency wolf verification teams to evaluate probable reports, and 3) field surveys. In addition, a wolf report "hotline" has been established to expedite public sightings of wolves. Not every wolf sighting will merit investigation. The first criteria for investigation is timeliness. A team will not go out, for example, to investigate a hunter's report that he or she saw a wolf two weeks earlier. The general rule is that a team will try to respond to a report within 48 hours after the sighting. Perhaps the most important aspect of the team approach is that it emphasizes the need to share both information and resources in the wolf monitoring. The national forests in central Idaho and western Page 10 Montana are now stepping up their individual monitoring efforts to detect wolves within their boundaries. Although actual tactics vary, each area is using both past sighting patterns and new probable reports to decide where to concentrate monitoring efforts. Each area has different topographical characteristics and different monitoring approaches, so a brief description of each is in order. The probable wolf sighting numbers given for 1987 -89 include only the first half of 1989; reports from that year's hunting season may add considerably to the final numbers. When tracks are found, biologists will photograph them and, if possible, make casts for future review by experts; this will help distinguish the tracks from those of other predators such as mountain lions. Scats will be analyzed to determine the presence of hair; wolves often groom themselves, so scats may contain considerable amounts of wolf hair, which can be analyzed to determine species. Much of this survey work will be done in the winter because it is easier to find tracks and kill sites during that season. Wolves in Central Idaho Today Wolf sightings continue to be monitored in and around central Idaho. The reports come from hunters, outfitters and guides, and thegeneral public. Agency personnel keep track of these reports and submit them to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for processing. These reports help biologists determine where wolf activity is occurring. West Section The Boise National Forest conducted a statewide public survey to determine the status and distribution of wolf occurrence in central Idaho. Outfitters and guides, trappers, hound hunters, elk hunters, and the general public that reported wolf observations were interviewed by survey researcher, Jim Johnston. This survey recorded 170 wolf occurrence reports; 78 of which were rated as probable. Eighty percent of the sightings involved single animals. The report concluded that wolves do occur in central Idaho, but that current information does not allow the determination of population size or density. The Boise National Forest also participated in follow -up review of sightings on the forest to verify the reports. Several large canine tracks were seen in the area but no sightings were confirmed. Boise National Forest personnel plan to continue participation in the central Idaho verifications teams as future sightings are reported. During the period of October 1, 1989 to September 30, 1990 five reports on the Payette National Forest of wolves were received by the Central Idaho Wolf Verification team leader that required follow -up by a verification team. Several additional reports were received several days following possible sightings. Verification teams were not sent out as the reports were sketchy or tracks and signs were not likely to be evident. Eastern Section On February 2, 1990 an outdoor survival school class reported wolf tracks to the Shoshone Office of the BLM. The tracks were located on BLM administered land in the Bennett Hills area between Fairfield and Gooding, Idaho. Gary Wright, BLM Wildlife Biologist at Shoshone and Rick Vandervoet, Recreation Planner Monument Resource Area forwarded their report to Allen Thomas, Idaho State Office BLM Biologist who in turn reported to Jay Gore USFWS, and Floyd Gordon USFS. Due to impending darkness and an approaching snowstorm, Wright and Vandervoet went out to verify the tracks. In the vicinity of the reported sighting, the located a set of tracks that they determined to be a mountain lion based upon track size, shape and stride. Tracks appeared to be a day or two old. They were unable to locate any other tracks. Following their return, Wright called Dave Reeder and informed him of their findings. Wright did not feel that there Page 11 was any need to follow -up due to snow conditions, Reeder then contacted Floyd Gordon who passed this on to State and Federal agency personnel. Reeder then prepared a verification report on this effort. On May 23, 1990, the tracks of two large canids were reported by a miner 9 miles west of Stanley in mud, by mining equipment a week prior to his report. Dave Reeder had Jenny Carson, SNRA, and Gary Gadwa, IDF &G check out the report on May 24, 1990. Heavy rain in the area since the reported sighting had destroyed any evidence. Western Section On March 15, 1990, the tracks of two large canids were found on the South Fork Salmon River Road in the Boise National Forest by Rob Cordtz and Cindy Boyce of the Payette and Boise National Forest Winter Wolf Survey Crew. The tracks were thought to be only a few hours old. Plaster and silicone casts of the tracks were taken. The road was closed to traffic from 10am to 10pm due to road conditions. There were no vehicle tracks at the time of discovery of the tracks, but later in the day two sets of vehicle tracks were evidence of use of the road during the closure. Based on the size of the tracks and other information obtained by the Wolf Survey Crew, they contacted Floyd Gordon who in turn contacted Jay Gore and Ed Hartin. Doug Hunsaker. Animal Damage Control Officer for APHIS was sent from Emmett to meet with the Wolf Survey Crew to Observe the tracks. Doug confirmed the fact that the tracks belonged to neither a mountain lion or coyote and did belong to a large canid. On August 27. 1990 a sighting of two wolves was reported in the Elk Meadows area, McCall Ranger District by sheep herders to the APHIS -ADC trapper, who in turn reported it to Mike Worthen, APHIS -ADC State Director. Two large animals, one of which was a lactating female, were observed within twenty feet of camp. They exhibited aggressive behavior, Kurt Nelson of the Payette National Forest was informed of the sighting on August 30, 1990. Several individuals followed up this report from the Payette National Forest and APHIS -ADC on August 31, 1990. ADC trapper and supervisor found no sign of canid activity. Several dead deer were located. There was reported to be a camp in the area that had several dogs, including a puppy. On the 31 st, Carolyn Barbat and Fred Edwards, a retired IDF &G C.O. checked out reported wolf signs independently of the ADC in the Elk Meadow area. At 9:45pm they conducted a howling survey just north of the Scribner Trail. Howling was conducted in 20 minute intervals approximately on mile apart. At midnight a very faint sound was heard that lasted for 2 to 3 minutes. Both Page 12 individuals could not be sure that the sound was howling. This survey was followed up by howling surveys conducted by Suzanne Morris and Jim Johnston. Although one howl may have been heard in response to this, results remained inconclusive. The evidence points to the possibility that the canids sighted were large dogs. In addition, female wolves would not be lactating at this time, as pups should be weaned by August 31. It was concluded that the large animals sighted by the sheep herders were not wolves. On September 19, 1990. a McCall resident reported to the Forest Service that he and his wife observed what they believed to be wolves along the Gold Fork River Crossing of Highway 55. They observed a large canid crossing the river about 150 to 300 yards upstream from National Forests - Central Idaho and Montana the Highway 55 bridge. It appeared gray and was crossing from the south bank to the north bank of the river. It appeared different from their observations of coyotes, so they turned around and recrossed the bridge. During this time, they observed what they believed to be a second wolf crossing the river to the north. Rob Cordtz was contacted by Floyd Gordon on September 20th, and he proceeded to the Gold Fork site. All evidence pointed to coyotes- conditions were excellent for tracking due to the mud banks and the lack of precipitation since the report. Rob followed this up by contacting Charlie Taber and going out to the Gold Fork site with him. The reported siting was considered to be that of large coyotes. SOUTH FORK, SALMON RIVER On Thursday, March 15, 1990, the tracks of two large canids were found on the South Fork Salmon River Road on the Boise National Forest. This was near Warm Lake, where numerous wolf sightings, howlings and possible denning activity had been reported consistently over the past ten years. The tracks were found by Rob Cordtz and Cindy Boyce of the Payette and Boise national Forest's Winter Wolf Survey Crew. Due to the very warm weather, the tracks that were found in snow were melting rapidly, so they were thought to be not more than a few hours old. There were also tracks in mud. Plaster and Silicone casts were taken of some of the tracks, which extended a few miles down the road. On this day, the crew was traveling by snowmobile and were unable to follow the tracks all the way down the road because of the mud. The road itself is closed to traffic from 10am to 10pm due to the mud being very slick and road damage occurring when it is not frozen. There were no vehicle tracks on the road, snow or soft mud at the time the tracks were discovered by the crew. Rob and Cindy went to get the rest of the crew and before they returned, two vehicles violated the closure and driven the road, eliminating many of the tracks. One of the two tracks measured 4 inches long by 3 inches wide. The other pair measured 4.5 inches long and 3.5 inches wide. The snow melted around the plaster casting of the larger set of tracks before it could set, so the cast is disfigured. Relative size of the print remained the same, however. Silicone casts were taken of the smaller print. Two sets of running stride tracks of the smaller animal were able to be covered and insulated with snow in case other people wanted to come back and look at them. The crew remained on the road until 10pm hoping to elicit responses to heir howling in the area. As the crew was leaving the South Fork Road, they met Dave McClintock, Deputy Sheriff for Yellow Pine, Idaho. He offered to check with some Yellow Pine residences that had large dogs to see if they had run their dogs on the road that afternoon. When he reported back the next week, he said that the folks that owned the dogs he had in mind had driven out that Thursday and had yet to return. The tracks that the crew found were headed downstream, north, and these people had driven upstream, south. We felt that if they had run their dogs during the muddy part of the day, the vehicle tracks would have showed and the dog tracks would have been headed south, following the vehicle. Friday morning, March 16, 1990, Jay Gore of the USF &WS and Ed Hartin of APHIS /ADC were contacted concerning this report.. Doug Hunsaker, Animal Damage Control Officer for APHIS was sent from Emmett to meet with Carolyn Barbat, Rob Cordtz and Jim Johnston of the Payette /Boise National Forests Wolf Survey Crew to observe what was left of the tracks. Doug confirmed that they were not too large to be coyote tracks, and they were not mountain lion. They were large canid tracks. The verification team spent about two hours driving the South Fork Salmon River Road looking for where the tracks may have come on to the road. This would have helped further to determine whether or not these were dog tracks running the road behind a vehicle, which is a common practice of people coming to and from Yellow Pine. At one point the tracks did leave the road, and one animal rolled and slid down the fill slope toward the river. One hair was collected which was red /gold in color. The tracks came back onto the road, and no other entry or exit was found before the tracks disappeared. The tracks showed the animals trotting and running for 4 to 5 miles. No scat was found, nor any sign of "milling" activity commonly associated with dogs loading or unloading from a vehicle. Photos were taken that are expected to show no vehicle tracks on the road at the time the tracks were fresh. The verification team call was inter - agency, and there was a very cooperative spirit among the members. This cooperation contributed to the credibility of the information gathered. The conclusion of the team was that although we could not prove these were wolf tracks, we could also not prove they were dog tracks. Page 13 East Section There were 16 wolf sightings reported in the Challis National Forest from fall 1989 to fall 1990. Of these reports, seven were of animals sighted, four were tracks seen, and five were reports of animals howling. Five of these reports were rated as probable, seven as possible, and four as unlikely. In two additional cases, the tracks were verified in the field as mountain lion. Nearly all the reports were at least three to four days old making a follow -up investigation difficult. Attempts were made to follow -up on 7 of the reports but only one yielded further evidence of possible wolf activity. Tracks were photographed and a plaster cast made but positive identification was prohibited by the weathering of the tracks. Wolf reports on the Challis National Forest continue to center in the Cape Horn area and the West Fork of Yankee Fork Salmon River area. The Copper Basin area also produced sightings again this year, but were considered questionable. Almost all of these reports came from high use recreation areas with only one report from the backcountry, where fewer people decrease the likelihood of sightings. The Challis National Forest plans to continue to follow -up on future sightings as they are reported. An attempt is being made to have reports submitted faster so the evidence can be verified by the follow -up procedure. North Section The Clearwater National Forest surveyed approximately 500 miles of winter habitat during the winter of 1989-90. One set of wolf tracks in the North Fork of the Clearwater drainage was discovered and confirmed by a biologist from the University of Idaho Wildlife Institute. Also, a number of potential sightings were reported near the Powell Ranger Station. An infrared motion - sensitive camera was placed on a bait station for an extended period but did not produce evidence of wolves in the area. The on -going Landsat classification and mapping project of wildlife habitat on the Nez Perce and Clearwater National Forests and the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness is in the final stages. These maps may be useful in documenting and quantifying important wolf habitat characteristics. The Clearwater National Forest also has an active public education program. During the past year, approximately 15 presentations were conducted on the status of wolf recovery in central Idaho reaching 500 people. Several howling surveys were conducted on the Nez Perce National Forest but the only responses were recorded on August 10, 1990, during a volunteer howling Page 14 survey by four of the participants including an endangered species biologist (Central Idaho Volunteer Wolf Howling Survey, August 10, 11 and 12, 1990. Boise and Nez Perce National Forests). Because of several reported sightings in the Three Prong drainage of the Red River District in the Nez Perce National Forest, plans are being made to focus an intensive survey into this remote and rugged area. In addition, the Selway and Moose Creek Ranger Districts pooled resources for a Challenge Cost Share survey effort to inventory the wolf habitat of the two districts. The University of Idaho produced a crew of 12 students to assist in the effort. That report is being prepared at this time. The Search for Confirmation Because of the considerable interest in, and speculation about, the presence of wolves in central Idaho, it's easy to forget that there is very little information about their actual extent or numbers. Despite literally hundreds of reports of howling, kill sites, scat and actual wolves, the only hard evidence so far to prove that there are wolves in central Idaho are three or four photographs taken on the Clearwater National Forest and the carcass of a wolf killed on the Boise National Forest in 1978 Many forests have purchased remote - sensing cameras, which they combine with bait or scent stations in areas with recent sightings. The cameras are battery - powered, 35- millimeter units; they have an infrared sensor activated by an abrupt change in infrared heat -- that is, by a warm - blooded animal in motion. The cameras are situated near an area either baited with an ungulate carcass or scented with wolf urine. The cameras can be left for up to two weeks, and they provide an inexpensive documentation technique. Scent or bait stations are also used to try to obtain wolf tracks. The bait or scent is located in an area with fine soil or sand, which biologists check on occasion for tracks. In areas where two or more wolves have been reported, biologists may use howling to get animals to respond. Although adult and single wolves rarely respond to human howling, pups often will, thus providing evidence of a breeding pair. Summer is the best time for this monitoring technique. If and when it becomes evident that central Idaho has a recovering wolf population, with breeding pairs and pack activity, agency biologists may trap animals and fit them with radio collars to monitor wolf movement.. The Central IdahoWolf Recovery Steering Committee needs help from the public to determine the presence of wolves in Idaho. To assist in this effort, the Wolf Recovery Foundation and the Idaho Conservation League are offering a reward for any information leading to the confirmation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of current wolf pack activity in the state of Idaho. If you have such information concerning the presence of wolves in Idaho, you may call the Wolf Hotline # at 1- 800 - 635 -7820 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (208) 334 -1931. If you would like more information about the reward, you may contact the Wolf Recovery Foundation at P.O. Box 793 Boise, Idaho 83704. Bibliography For further information concerning wolves you may wish to read the suggested materiial listed below. Allen, D.L. 1972. Wolves of Minong. Houghton - Mifflin Co., Boston. 499 pp. (Account of Isle Royale research, Moose /wolf population dynamics). Ballard, W.B. and J.R. Dau. 1983. Characteristics of the Gray Wolf, Canis Lupus, den and rendezvous sites in southcentral Alaska. Can, Field -Nat. 97 (3):299 -302. Bath. A.J. 1990. Statewide Surveys of Montana and Idaho Resident Attitudes Toward Wolf Reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park.U.S. National Park Serv. Rep. 37 pp. Fritts, S.H. 1990. Management of wolves inside and outside Yellow- stone National Park and possibilities for wolf management zones in the greater Yellowstone area. pp 1 -5 to 1 -88. In: Yellowstone National Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Wyoming, University of Idaho, Interagency Griz- zly Bear Study Team, University of Minnesota Cooperative Park Studies Unit. 1990. Wolves for Yel- lowstone? A Report to the United States Congress Volume II Research and Analysis. Lopez, B.H. 1978. Of Wolves and Men. New York: Charles Scribners Sons. 309 pp. Mech, L.D. 1970. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species. Nat. His. Press, Double- day, NY. 389 pp. Weaver. J. 1978. The Wolves of Yellowstone. Nat. Park Serv. For further information contact: The Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee 4696 Overland Road, Room 576 Boise, Idaho 83705 Page 15 SCIENCE Return of the Are they big and bad—or the inspiring symbol of the wild? Either way, packs are coming back. Now, can they return to their ancestral home in Yellowstone? nder the Wedgwood -blue skies of northwestern Montana and central Idaho, where glacier - fed streams trickle through the fragile tundra, residents are undergoing an ecological Ror- schach test. Hikers glimpse tensed, silver -gray beasts in whose yellow eyes they see the unbridled spirit of the wilderness, the embodiment of all that is wild and free. Ranchers find heart - shaped paw prints, too big to belong to a coyote or dog, crossing their muddy pastures —spoor in which they see something violently dif- ferent: a ruthless killer, THE SADDAM HUS- SEIN OF THE ANIMAL WORLD, as signs pro- claimed at public meetings this spring; a beast that should be shot on sight, as letters to local papers urged. And you thought the spotted -owl contro- versy was bitter. More than 70 years after Congress passed a law to eradicate the northern gray wolf, Canis lupus is coming back. In Wisconsin, 30 or 40 wolves recent- ly arrived from Minnesota, where the wolf never died out, are struggling against dis- ease and poaching. Packs from Montana's Glacier National Park, recent immigrants from Canada, are migrating south along old logging trails. So far, they've reached western Montana, where 40 to 50 wolves Call of the wild: Born into a pack that hunts and howls together, a pup looks at a world that may prove less hostile 44 NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12. 1991 now roam, and central Idaho, where there are 10 to 20. But the atavistic drive to re- claim their ancestral lands has swept wolves into one of the West's nastiest face - offs. Conservationists desperately want to protect the animals wandering back and, even more, to reintroduce the species to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Ranchers see that proposal as a deadly threat to their livestock, their way of life and even their children. Says Doug Crow of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "In 20 years in this business this is the damned- est issue I've seen. It brings out peo- PAUL E. MEYERS(INSERT), BLACK STAR (ABOVE) NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 45 ple's passion in a way that is frightening." But not unexpected. The wolf as devour- er of Little Red's grandmother and harass- er of Little Pigs was likely born in the Middle Ages, when ravenous wolves un- able to find traditional prey stalked the countryside during the Black Plague and attacked hapless travelers. (There is no rec- ord of healthy wolves trying to kill humans in North America — unlike wolf -dog hy- brids, which have a decidedly more danger- ous pedigree: page 50.) Men came to see in the wolf "the Devil, red tongued, sulfur breathed and yellow eyed," as nature writ- er Barry Lopez put it; "the beast of waste and desolation," as that great naturalist Theodore Roosevelt described it. Wherev- er white men stepped in America, they felt a fanatical duty to kill the beast. Be- tween 1870 and 1877, government-sanc - tioned hunters killed 55,000 wolves every year. In 1914 the Feds hired hundreds of hunters to kill predators on U.S. land, in- cluding all the remaining wolves, once and for all. Wolves were trapped, shot and lured to carcasses laced with strychnine. By 1926 rangers had killed at least 136 wolves in Yellowstone, including 80 pups. Severe test: The effort to return the wolf to America's first national park is tightly bound up with a symbolism every bit as powerfulas thatwhich inspired this slaugh- ter. Reintroduction isn't about anything so straightforward as saving a species: there are 1,550 to 1,750 northern gray wolves roaming wild in Minnesota, between 6,000 and 7,000 in Alaska and as many as 50,000 in Canada. The northern gray, officially listed as an "endangered" species in the Vanishing Packs THOMAS MANGEISEN- IMAGES OF NATURE Slaying prey, slaying myths: Finishing off a carcass stripped nearly bare by the pack, biologist Mech in wolf country (far right), rancher Demin on his spread (right) Lower 48 (except in Minnesota, where it is "threatened "), is not about to disappear. For conservationists, returning the wolves to Yellowstone would show that the nation had changed its mind about the wild as something to be subdued —if not destroyed. Says Hank Fischer of Defenders of Wildlife, "[The wolf and its future] is one of the sever- est tests of how willing humankind is to share this planet with other forms of life." Canis lupus and humans have lived to- Gray wolves once roamed across nearly all of Northl America. But a bloody extermination Northern program earlier this Cascades, century left most of Washington _ Minnesota Isle Royale, Michigan the survivors living in Glacier National Canada and Alaska. Park, Montana 46 NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 gether since about 2 million years ago, when the wolf evolved into its present form. Beginning 13,000 years ago, paleo- lithic hunter - gatherers bred domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, from wolves. Why wolves? Perhaps our ancestors admired the bewitching beast's power, intelligence and complex social structure. The pack, says biologist Pat Tucker of the National Wildlife Federation, is just a furrier ver- sion of "our basic social structure, the hunter - gatherer." Dinnertime battle: Studies of the hunt have, more than anything, challenged the Big Bad myth. And no researcher has slain more wolf myths than America's leading wolf biologist, L. David Mech of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F &WS). An opera buff, author and rugged outdoors - man, he has lived as closely with wolves as any two - legged creature with a Ph.D. Mech (pronounced meech) began his re- search in Isle Royale National Park, an island in Lake Superior to which wolves crossed via an ice bridge in 1949. Their arrival created a natural laboratory, in which Mech discovered that, for all their reputation as killing machines, wolves are more likely to lose the dinnertime battle. Moose and wolves will stare at one another and, after a minute, either the moose stroll away, the wolves retreat —or charge. Of the 160 moose that Mech observed encounter- ing wolves, six — typically old, sick or weak —were killed. Others were ignored, ran away or fought off their attackers. To catch dinner, wolves use tactics like a paleolithic hunting team's (anthropolo- gists suspect that wolves taught early hu- mans how to hunt large animals). They Wisconsin Proposed reintroduction , sites: N.W. Montana, r Range of the Central Idaho Gray Wolf: and Yellowstone y National Park 0 Original 1990 Imp 46 NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 gether since about 2 million years ago, when the wolf evolved into its present form. Beginning 13,000 years ago, paleo- lithic hunter - gatherers bred domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, from wolves. Why wolves? Perhaps our ancestors admired the bewitching beast's power, intelligence and complex social structure. The pack, says biologist Pat Tucker of the National Wildlife Federation, is just a furrier ver- sion of "our basic social structure, the hunter - gatherer." Dinnertime battle: Studies of the hunt have, more than anything, challenged the Big Bad myth. And no researcher has slain more wolf myths than America's leading wolf biologist, L. David Mech of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F &WS). An opera buff, author and rugged outdoors - man, he has lived as closely with wolves as any two - legged creature with a Ph.D. Mech (pronounced meech) began his re- search in Isle Royale National Park, an island in Lake Superior to which wolves crossed via an ice bridge in 1949. Their arrival created a natural laboratory, in which Mech discovered that, for all their reputation as killing machines, wolves are more likely to lose the dinnertime battle. Moose and wolves will stare at one another and, after a minute, either the moose stroll away, the wolves retreat —or charge. Of the 160 moose that Mech observed encounter- ing wolves, six — typically old, sick or weak —were killed. Others were ignored, ran away or fought off their attackers. To catch dinner, wolves use tactics like a paleolithic hunting team's (anthropolo- gists suspect that wolves taught early hu- mans how to hunt large animals). They or CAAMSdUPUs XING may appoint one pack member a decoy, to lunge and run around while the rest take the prey by stealth. Or a pack may stam- pede a meal into the waiting jaws of a hid- den killer. Packs will also form two flanks to sweep an island and, in a pincer move- ment worthy of Norman Schwarzkopf, trap their prey on the tip. Hooved animals can thank wolves for their ability to scamper up a mountain, close ranks or run fast. Evolutionary pres- sure by a predator hones the prey's surviv- al skills and also keeps the -dumb beasts from multiplying into mass starvation. On Isle Royale, the moose population had climbed to 2,500 in the mid -1930s before hundreds of the beasts died off due to over - browsing. When wolves arrived, they kept moose numbers down, allowed vegetation to regenerate and herds to grow healthier. Lupine Lore They're fast: a sprinting wolf can hit They're hearty: a wolf can go for without food. They're bigger than males grow to 115 pounds; female pounds. And they're loud: in open t howl travels at least 10 miles. Packs, which typically number from 10, are hierarchies. An animal's plac e mines when it can dig into a Through physical force and social sure, the alpha pair usually prevent wolves from breeding. The top fern engage in chemical warfare, emit pheromone that stops ovulation in A new pack forms when a wolf lea family to establish its own territo Minnesota wolf walked 550 miles settling down. Both species reached a higher population density than recorded anywhere else. Such lupine natural selection could provide a much - needed brake in Yellowstone, where hundreds of elk regularly starve to death during severe winters. How many might wolves eat? In northern Minnesota, each wolf kills about 15 to 18 white - tailed deer annually. Yellowstone has some 30,000 elk, 3,000 mule deer and 2,700 bison. Thanks to an ingenious new "capture collar" equipped with a radio transmitter and with tranquilizer darts embedded in its leather, wolf research is leaping beyond the question of which eats what to such puzzles as why wolves leave their natal pack. Using the dart collars —which can be triggered from 45 miles away —to down young males in a Minnesota pack, Mech collects blood samples and other data that dc might provide clues to why a wolf strikes out on its own, or "disperses." One hypothesis is that libido pushes the wolf; finding hormone levels asso- ciated with sexual maturity in the wandering wolf would support this idea. Or, the wolf might leave when pickings get slim; that would be con- firmed if Mech finds the wolves have low weights or fat levels. Whatever triggers dis- persal, Mech suspects the choice of where to wander has a genetic component. The female was raising a litter in Montana two years ago when federalagentsdecid- ed she threatened nearby cat - .YNE KENNEDY tle. They shot her with a tran- quilizer dart and ferried her and thepups to Glacier. Mater- nal instinct paled beside the homing instinct. She aban- doned the pups and headed 35 mph. back south. By January 1990 weeks she had made her way to the dogs: Ninemile Valley — almost 100 s, 95 miles south of Glacier. errain, a The Ninemile female was lucky: a wandering wolf is an m five to imperiled wolf, for if it enters deter- another pack's territory "it k�, runs the risk of being mauled or killed," says Mech. (Biolo- pres- gists suspect that some Min - lesser nesota wolves kill dogs be- ale may cause they seethe dog as alone ting a wolf encroaching on their others. turf.) Wolves mark territory ves its borders by spraying urine on ry: one telephone poles, rocks and before tree stumps (abehavior whose evolution in dogs can be seen around fire hydrants). In Min- nesota a few years ago, a pack badly wounded a deer, yet the prey managed to escape across a river into a bordering territory. The river might as well have been a wall: the territorial in- stinct was so powerful that the pursuing pack stopped dead. They left scent marks and headed home — hungry. Scent can carry more detailed messages. Mech and his colleagues find that particu- lar scents in urine can tell one pack mem- ber where the marking wolf has been, what it has eaten and when. Wolves also talk. Using oscilloscopes to measure vocaliza- tions, biologists have linked whimpers to friendliness and odd chirps to flirtation. Piercing whines mean the conversation is over. Prolonged squeaks seem to serve as overtures to group howls, which might alert a rival pack that this territory is spoken for, or unite a pack separated during a hunt. Contrary to lore, wolves NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 47 do not howl more during a full moon. In April 1990, the Ninemile female gave birth to a litter of at least six, fathered by a lone wolf she met around Missoula. In July her badly damaged radio collar was discov- ered in a creek bed near the den, she had apparently been killed. Her mate cared for the pups but around Labor Day was killed by a hit - and -run driver. F &WS biologists Ed Bangs and Mike Jimenez began leaving the orphans road - killed deer in the woods so they would crave venison and not beef. And a month later biologists caught and radio - collared two of the pups. `A controversial species': The Ninemile saga shows that wolves will travel great dis- tances to recolonize new territories. But without help getting around subdivisions and across highways, they probably cannot make it to Yellowstone. The park is one of three areas, with central Idaho and north- west Montana (map, page 46), that the 1982 Fish and Wildlife wolf - recovery plan identi- fies as sites where at least 10 breeding pairs should be returned. The animals could be introduced as an "experimental, nonessen- tial population," like red wolves in North Carolina (below). That would give states more flexibility in managing wolves —kill- ing them if they attacked livestock. "When wolves are returned to Yellowstone, wolf management outside the park will become a factoflife," says Mech. "The wolfis acontro- versial species and will require a different management approach than a trout:" Some antiwolf Westerners also want wolves designated "experimental" before wolves make it to Yellowstone on their own. If the animals return by them- selves, they will be accorded the full protection of the Endan- gered Species Act (ESA), and states would have less leeway to kill or move them. "We have to he have ways to take them if they Tbit leave the park," says Sen. Alan shy. Simpson ofWyoming. "Ifastate goes relies on game to attract tour- Wildl ists, and the wolves eat ungu- famil lates, how else do we maintain into the tourist industry ?" Smok The Ninemile orphans soon Park. taught themselves to hunt deer, first thanks to the F &WS- catered ever venison. But they never touched park cattle. A video made by one like t ranchershows thepups chasing pects grasshoppers and gophers but are n ignoring cows a few feet away. helps Once, they came within five feet racco o of a sick cow unable to stand, sheep and never touched her. Last deal m April four pups (the other gist two had disappeared) crossed roun d mountains into unfamiliar ter- ritory. They killed two 450 - pound yearlingsteers but barely ateeither. F &WSpolicyrequires relocating any wolf preying on livestock. Biologists snapped a radio collar on a third pup and took all three to Glacier. Do wolves regard ranch herds as fast food on the hoof? In Min- nesota, wolves annually kill about one cow in every 2,000 within their range and one sheep per 1,000. A $100,000 compensation fund established in 1987 by Defenders of W ildlife has paid about $11,000 to nine livestock owners in Montana, who showed that wolves killed about 30 of their animals. But the program is no panacea: ranchers complain that it is dif- ficult to meet Defenders' stand- ard of proof that a wolf, and not something else, killed a steer or sheep. Ranchers may have to erect expensive fences and bring their animals into the barn more often. When the Ninemile pack took up residence near Bob Demin's 80 head of cows and their calves — the father wolf strolled through his pasture while one cow was giving birth —the ranch- er moved calving mothers closer to the barn and stopped leaving dead calves on hills for vultures to finish off. "Butwe can't truck an- imals into the barnyard every night," says Kim Enkerud of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. "We're afraid livestock will have tobe moved from federal lands" where ranchers graze herds at subsidized rates and have those lands swept clean of preda- The Rescue of the Reds 48 NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 y're cinnamon colored, a scrawny and painfully And this fall, if all well, the U.S. Fish and ife Service will release a y of these red wolves North Carolina's Great y Mountains National They will become the endangered predators returned to a national —but howls of protest, hose greeting the pros - of wolves in Yellowstone, owhere to be heard. It that red wolves fancy ns and rabbits, not and cattle. But the real aker, says F &WS biolo- Warren Parker, was the of meetings federal agents held with local officials, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE members of Congress and resi- Homecoming: Releasing the colonists into Alligator River refuge tors. (Last year the U.S. Department of Ag- riculture killed 95 wolves, mostly in Minne- sota, that pestered livestock.) In late May a Ninemile rancher saw a collared wolf. Within days ranchers were reporting stock killed for miles around; none, it turned out, was killed by wolves. But then a collared female killed two lambs; it was `darted" and placed in cap- tivity. On June 15 a rancher reported a 250 - pound calf lost to a wolf it turned out that the animal had died of an ulcerated rumen. Within three days the second male was dents to reassure them that attack." What wolves do, it "the wolves don't wait at turns out, is bring in business. school -bus stops, don't dig up The eerie howls of wolves re- graves, don't lurk waiting to leased in 1987 into North Caro- found dead at the bottom of a lake; a ranch- er had shot and killed the collared female as she attacked his cattle, he claimed. F& WS agents are investigating. Score: two wolves killed illegally, • one in captivity; three, fates unknown. Many Western members of Congress side with their antiwolf constituents. Montana Rep. Ron Marlenee has com- pared wolves to cockroaches. Idaho Sen. Steve Symms told children that wolves "pose a real danger to humans." When Montana Rep. Pat Williams learned that lina's Alligator River Nation- al Wildlife Refuge—one step removed from the limelight of a national park — hasbecome a major tourist attraction. Man - teo, N.C., has even adopted the animal as its symbol. The rescue of the reds was a close call. In the 1970s, they numbered fewer than 100, down from the hundreds of thousands that once roamed from the Potomac to the Rio Grande. Federal biologists captured every one they could find in Texas and Louisia- na and, through meticulous breeding, produced 17 lupine Adams and Eves with "95 per- cent of the genetic material that was originally red wolf," says Parker. The 15 red wolves released into Alligator River have pro- duced four litters, proving that animals born and raised g �._, LEONARD LEE RUE III Young and frisky: Usually born in April, wol fpups stay in theirdens until midsummer (above). As they grow, they fight for dominance (left). the Park Service was mailing out informa- tion packets on wolves, he challenged "the appropriateness of providing the public with information about wolf reintroduc- tion." Although the ESA mandates that federal agencies undertake "all methods and procedures necessary" to restore en- dangered species, the Park Service stopped. Montana Sen. Conrad Burns has predicted that once wolves are back in Yellowstone, "there'll be a dead child within a year." Is that possible? Wolves do attack hu- mans, but rarely. In Canada and Minneso- in captivity can make it in the wild. Breeding pairs have also been released onto four is- lands off the Southeastern Seaboard. Each autumn they are recaptured, with their pups, to breed again; since 1987, 57 have been returned to the wild. Two more pairs have been in pens at Great Smoky since January. When one cou- ple and its five scruffy pups (born in April) go free, they will wear radio transmitters so officials can retrieve any that trespass on private land. Gene mix: The only cloud over the program is new research showing that the red wolf (Ca- nis rufus), first described in 1851, may not be a true species at all. According to Robert Wayne of the Zoological Soci- ety of London and Susan Jenks of the University of California, Berkeley, the red may be a hy- ta, in 1915 and 1970, wolves attacked dogs first and the people who protected them second. In 1982 a hunter was kicked and clawed, but not bitten, by a wolf near Du- luth; he was wearing deer - scented clothes, and Mech suspects the wolf confused him with its prey. In 1987 a young girl was bitten by a wolf in Ontario after she shined a light in its eyes. Mech notes that none of the people was seriously injured. "If a wolf were really to attack a person like they attack prey," he says, "the result would be instant and deadly." He suspects the "at- tacks" are threats, or defensive actions. That is small comfort to mothers around Yellowstone. Several say they will not pic- nic in the park with their children if wolves are returned. Poll surprise: That is becoming a minority view. In a 1989 Park Service poll, Yellow- stone visitors favored bringing the wolf back by a 6 -1 margin; so did two out of three people in Montana. This spring the Wyo- ming Game and Fish Department found, to its surprise, that 44 percent of those resi- dents questioned supported the wolf's re- turn to the park; 34 percent opposed it. F &WS Director John Turner has tried to find a compromise to please both camps. "But some of my neighbors are swinging me from the yardarm," says the Wyoming resi- dent. Congress may soon pass its most pro - wolf bill ever. In June the House voted to di- rect the Interior Department to implement the 1982 F &WS wolf - recovery plan, reloc- ating 10 breeding pairs to each of the three designated areas. The Senate is expected to take up the issue soon. If the bill becomes law, wolves could howl in Yel- lowstone by 1994. brid of the gray wolf (C. lupus) and coyote (C. latrans). In a paper recently published in the British journal Nature, they reported that DNA from red -wolf pelts collected be- tween 1905 and 1930 all match either coyote or gray -wolf genes. Why, then, bother to "save" the red, when its genes are quite nicely preserved, thank you, in gray wolves and coyote? Partly because the ab- sence of red wolves where grays and coyotes now live sug- gests that interbreeding has stopped, so the unique mix of genes in the red wolf is indeed endangered. There's a practi- cal reason, too. Great Smoky is plagued by wild boars —a spe- cies introduced to the park in this century. They have no nat- ural predators yet, but rangers hope the wolves will develop a tasteforbacon. A parallel battle is raging in the Southwest over the Mexi- can wolf, or lobo. Virtually ex- tint in the wild, conservation- ists see its recovery as the most pressing wolf - restoration prob- lem in the world. For a time, F &WS seemed to agree. Curtis Carley, the agency's South- west wolf specialist, had four wild Mexican wolves captured for a breeding program about 10 years ago. He planned to use the Army's White Sands Missile Range as the reintro- duction site, since it was the only nongrazing land large enough to support wolves and was already home to a herd of gemsbok, about 100 of which had been brought to the base in 1969. Then in 1987 the commanding general at White Sands wrote to F &WS saying that the base could no longer be considered as a re- lease site. The stated reason: fear for the wolves' safety in a NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 49 S 0 C I E T Y test -fire zone. Yet the gemsbok thrive. The real reason, charge some biologists, may be that F &WS didn't want to fight nearby ranchers who despise lobo. "They're killing machines," says J. Victor Culberson of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Associa- tion. "That's their mission in life." F &WS regional director Mike Spear proclaimed the Mexican wolf program all but dead and transferred Carley to wetlands manage - ment—in the and Southwest. Last year environmental groups sued F &WS and the Defense Department. Both backed down, and the program revved up. New Mexico Gov. Bruce King came out in favor of releasing Mexican wolves in White Sands, and Arizona agreed to let F &WS consider areas in its southeast. Once the captive population of lobos reaches 75 to 100, a group of eight could be released at the chosen site, perhaps by 1994. What man has destroyed, man may re- deem. That carries costs: livestock will be attacked, and ranchers will need compen- sation. But more is at stake than money. "In wilderness," Thoreau wrote, "is the preservation of the world." If the gray wolf returns to Yellowstone, the park would be- come the only place in the Lower 48 states to contain all the species present when Eu- ropeans first reached America. Last month ranchers in Ninemile sighted a young wolf — possibly one of the lost or- phans. The world may not have been pre- served, but it is onesmallstep closer to being made whole again. SHARON BEGLEY in Minnesota with LARRY WILSON in Ninemile, MARY HAGER in Washington and PETER ANN IN in Albuquerque Caution: Wolf -Dogs Can Be Hazardous Take a good look down the long snout and into the deeply intelligent eyes of a German shepherd, and you can't miss its wild, wolfish ancestry. Now some dog fanci- ers want more. For them, do- mesticated means dull —and thousands of Americans are snapping up the latest fad in exotic pets: the wolf -dog hy- brid. But many buyers have no idea what they're really buying. "'These animals are not family pets," declares Lisa Barrington, who has found them impossible to train in her dog- obedience classes in North Bend, Ore. Not mere- ly disobedient, hybrids are "predators at heart," explains Randall Lockwood, a wolf - behavior expert at the Hu- mane Society of the United States. Owners train them not to fear humans as wild wolves do— sometimes with tragic re- sults. In the past three years, at least six children have been killed by wolf - hybrid pets; many more have been severe- ly mauled. One particularly grim attack took place last April in New Jersey, when a hybrid severed the right arm ofTyler Olson, then 16 months old. "The hybrids are wild and will always be wild," says Bar- rington. "You might as well have a cougar in your yard." Macho appeal: Wildness is part of the attraction. "People think that with a wolf hybrid, they are getting close to na- ture," says Lockwood. Others are drawn to the wolf -dog's macho image. "To some peo- ple, this is a dangerous animal that only they can control," says Monty Sloan, a specialist in animal behavior at Wolf Park, a wildlife research and education facility in Lafay- ette, Ind. But ask wolf - hybrid breeder Nancy Kelham of Ft. Wayne why she keeps seven as pets, and you'll hear deep affection in her voice. "We like their intelligence and their love," she says. "If you wean them early and bottle - feed them, they bond to you as their parents. You have a communication with them that you don't with a dog." The hybrid's popularity has grown rapidly, particularly in the West and Northwest. Sloan estimates that 1 million to 2 million animals are being called wolf hybrids, but the real number is closer to 300,000. Sellers charge from $250 to $1,500 — sometimes for animals with little or no wolf content. Only eight states so far have imposed strict regulations governing licensing and ownership. The danger for children is real. To a hybrid, a small Perilous pets: A furry hybrid (left), 16 -month -old Tyler Olson with his mother after he lost his arm 50 NEWSWEEK : AUGUST 12, 1991 child running or scream- ing can look just like "dis- tressed prey." The animal may be playful, even wagging its tail —and then suddenly pounce. One shelter in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., adver- tised a wolf -dog as "pet of the week." Within hours of arriv- ing at its new home, the ani- mal attacked and killed a neighbor's child. Death sentence: When a hy- brid proves unmanageable, the owner may have little choice but to have the animal humanely destroyed. Shel- ters are often reluctant to take them. Releasing a hybrid into the wild, as some well - meaning owners do, can be a death sentence: the pet would not have learned how to for- age for food or elude other predators. Even the hybrids' most vig- orous champions acknowl- edge that they must be kept securely penned, with double fences and locked gates. Some concerned breeders won't sell to families with young chil- dren, and require buyers to answer an exhaustive series of questions about their home and kennel plans. Other ani- mal advocates insist the wolf - dogs should never have been bred as pets. "These animals are trapped between two worlds," says the Humane So- ciety's Lockwood. "They can't live in the wild, or as success- ful companion animals." Lisa Barrington puts the problem more dramatically. Owning a hybrid, she says, "is like liv- ing with an alcoholic. You never know when the time bomb will go off." JEAN SELIGMANN CENTRAL IDAH VOLUME 1, NO. 3 Amended t T T Plan w outlines WOIf Control F WOLF hat happens if a wolf becomes a problem? While the prey base for wolves mostly consists of deer and elk, there's no doubt that they'll also make a meal of domestic livestock on occasion. Steps Although incidences are few (in Minnesota, for example, an annual average of only 13 farms out of 12,230 experienced losses from the state's population of 1,500 gray wolves), Idaho livestock owners are less- than- thrilled at the prospect of any losses. How a problem wolf will be handled is outlined in an amended plan produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this year. The amended "Interim Wolf Control Plan" outlines a pro- cedure that will be followed if livestock losses are reported, said Jay Gore, endangered species recovery biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- ice in Boise. The first step is to investigate reports of killed livestock within 48 hours after they're received. An agency in the Department of Agriculture, Animal Damage Control (ADC), and Idaho Department of Fish and Game biologists will be responsible for verifying" Winter 1991 suspected wolf kills. If clear evidence exists that a wolf was responsi- ble, a decision on control the wolf will be made. Options range from capturing the wolf and transplanting it to another area far away to destroying the animal. "We'll do what is best for both the animal and livestock owner, based on the information that we can gather," Gore said. "We'll consider all fac- tors in our decision, including such things as the population of wolves in the area, the sex of the problem animal and whether it's a part of a breeding pair." Please turn to page 2 Bad Luck: Second Montana Wolf Killed ad luck continued for a breeding pair of wolves that biologists at one time hoped would cross the border from Montana and into Idaho. In early summer, the female was shot and the radio transmitter collar was cut from her neck and smashed. About September 1, the male was killed by a vehicle while crossing Interstate 90 outside of Missoula. Left be- hind were the pair's six pups, five of which were ac- counted for in Oc- tober, according to Joe Fontaine, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Missoula. Amended Plan Outlines Wolf Control Steps Continued from page 1 A feeding sta- tion was set up in early September, with deer taken from the Lee Met- calf National Wildlife Refuge used to feed the five pups. The feedings stopped in late October, after the deer gun If livestock losses occur in Idaho, owners can be compensated through a special fund set up by the Defenders of Wildlife, a private environmen- tal organization. "It's not a perfect system, and it isn't easy to come up with a fair market value that everyone agrees on," Gore said. "But the ex- perience in other states is that the payments are accepted" Gore said that having a plan in place will enable managers to make good decisions fast when the need arises. "It's important that we have a plan ready in case of an incident. It will benefit the public — and the wolves," he said. "Wolves consume part of the prey base that we lose every year to starvation and winter kill. The best living proof is that there were, atone time, 20,000 wolves, and they didn't li- quidate their prey base then." ■ Dan Davis, Clearwater National Forest biologist season, with the hope that the wolves were old enough to begin foraging on their own. "They all seem to be doing fine," said Fontaine, a USFWS wildlife biologist. "If they begin to show signs of stress, we'll start feeding them again" The five pups haven't been straying far from the feeding area, Fontaine said. Whereabouts of the sixth pup in the litter is unknown. Fontaine said it isn't clear whether the pup broke away from the pack or if it is dead. Monitoring of the wolves was made easier when a black female pup weighing 43 pounds and a 57 -pound male pup were trapped in late September. Radio collars were attached to the two before they were released. Fontaine said that the pups have stimulated a lot of interest in the Missoula area. "We had one lady offer her ranch as a place for the wolves, and many other offers of food. We've had to turn them down, of course, but there has been an outpour- ing of concern for the orphaned pups." The investigation into the female's death is con- tinuing, according to Fontaine. In April, the male and female moved west from the Ninemile Creek area near Missoula toward Idaho. They moved eastward again, where the pups were born, about 40 miles from the Idaho border. Based on their earlier migration, wildlife biologists thought the pair and their pups were good candidates to move eventually into Idaho. ■ Who's in Charge? There's a mix of agencies that all have a hand in wolf recovery, but as long as the animal is listed as threatened or endangered, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is in charge of managing wolves. USFWS shares some of the responsibility with state wildlife agencies, and cooperates with other natural resource agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, in its management efforts. When the wolf is delisted in an area —the goal of the recovery program —state wildlife agencies will assume management respon- sibility. ■ Team Track WOIf Reports n late July, a sheep herder in Elk Meadows on the Payette National Forest reported seeing two large, gray dogs near his sheep. Later, three sheep were found dead. About the same time, the camp tender reported being accosted by animals that he described as "wolf dogs." That was enough for a "verification team" to investigate. The team's purpose was to gather evidence and determine if indeed wolves were responsible for the incidents. Wolf response teams have been set up to cover three zones in Idaho where wolf occurrences are most likely, said John Erickson, Boise National Forest wildlife biologist. The goal is for a team to be on a site investigating the presence of wolves within 48 hours after probable sightings are reported. "It's important that we go out and deter- mine if wolf reports are valid, and that we're responsive in keeping in touch with the pulse of what's happening," Erickson said. "The verifica- tion teams also help keep rumors under control" The teams mostly consist of wildlife biologists from several agencies who have received train- ing in recognizing wolf sign. Team members will look for tracks, droppings and other signs of the animals. They'll howl and listen for a response, and talk with eyewitnesses. "So far, the teams have been out many times, but haven't yet verified the presence of any wolves," Erickson said. For the Payette National Forest incident, a two - person team, Layne Bangerter and Glen Mathews, both of Animal Damage Con- trol were on the site in Spot a f you spot a gray wolf in the wild, you can call a toll -free number after December 1 WOIf? to report the information. The number is 1- 800 - 635 -7820. The Call TOII Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDF&G) and several other agencies are Free... sponsoring the toll free number. It will less than 24 hours. After searching for wolf evidence and speaking to the sheep herder and tender, "Our investigation leads us to believe that the animals were not wolves, but merely feral domestic dogs or wolf /dog hybrids," Bangerter said. Even negative reports are helpful, Erickson believes. "The verification teams will be effective over time, even if they don't verify wolves. They keep information flowing and that can only help in wolf recovery;' he said. ■ provide recorded information with a place to leave a message, according to Jack Trueblood of IDF8sG. Information about wolf sightings will be pass- ed on to the appropriate personnel and a follow - up conducted. ■ TBE en breeding pairs of wolves is what biologists believe are needed in IN17()11MM I(1N Idaho to maintain a viable popula- 0011NEAR tion and ensure genetic diversity. That is the recovery goal for Idaho. That's not to say that Idaho's elk population would dip by that number to support a wolf population. Wolves would also appease their ap- petites with deer, carrion, and in some instances, beaver and other rodents. Would 10 wolf packs make an impact on hunting? According to a study done by researchers at the University of Idaho, the effects would be almost nil. They draw a parallel between gray wolves and mountain lions. Idaho has about 2,500 mountain lions, many of 1i I D NA I HAOI U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service WOLF Room 576 4696 Overland Road R E C O V E R Y Boise, Idaho 83705 Published by the Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee. Members are Animal Damage Control, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Depart- ment of Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. which are in the central Idaho's wilderness coun- try. They prey on the same kinds of animals that wolves would. That's a much larger population than the recovery target for wolves, yet the elk and deer populations in central Idaho have both risen through the years. The conclusion? A population of 100 gray wolves in Idaho would not make a dent on big game populations and have little or no effect on hunting. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game's big game management plan goals for cen- tral Idaho are for stable to increasing numbers of big game. And it seems that goal is obtainable even with a healthy wolf population in central Idaho. ■ Help for Teachers Teachers interested in wolf recovery materials or a classroom presentation by a wolf expert have a place to turn for help. A program that can be adapted from kindergarten through high school is available, according to Suzanne Morris. Teachers who would like more information on it can write Morris at P.O. Box 793, Boise, ID 83701, or call her at 939 -4290. ■ total number of wolves in packs ®The associated with the breeding pairs How likely would be about 100. Much So how much prey is needed to sustain 10 wolf Prey? • packs? Wolves feed primarily on "ungulates," or hoov- ed animals. Deer and elk are two of their favorites. Studies estimate that each wolf consumes the equivalent of six to eight elk per year. Ten wolf packs, with a population of 100 animals, would consume the equivalent of 600 to 800 elk per year. That's not to say that Idaho's elk population would dip by that number to support a wolf population. Wolves would also appease their ap- petites with deer, carrion, and in some instances, beaver and other rodents. Would 10 wolf packs make an impact on hunting? According to a study done by researchers at the University of Idaho, the effects would be almost nil. They draw a parallel between gray wolves and mountain lions. Idaho has about 2,500 mountain lions, many of 1i I D NA I HAOI U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service WOLF Room 576 4696 Overland Road R E C O V E R Y Boise, Idaho 83705 Published by the Central Idaho Wolf Recovery Steering Committee. Members are Animal Damage Control, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Depart- ment of Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. which are in the central Idaho's wilderness coun- try. They prey on the same kinds of animals that wolves would. That's a much larger population than the recovery target for wolves, yet the elk and deer populations in central Idaho have both risen through the years. The conclusion? A population of 100 gray wolves in Idaho would not make a dent on big game populations and have little or no effect on hunting. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game's big game management plan goals for cen- tral Idaho are for stable to increasing numbers of big game. And it seems that goal is obtainable even with a healthy wolf population in central Idaho. ■ Help for Teachers Teachers interested in wolf recovery materials or a classroom presentation by a wolf expert have a place to turn for help. A program that can be adapted from kindergarten through high school is available, according to Suzanne Morris. Teachers who would like more information on it can write Morris at P.O. Box 793, Boise, ID 83701, or call her at 939 -4290. ■ "All ck tra'... A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE WOLF RECOVERY FOUNDATION INC. , Spring 1992 ALERT', It's time to voice your support for wolves! The most important process this decade in determining how wolf recovery will proceed in Idaho and Yellowstone Na- tional Park has begun! After years of intense lobbying from con- servation organizations, Congress recently authorized an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on wolf recovery plans for the Greater Yellowstone and central Idaho areas. The EIS is the next step in determining where and how wolf recov- ery will proceed. Five different alternatives will be dis- cussed including: 1. No wolves. 2. No government action - natural recolonization. 3. Reintroduction under experimental population - Section 10j of the Endan- gered Species Act (ESA). 4. Last year's Federal Wolf Manage- ment Committee plan- which WRF fought and stopped in D.0 last spring. This plan allowed ranchers to kill wolves for "harassing" livestock and two weeks to report it! 5. Reintroduction with full ESA protec- tion. These alternatives, or a combination of them, will eventually lead to a final plan to be implemented for wolf recov- ery in Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone regions. To accomplish the necessary public involvement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service will conduct public scoping hearings at the locations listed on page 4. It's extremely urgent that wolf support- ers voice their opinions during this pro- cess! Last years Federal Wolf manage- ment hearings were jammed with anti - wolf folks who turned them into rallys against wolves, conservation, and the Endangered Species Act. The Wolf Recovery Foundation does not support the reintroduction of wolves in Idaho. If wolves are reintroduced here, all wolves in Idaho would almost cer- tainly be stripped of their endangered spe- cies status protection and be reduced to a "non- essential experimental population." With Idaho already having a population of wolves, many people are opposed to forced reintroduction. which could easily lead to uncontrolled killing of wolves and perma- nently cripple wolf recovery in Idaho. It is always easier to turn out people to oppose something, especially something as traditionally hated as wolves. But the polls show that the vast majority of people support wolves. It is time we are heard! Please plan to attend one of these sessions, (Cont. on page 4 ) Spring 1992 rr; •: tr i. 4 WRF Board of Directors Michael Blake Author, Dances with Wolves Chairman Lois Fletcher President Dan Smith Treasurer Ann Findley Secretary Dean Ehlert Biology Suzanne M. Laverty Program Director Kent J. Laverty Development Director WRF Advisory Board Jim Dutcher Dutcher Film Productions Dr. John Freemuth Boise State University Dr. Steven Fritts U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Dr. L. David Mech U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service James Gore USDA - Forest Service From the Director, A Call to Action! The last several months have been a roller coaster of activity for the Wolf Recovery Foundation. We have implemented plans for the Wolf Center of the Northern Rockies, conducted dozens of meetings and programs, organized the April "Night of Wolves" and Idaho Earth Fest 92', lobbied against proposed state legislation, and coordinated with other conservation groups concerning the upcoming environmen- tal impact statement (EIS) for Central Idaho and Yellowstone wolf recovery efforts. In addition, WRF has designed and implemented fundraising grants and projects which will enable us to accomplish many of our goals. But as the list of accomplishments grow, so does the demand to meet more challenges. We are quickly outgrowing our resources of time, energy and representation. The last meeting of the Board of Directors helped clarify where our most critical needs are; organization and outreach. We are putting out the call to all people who are concerned and want to become involved in the efforts to save the wolf. We need representatives from all over Idaho and the Northern Rockies to help us meet the challenges we face today. The areas of greatest need are: 1) The WRF Board of Directors- We need people who have expertise in biology, volunteer coordination, teaching, business, and non - profit organization. The Board of Directors works together as a team to design and implement the goals of the organization. Each Board member represents a different area of experience which enables us to combine out talents and increase our effectiveness. 2) Committees- We need people specifically focused on each of the areas of outreach including howling survey expeditions, public speakers to be trained for a Speakers Network, educational program design and implementation, fundraising, volunteer coordination, newsletter organizers, T -shirt distributors, lobbying and special events coordinators. 3) Technical Assistance- The needs here include landscape and building architects, graphic artists, engineers, carpenters, media specialists (print, audio and visual), exhibit designers and builders, accounting and office coordinators. This is an opportunity for YOU to turn your ideas and values into action! Write or call the Wolf Recovery Foundation today at (208) 343 -2248! You CAN make a difference! For wolves, Suzanne M. Laverty Program Director N iG���voL�s„ Friday., ApITT 1 Oth, 7:3 0 PM B,SRf Snecin!'EVenrs ('enter a Featuring Michael Blake Author of Dances with Wolves Idaho Dance Theatre Interpretive ballet of WOLF EYES by Paul Winter Ambassador Wolves "Sila" and "Peaches" From Mission!Wolf of Colorado Mountain Visions Wide Screen Productions Gallery 601 Wolf Exhibit Audience "Howl -In" and more! Sponsored by AMAS (Alternative Mobility Adventure Seekers) Tickets - $10 general admission, $5 students, seniors and WU members. Available at the Blue Unicorn, From The Earth, High Country Sports and at the door: A benefit for the Wolf Recovery Foundation. Call 343 -2245 for more info! Page Three Spring 1992 ALERT! (Cont. from page 1) The Idaho scoping meetings are sched- uled for: April 14: Couer d'Alene, Challis, Salmon April 15: Idaho Falls, Stanley, Lewiston April 16: Boise, McCall, Grangeville The Boise and McCall meetings will be held in the Forest Service Supervisors of- fices in each of those cities. In Boise, 1750 Front St. In McCall, 106 W. Park St. All meetings will be conducted in an "open house" format and last from 4:00- 8:00pm. They are constructed differently than the last hearings. These "open houses" will be solely educational, alerting people of the structure of the EIS process, and guiding people on how to become involved. Only written testimony will be accepted. No oral comments will be recorded. The other locations of the scoping meet- ings are: Wyoming April 6: Riverton, Jackson, Cody April 7: Rock Springs, DuBois, Pinedale April 8: Thermopolis, Cheyenne, Casper Montana April 9: Missoula, Bozeman, Billings April 10: Red Lodge, W. Yellostone, Hamilton April 13: Helena, Dillon, Gardiner National Hearings April 20: Seattle April 21: Salt Lake City April 22: Denver April 23: Washington, D.C. And Anchorage, Minneapolis /St. Paul and Alburquerque- to be announced. (Please contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service for the exact locations.) Tile first step in the Gray Wolf EIS will be to identify the issues. This is the purpose of the April meetings. A report will be draft EIS will be presented to Congress on May 13, 1993. The final EIS is expected to be completed during 1994. * * *To be placed on the EIS mailing list and to submit your comments, write or call: Yellowstone N.P. and Central Idaho Gray Wolf EIS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service P.O. Box 8017 Helena, MT 59601 (406) 449 -5202 Points to make: 1) We support natural recolonization for wolf recovery in Idaho as outlined in the Northern Rocky Moun- tain Wolf Recovery Plan which was adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987. 2) Idaho has a small population of wolves which should remain protected as an endangered species until they are fully recovered (10 breeding pair) as stated in the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Re- covery Plan. If determined biologically necessary, augmentation (supplementing) of the existing wolf population is a legal alternative to increasing the population of wolves in Idaho and is already authorized by the Endangered Species Act. 3) We support reintroduction of wolves in the Greater Yellowstone eco- sysyem based on sound biological meth- ods. Wolves are a missing component and would benefit Yellowstone by completing the eco- system and adding value to the Park. 4) Lethal control, protection and management of wolves should remain under the authority of the federal and state gov- ernment agencies which are directly re- sponsible forprotection of endangered and threatened species. Ranchers, nor anyone else, should be allowed to kill or harass wolves without direct authority from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and only after showing just cause for this action. IDAHO PUBLIC SUPPORTS WOLVES! Survey Research Center Releases Poll Results A statewide random sample of 809 Idaho residents was scientifically sur- veyed by Boise State University' Survey Reseach Center early this year. The ques- tion was asked: "Do you favor or oppose having wolves in the wilderness and roadless areas of Central Idaho ?" The results, which have a sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 %, are as follows: Favor 72.4% Oppose 22.1% Don't Know/No opinion 5.4% BSU's Analysis "The presence of wolves in the wilder- ness and roadless areas of Idaho is looked at favorably by a significant majority of Idahoans. In addition, every demographic group also favors the presence of wolves in wilderness and roadless areas. The percentage of those favoring wolves ranges from a low of 58.8% for those Idahoans over 60, to a high of 79.8% for Idahoans under 35. All other demo- graphic groups fall between these per- centages." "The survey question on wolves was designed to measure public opinion on having wolves in Idaho. The public... is apparently very accepting of wolves in Idaho. This acceptance might be viewed a necessary condition for the success of the current Fish and Wildlife Service natural recolonization policy. That is, if natural recolonization occurs, the public is favorably disposed to the wolves ..." For a copy of the survey, contact Dr. prepared by the USFWS and made public John Freeman at Boise State University in June. In July, a public review will ,Dept. of Political Science, 1910 Univer- identify alternatives to address issues. A sity Drive, Boise, ID 83725. Packtracks Page Four WOLF CENTER STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE! Intense opposition from several industry groups, including the Idaho Cattlemens Association and the Idaho Farm Bureau has failed to stop WRF's planned devel- opment for an education and research center on wolves. The "Wolf Center of the Northern Rockies" was proposed for the Payette National Forest between McCall and New Meadows, Idaho. WRF and the Forest Service held several public meetings on the proposal. In addition to presenting the plan for the Center, we attempted to dispel the myths that the facility would not be a "reintroduction center" and would not be a threat to the safety of members of the community. Most of the opposition came from live- stock industry representatives and from residents of the community of New Mead- ows. The opposition we experienced is not unexpected - in fact it is typical of the paranoia surrounding the return of the wolf. Comments in public meetings included: "Shoot, we spent millions tryin' to get rid of 'em, and now YOU want to bring them back ? ?" "In Minnesota, my ancestors had to climb trees to get away from them suckers !" We are now even more convinced that the need for public education is acute in rural Idaho. WRF is committed to the success of the Wolf Center, whether it is on the Payette National Forest at Thorn Creek or somewhere else. The Forest Service has told us they do not have the money to pay for the necessary environmental evaluations due to budget constraints this year. Because we are under certain time deadlines (we need to open Spring of 1993), we are now con- centrating on fundraising to pay for the necessary environmental study. We are also exploring other sites including other public and private land options. Page Five The Wolf Center of the Northern Rockies is critically needed. At a time when wolves are making their way back to Idaho, when the political spectrum in our state seems to be swinging, when the habitat seems to be diminishing at exponential rates, the public must be informed on the facts. And people need to have an oppor- tunity to meet the wolf. The public needs to make up their own minds - not be persuaded by myths, politics, and by what their neighbor thinks. The Wolf Recovery Foundation staff and Board of Directors wish to thank all the people in the McCall area who were not afraid to support the center. You gave us tremendous encouragement when we faced stiff opposition, and we could not have moved forward without you. The folks at the Payette National Forest were also very professional and well- organized. We are grateful for your expertise and guidance and look forward to working with you in the future. And to all our supporters who took the time to write and call in support of the Wolf Center, thank you! And be assured, WE HAVE NOT GIVEN UP! As things progress, we will keep you informed! We are always looking forcomments and sug- gestions, please contact the WRF office if you want to become involved in establish- ing the Wolf Center of the Northern Rockies. r* r Y f 41, (7--_0 WOLF MOON white wolf watching a white wolf watching a white wolf padding through soft snow, skirting the edge of tamarack and big pine following the gilded path light on light star crystals blinking chasing the shadow play, bough to winter trimmed bough he prances from blue green depths and out again now a boy wolf white shadow on a night dark berm. something sifts through his limb vision, wolf feels it in his damp smelling feeling knowing space; the soft dancing padding stops he catches the night breeze question and knows: the three, man child crying olf master chanting brother sky wolf singing. mask in place, fur tufts warm sinew and a breath pulse just so the answer rises, mist spirals glide past february heavy drifts up past the white wolf, past the white wolf up to the white wolf moon. by Nancy E. Rivers, McCall Sprina1992 OF WOLVES AND WOLF RECD VERY�� The issue of wolf recovery is often confusing with the many facets involved concerning wolves, their behavior, and the different approaches to their recovery. To help members better understand this issue, WRF will select areas to highlight in upcoming issues. We also encourage members to write to us with specific questions to help us focus on which issues are important to you. Wolves are an endangered species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the continental United States except Minnesota where wolves are currently listed as a threatened species. Wolves are native to almost all of the United States, but were targeted by the livestock industry and government "wolfers" (bounty hunters) who killed thousands of wolves over the last century. By the early 1930's, wolves had been trapped, shot and poisoned to near extinction in the continental U.S. In 1987, the Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan was adopted by government agencies to assist the recovery of the wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains. This plan identified three areas - Northwestern Montana, Central Idaho and the Yellowstone National Park eco- sysyem for the restoration of wolves. Two different methods for recovery were identified based on biological and scientific recommendations. Natural recolonization (allowing wolves from Canada to migrate back) was the preferred alternative for Northwestern Montana and Central Idaho, and reintroduction (capturing and translocating) of wolves was recommended for the Yellowstone eco- system, where wolves had been considered extinct for decades. So far, the natural recolonization method is working. Wolf packs have recolonized in Montana and now, evidence shows, into Central Idaho. Wolves may also be recolonizing naturally back into Northern Washington as well. Current Status of Gray Wolf Populations in the U.S. Northern Rockies (USFWS) Montana- 40 -50, including packs in Canada along U.S. border Idaho- Less than 20 wolves Yellowstone (Wyoming)- 0 Washington - (number unknown but small) North Dakota (occasional) Oregon -0 Other- 0 10F WOLVES AND MYTHS Wolves don't eat grandmothers... According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), there has never been a recorded case of a healthy, wild wolf attacking and killing a human in U.S. history. Wolf depredation on livestock occurs less than you may expect - in Minnesota and Canada, wolves co -exist among thousands of ranches with less than 0.5% of livestock loss annually. Ranchers in the Northern Rockies also receive compensation for their losses due to wolf depredation. Wolf packs are basically a family of wolves led by the "alpha" male and female wolves (usually the parents of the other pack members). Wolves breed once a year and produce their pups in the early spring. Six or seven pups per pack is an average litter size, however, half or more of the pups may not survive due to insufficient diet, poor weather, and illness. The main prey base for wolves is deer, elk and moose- mice are not on the menu! Packtracks age Six Upcoming Events April 10th - "The Night of Wolves" 7:30pm, BSU Special Events Center. Last years event sold out! See page 3 for information! April 16th- Public scoping hearings for wolf EIS. See page 4 for exact locations! April 26th - "Idaho Earth Fest 92' " Noon to 6:00pm at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. Lots of music, Eco -fair and childrens activities! See back page for more details! The Wolf Recovery Foundation will again offer volun- teer howling survey expeditions in the Idaho wilderness areas this summer to assist biologists in monitoring wolf activity in Idaho. Special WRF training classes will be offered through Boise Community Education on Sat. May 9, 1992 at Hillside Junior High from 11:00am- 12:30pm and 12:30- 2:00pm. Cost is $1.40 per person. Call Boise Community Education at 338 -3525 for more information. Additional training programs will be of- fered later this summer. Warm upon your howling and call WRF at 343 -2248! Volunteer Opportunities Artwork Board of Directors Educational Programs Events Fundraising Join the pack! $500 Patron $100 Sponsor $ 50 Associate _ $ 35 Family $ 25 Individual ff • "Let There Be Wolves" WRF T- Shirts, tanks and sweatshirts are avail- able at The Blue Unicorn, and From The Earth in Boise. Or come by the WRF office at 409 S.8th, suite 209. Lobbying Newsletter Office Help Wolf Center Other (please spec The Wolf Recovery Foundation is a non - profit organization which depends upon your support. If you are not already a member, please take a moment to join us. Name: Address: City Phone ( ) State 'Lip Please make checks payable to the Wolf Recovery Foundation, (an IRS recognized 501.C3 tax deductible organization.) Idaho Earth Fest' 92 A Musical Celebration and Eco -Fair Who says you can't change the world? Come learn how at the Earth Day Eco- Fair featuring dozens of conservation organizations, businessess which sell environmentally sound products, and government agencies working to protect the environment. Listen to musical performances by Chicken Cordon Blues, Black Diamond, the Corvairs, J.J. Deon, Kevin Kirk and many others. Special Native American dances too. Kids are encouraged to dress up as an Idaho plant or animal "species" for the Species Parade and to attend Mother Earth's Birthday party. �III� EARTH DAY"A Come celebrate the Earth with us! Sunday, April 26th Noon to 6:00pm Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise Sponsored by the Idaho Conservation League and the Wolf Recovery Foundation Tickets are $5 general, $3 walkers, bikers and carpoolers, $1 for kids 12 & under The Wolf Recovery Foundation P.O. Box 793 Boise, Idaho 83701 m Printed on recycled paper iii Non- Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Boise, Idaho Permit No. 702 i� tk: ��' i _ - 1 9 r3 Wandering wolves confuse reintroduction proposal By Hugh Dellios Chicago Tribune YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo.  The federal gov- ernment's plan to reintroduce wolves in and around the na- tion's first national park has be- come complicated by evidence that the wolves may be able to find their way back to Yellow- stone on their own. A large canine shot by a hunter just south of the park's border in the spring was positively identi- fied as a wolf. That followed a movie crew's filming of a wolf- like animal in the park chasing coyotes and even a grizzly bear away from a bison carcass. Wildlife advocates say they were encouraged this summer about the prospect of wolves' breeding in new areas when a pair of wolves reared pups east of the continental divide in Mon- tana for the first time in 20 years. Now some environmental ac- tivists are threatening a lawsuit against the government's re- introduction plan and its preda- tor- control provisions in order to protect wolves that may wan- der into the park. The activists object to a part of the plan that would allow state officials and ranchers to harass, move or even kill wolves that threaten livestock, despite the wolves' federal designation as an endangered species. Under the plan, no distinction would be made between intro- duced wolves and those migrat- ing into the area naturally. "As we have more and more evidence of wolves using Yel- lowstone, it becomes more prob- lematic to go ahead with experi- mental reintroduction," said Doug Honnold, an attorney for the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund. "You can almost guaran- tee there will be a lawsuit." The prospect of more delays in the wolf program arises just as federal officials are holding what they hoped would be the final round of public hearings in the two - decade effort to bring wolves back into the greater Yellow- stone area and central Idaho. The last of the native wolf population in the Yellowstone area was exterminated in 1923, although some wolves are be- lieved to wander into the park from northwestern Montana. In July, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a draft environmental impact statement ordered by Congress two years ago. The document recommends importing 30 wolves from Canada over two years if two breeding packs aren't discovered around the park before October 1994. Under the proposal, all wolves in the area would be considered �`experimental," meaning they could be killed or moved by gov- ernment agencies if they prey on cattle or sheep. The plan has intensified the battle over wolves and their ef- fects on land use in the area. Many have embraced the gov- ernment plan as the only com- promise that would work. But some environmentalists have seized upon the recent wolf sightings to demand hands -off protection for both introduced and migrating wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Many cattle- and sheep- raisers want to eliminate the wolves. Acknowledging the recent wolf evidence, U.S. officials have intensified their monitor- ing activities but so far have found no proof that the preda- tors are staying and mating around the park. "There are lone wolves. There have been for 30 years," said Ed Bangs, the biologist in charge of the program. "But if you hang your hat on waiting for natural recovery, you can wait another 40 years." Federal officials conducted an extensive DNA test to identify the wolf shot by a hunter south of the park. The hunter told au- thorities he thought he was shooting at the largest of a group of coyotes. Debate also surrounds the wolf -like animal in the video- tape. Some say its behavior marks it as a wolf, while others question whether its darker col- or and pointed ears mean it is a wolf -dog hybrid. LCG1'L� 1/d11�Y Ac�uu�dte R, Qf Gray wolf plan to be subject of hearinas A controversial plan to reintroduce the gray wolf to areas of Ida- ho, Montana and Wyoming will be the subject of public hearings scheduled in August and September in the three states, and in Seat- tle, Salt Lake City, Denver and Washington, D.C. A summary of the Environmental Impact Statement for the pro- posal was included in The Idaho Statesman over the weekend. The proposed alternative under the EIS would result in a survey of existing wolf populations in those areas. If two wild breeding pairs, raising at least two young for the previous two years, couldn't be doc- umented by October of 1994, then introduction of wolves into either or both central Idaho or Yellowstone National Park would begin. The summary of the EIS states that efforts have been intensified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF &WS) to locate wolf packs in two areas, but no packs have been found at the present time. The two areas are defined as the State of Idaho south of Interstate 90 and west of Interstate 15, and Wyoming and Montana south of In- terstate 94 and U.S. Highway 12. The reintroduction would begin in October of 1994 with the release of 30 wolves captured in Canada, and such releases would continue "until a wild wolf population was established in each area (estimated 3 -5 years). "Breeding adults and their pups (15 /year) would be held 6 -8 weeks at 3 sites in Yellowstone ... and released in December," under the proposed action. "Yearlings and non - breeding adults (15 /year) would be immediately released in cevttral Ida- ho to simulate natural dispersal and pack formation. Reintroduced wolves would be monitored with radio telemetry and moved as necessary to enhance wolf population recover," under the pro- posed action. Under the plan: • States and tribes would implement and lead wolf management efforts outside of national park's and national wildlife refuges. • All wolves in the two areas would be designated experimental animals once the reintroduced animals are released. " Wolves that severely impact wild populations of elk, deer and moose or that potentially affect other species listed as endangered or threatened, would be moved as needed. " There would be no land use restrictions imple- mented for wolves. " Agencies would move or kill wolves that at- tacked livestock (cattle, sheep, horses or mules only) on public or private lands. Females with pups on pub- lic land would be released on site before October 1. " Compensation for livestock killed by wolves would be paid from an already established private' fund. " Wolves that attack domestic animals, other than livestock, on private land three times in a calen- dar year would be moved. " Land owners could, in "an opportunistic nonin- jurious manner," harass wolves on private land at any time, with a 14 -day reporting requirement. Those grazing livestock on public lands could also harass the wolves in the same opportunistic, non - injurious manner wit wine 14- day'rep6rfmg i6- quirettient. " Wolves in the act of wounding or killing live - stock on private land could be killed by livestock owners /managers, with the requirement that the ac- tion be reported within 24 hours and evidence of live- stock freshly wounded by wolves must be evident. " If agencies could not resolve wolf depradation on livestock grazing on public lands, the grazing per - mitees would receive permits to kill wolves in the act of attacking livestock, with the same reporting re- quirements list immediately above. " After thorough investigation, the killing or in- juring of wolves by unavoidable or unintentional ac- tions during otherwise legal activities would not be prosecuted. The selected action alternative is among five al- ternatives analyzed by USF &WS. A second alternative would encourage natural wolf recovery, but no introductions of wolves would take place. The third alternative studied would result in no wolves. Congress would pass legislation removing L Vci !(e.��,j Ad v c ed-re- duly lq 43 wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming from the list of endangered species and USF &WS would cease all funding and management activity toward wolf moni- toring, education, research and control in the northern Rocky Mountains. A fourth alternative would put the issue on the states. Congress would be asked to either amend the Endangered Species Act to designate wolves in Ida- ho, Montana and Wyoming  except for wolves in and immediately west of Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks  as a special state - managed nonessential experimental population. The states would then be called on to develop wolf recovery plans that would be based on natural dispersal in the states, with the reintroduction of wolves set for Yellowstone National Park. The fifth alternative would involve the reintro- duction of nonexperimental populations of wolves. Under that alternative, wolves would be reintroduced in central Idaho and Yellowstone until 10 breeding pairs were established. The costs associated with the various manage- ment alternatives range from an estimated $100,000 for the no wolf alternative to upwards of $129 million for the alternative that would leave the matter up to state plans. The estimated cost of the preferred alternative is slightly more than $6 million. Public hearings on the proposed plan are sched- uled to begin with Aug. 25 hearings at Bozeman, Missoula and Dillon, Mont. On Aug. 31, hearings are scheduled for Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston and Idaho Falls. Hearings are set for Sept. 1 at Cody, Riverton and Jackson Hole, Wyo. On Sept. 27, hearings are scheduled for Cheyenne, Wyo., Boise, and Helena, Mont. Sept. 28 will see hearings held at Salt Lake City, Denver and Seattle, and the final hearing is scheduled for Washington, D.C. on Sept. 30. All of the hearings begin at 2 p:m., with sign up to testify to begin at noon each hearing day. The ex- act locations of the hearings will be announced at a later date. 4 ;*W4-140 The reintroduction of Grav to Yellowstone Park A B S T R A C T he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposes to establish an experimental population rule and reintroduce gray wolves into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho, if 2 naturally occurring wolf packs can not be located in either area before October 1994. The rule would allow liberal management of wolves by government agencies and the public to minimize conflicts over public lands, effects on domestic animals and livestock, and impacts on ungulate (deer, elk, etc.) populations. There will be no land use restrictions for wolves. State and tribal wildlife agencies are encouraged to lead wolf management outside national parks and national wildlife refuges. Reintroduction would result in wolf population recovery (10 breeding pairs, about 100 wolves /area for 3 successive years) in and around Yellowstone National Park and in central Idaho by 2002. The Yellowstone area is about 25,000 mil and 76% federal land. This area has over 95,000 ungulates, has a hunter harvest of 14,314 ungulates, is grazed by about 412,000 livestock, has a $4.2 billion local economy, olves and Central Idaho and receives about 14,500,000 recreational visits annually. The central Idaho area is about 20,700 mil and is nearly all USDA Forest Service land. The central Idaho area has about 241,400 ungulates, has a hunter harvest of 33,358 ungulates, is grazed by about 306,525 livestock, has a $1.43 billion local economy, and receives about 8,000,000 recreational visits annually. A recovered wolf population in the Yellowstone area would kill about 19 cattle (1- 32) and 68 sheep (17 -110) and up to 1,200 ungulates each year. A recovered wolf population would not affect hunter harvest of male ungulates but may reduce hunter harvests of female elk, deer, and moose for some herds. A recovered wolf population would not affect hunter harvests or populations of bighorn sheep, mountain goats or antelope. A recovered wolf population may reduce populations of elk 5 % -30% (30% in some small herds), deer 3 % -19 %, moose 7 %- 13%, and bison up to 15 %. The presence of wolves would not change uses of public or private land except for potential use of M -44 Alternative 1 Reintroduction of Experimental Populations Alternative (The Proposal). Alternative 2 Natural Recovery Alternative - The No Action Alternative. Encourage wolf populations to naturally expand into Idaho and Yellowstoi'le. Alternative 3 No Wolf Alternative. Change laws and prevent wolf recovery. Alternative 4 Wolf Management Committee Alternative. Establish legislation so the states could implement wolf recovery and liberal management without federal oversight. About the summary his summary of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) describes 5 alternative ways that wolves could be reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho, the process used to develop the alternatives, and the environmental consequences of implementing each alternative. Three alternatives [Reintroduction of Experimental Populations (the FWS's proposal), Wolf Management Committee, and Reintroduction of Nonexperimental Wolves] involve capturing and releasing At 7ep r cyanide devices ( "coyote getters ") in occupied wolf range. Visitor use.would increase ( +5% for out of area residents and +10% for local residents), and generate $ 7 -$10 million in additional net local economic benefits each year. A recovered wolf population in the central Idaho area would kill about 10 cattle (1 -17) and 57 sheep (32 -92) and up to 1,650 ungulates each year. A recovered wolf population will not affect hunter harvest of male elk but may reduce harvest of female elk 10 % -15 %. A recovered wolf population will not measurably impact hunter harvest of deer, moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goats. A recovered wolf population will not measurably impact ungulate populations in central Idaho. Wolf presence will not change uses of public or private land (except for use of M -44 devices in occupied wolf range). Visitor use would likely increase ( +8% for out of area residents and +2% to -12% for area residents), and generate $5.6 -$8.4 million in additional net local economic benefits each year. S U M M A R Y YY VIYVJ. VI IV UIIVi (Natural Recovery or No Action) simply encourages natural wolf recovery. One alternative (No wolf) prevents wolf recovery. All issues and concerns identified by the public were considered and the most significant analyzed in detail. The potential effects of each alternative on livestock, land use, ungulate (deer, elk, etc.) populations, hunter harvest, visitor use, and regional economies are also described. Important In order to be considered in development of the final plan, comments on the DEIS must be received by October 15, 1993. Public comments will not be available for public review until after the DEIS comment period ends. Copies of the DEIS have been sent to public libraries in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and those cities where open houses were held. In addition, several hundred copies of the DEIS were sent to organizations or individuals who represent people who may be significantly impacted by any decision. Those wishing to review the complete draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) or needing further information should contact: Ed Bangs Gray Wolf EIS Project Leader P.O. Box 8017 Helena, Montana 59601 (406) 449 -5202 Alternative 5 Reintroduction of Nonexperimental Wolves Alternative. Reintroduction and high level of protection for wolves without establishing an experimental population rule to address local concerns. Public Comments on the DEIS are welcome and will be accepted from July 12, 1993, through October 15, 1993. Public hearings will be held during this period. A final EIS will then be prepared. Comments should be directed to: Ed Bangs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Project Leader, GRAY WOLF EIS, P.O. BOX 8017, HELENA, MONTANA 59601. Ralph O. Morgenweck Regional Director, Region 6 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ._ r PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE ACTION The gray wolf (Canis lupus) was common in the northern Rocky Mountain states prior to 1870. After bison, deer, elk, and other ungulates were decimated by unregulated hunting and human settlement, people tried to exterminate all remaining large predators, primarily :Z 0 7 i fd 0 W because of conflicts with livestock. Wolf populations disappeared from the western United States (U.S.) by 1930. In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed wolves as endangered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is the primary agency responsible for the recovery and conservation of endangered species in the U.S., including the gray wolf. Recovery of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains requires that 10 breeding pairs of wolves (about 100 wolves), become established in each of 3 recovery areas (northwest Montana, central Idaho, and the area in and near Yellowstone National Park) for 3 consecutive years. After that had occurred wolves would be removed from the list of threatened species and endangered species and managed solely by the respective states. Currently, as a result of natural dispersal of wolves from Canada over the past 15 years, about 5 wolf packs (45 wolves) live in northwest Montana. While lone wolves are occasionally seen or killed in the Yellowstone or central Idaho areas, wolf packs still do not exist in these areas. In 1991, Congress directed the FWS to prepare a DEIS on wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho and required that it cover a broad range of alternatives. In 1992, Congress directed the FWS to complete the EIS by January 1994 and stated that it expected the preferred alternative to conform to existing law. THE PLANNING PROCESS One of the first steps in the planning process was to design a public participation and interagency coordination program to assist in identifying issues that needed to be addressed in the plan. Natural resource and public use information was gathered. Previous plans and reports dealing with wolf recovery were reviewed. The FWS is solely responsible for the DEIS, although representatives from the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, USDA Animal Damage Control (ADC), Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Wind River Tribes, and University of Montana assisted in its preparation. Participation and review by representatives of other agencies does not imply concurrence, endorsement, or agreement to any recommendations, conclusions, or statements in the DEIS. Issue Scoping �N F4 a W Thirty -four open houses were held in April 1992 throughout Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho and at 7 other locations in the U.S. to identify issues that the LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION public wanted considered in the DEIS. More than 1,730 people attended these meetings, and nearly The two areas analyzed for wolf recovery are in and 4,000 comments were received. All issues were around Yellowstone National Park and USDA considered, organized into 39 separate headings, and center of these areas are large contiguous blocks (about Forest Service lands in central Idaho (Fig. S -1). The were addressed in the following way: 12 million acres each) of land managed by the federal Eighteen issues were addressed as part of one or more wolf management alternatives government, primarily as National Parks or National Forests. Not all wolves will remain solely on federal or • Amending the ESA • Range requirements other public lands, so the analysis areas include • Missing component of the ecosystem • Control strategies adjacent lands, including those privately owned, • Humane treatment of wolves • Illegal killing • Enjoying wolves • Compensation where wolves may occur and potentially cause some • Regulated public take • Delisting • Cost of program • Need for education • State, tribal, federal authority • Spiritual /cultural • Viable population • Social /cultural environment • Travel corridors • Recovery areas Six issues were analyzed in detail in the EIS because they are potentially impacted by wolves or wolf recovery strategies • big game • land use restrictions • hunting harvest • visitor use • domestic animal depredation • local economies impacts. e w c. w b Fifteen issues /impacts were not evaluated further in the DEIS because they were not significant to the decision being made • Wolves not native to Yellowstone National Park • Wolf rights • Federal "subsidies" • Human safety /health • Other predators and scavengers • Endangered species • Plants, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals • Diseases and parasites Alternative Scoping wenty -seven open houses and 6 formal public hearings were held in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho and 3 other locations in the U.S. in August and September 1992 to ask the public to help identify different ways (alternatives) that wolf populations could be managed. In addition, an alternative Scoping brochure was inserted into 230,000 Sunday newspapers in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Nearly 2,000 citizens attended the meetings, and about 5,000 comments were received. All the alternatives and issues that were identified by the public were considered, organized into separate and distinct alternatives, and addressed the following way. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT ANALYZED FURTHER IN THE DEIS ix basic wolf management alternatives were identified but were not evaluated further in the DEIS. Those alternatives were: 1. Immediately delist wolves and let the states assume management and recovery — No wolf reintroduction would occur. States would manage the gray wolf the same as other resident wildlife species without federal oversight. Wolves are listed as state endangered species in Montana and Idaho but other Idaho law prohibits wolf management, including law enforcement, by the Idaho Fish and Game Department, except for assisting with control of nuisance wolves and • Private property rights • Wolf recovery in other areas • Existing wolves in central Idaho and Yellowstone • Existing wolves in northwestern Montana • Wolf subspecies • Wolf /dog /coyote hybridization • Need for research participation on any wolf recovery team. Wolves are listed as predators by state law in Wyoming, and cannot be managed by Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Wolves can be killed at any time without limit. This alternative is not being considered further because of the conflicting intent and uncertain direction of state law. 2. State management of nonessential experimental populations — Wolves would be reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. In areas without resident wolf packs, liberal management would be allowed to address local concerns about livestock, land use restrictions, and ungulate populations. The respective states would develop wolf management plans that conform to federal law and would lead wolf recovery and management. Federal funding would support state management, compensation for livestock losses caused by wolves, and enhancement of ungulate habitat. Except for the provisions calling for federal compensation for livestock losses and ungulate enhancement, this alternative was incorporated into the DEIS as the FWS's proposed action. 3. No cow or bison - based, sustained subsistence economy — Livestock growing would be eliminated, fencing removed, control of predators stopped, and wolves and bison reintroduced throughout the wolf recovery areas. This alternative is not being considered further in the DEIS because it is far beyond any reasonable use of federal authority and is not practical. 4. Recovery of existing wolves — This alternative would recover the existing population of wolves that some people believe were never totally extirpated from the Yellowstone area. No reintroduction would occur and other wolves would be prevented from affecting these genetically unique wolves. This alternative is not being considered further in the DEIS because all wolves, regardless of potential subspecies classification, were listed in 1978. Current information suggests wolves that once inhabited the Yellowstone area were more widely distributed and less distinct than previously believed. Scientific evidence does not indicate that any population of wolves persisted or currently exists in the Yellowstone or central Idaho areas. 5. 1987 Wolf Recovery Plan — The plan recommended preparation of an EIS, wolves be reintroduced as a nonessential experimental population into Yellowstone National Park, and natural recovery be monitored in central Idaho. If 2 breeding pairs of wolves had not been documented in Idaho within 5 years other wolf conservation measures would be considered. No EIS was prepared as a result of this plan, no reintroduction occurred, and no breeding wolves have been documented in the Yellowstone or Idaho areas. Therefore, this alternative is not being considered as a separate alternative in the DEIS. 6. Accelerated Wolf Recovery — Wolves would be immediately reintroduced into the Yellowstone and central Idaho areas until wolf population recovery was achieved. A wide variety of land use restrictions would be used to enhance habitat for wolves over a very broad area, including: reducing the number of roads on public lands that are used by motorized vehicles, not permitting livestock or people in areas used by denning wolves, not controlling wolves that attackea iivestocx, anct increasing the number of ungulates by improving or purchasing important habitat. This alternative was unduly restrictive and more severe than was reasonably required to achieve wolf recovery and it is not being considered further. ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED IN DETAIL IN THE DEIS ased upon public comments during alternative scoping, S alternatives were developed and are considered in depth in the DEIS because they represent a broad range of alternatives and respond to the public's concerns expressed about the potential issues and impacts involved in wolf reintroduction. Those alternatives are: 1. Reintroduction of Experimental Populations (FWS proposal) 2. Natural Recovery (No action or current management strategy) 3. No Wolf 4. Wolf Management Committee 5. Reintroduction of Nonexperimental Wolves Description and Impacts of the Proposed Action and Alternatives Alternative 1 Reintroduction of Experimental Populations (Proposed action) Summary —Two nonessential experimental population areas (Figure S -2) would be established through regulation by the FWS under section 10 (j) of the ESA. The ongoing wolf monitoring efforts would continue. Prior to any reintroduction, the FWS would determine the status of any naturally occurring wolf population in those 2 areas. Wolves would be reintroduced into either or both Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho unless a wolf population (2 wild breeding pair, raising at least 2 young for the previous 2 years in an area) had been documented. Wolves outside national parks and wildlife refuges would be managed by the states and tribes under special federal regulations. If the states and tribes did not assume wolf management, the FWS would. Management would allow wolves to be killed or moved under some conditions by federal, state, and tribal agencies for domestic animal depredations and excessive predation on ungulate populations. Under some conditions, the public could harass and kill wolves attacking livestock (cattle, sheep, horses, and mules only). There would be no federal compensation program, but compensation from existing private funding sources would be encouraged. There would be no land use restrictions applied or critical habitat designated. Use of toxicants lethal to wolves in areas occupied by wolves would still be prohibited by existing ADC policy and EPA labeling restrictions but other ADC activities would not be affected. Wolf populations would recover by 2002. Figure S -2 The location of proposed experimental population areas in central Idaho (south of Interstate 90 and west of Interstate 15) and Yellowstone National Park (south of Highway 12 and east of Interstate 15). Management Actions —If a wolf population was not discovered in either the Yellowstone or central Idaho areas before October 1994, (agency efforts to locate wolf packs in these areas have already been intensified but no packs have been found at the present time) the following would occur in each area that did not have a wolf population: NOTE: If a wolf population was discovered in either the Yellowstone and /or central Idaho areas, reintroduction under an experimental population rule would not occur and any wolf population would be managed as a naturally recovering population (see Alternative 2) in that area, unless a decision maker decided otherwise. NOTE: The proposed boundaries of the experimental population areas were established by considering the combination of the current southern expansion of naturally formed wolf packs in Montana, location of high quality wolf habitat and potential wolf release sites, and the likelihood of any wolf packs documented inside the experimental area resulting from reintroduction into central Idaho or Yellowstone National Park rather than from natural dispersal from Canada or northwestern Montana. Therefore, the boundaries of the proposed experimental population areas could be affected by formation of new wolf packs before any decision about implementing a nonessential experimental population rule and wolf reintroduction is made (at the earliest 1994). wo nonessential experimental population areas and special rules for each of those areas would be established. These rules would permit the following in the experimental areas: • Beginning in October 1994, 30 wild wolves would be captured in Canada and released in the experimental population areas, until a wild wolf population was established in /99If each area (estimated 3 -5 years). Breeding adults and their pups (15 1year) would be held 6 -8 weeks at 3 sites in Yellowstone National Park and released in December. Yearlings and non - breeding adults (15 1year) would be immediately released in central Idaho to simulate natural dispersal and pack formation. Reintroduced wolves would be monitored with radio telemetry and moved as necessary to enhance wolf population recovery. * Designate all wolves in the experimental areas as experimental animals once reintroduced wolves were released. • The states and tribes would implement and lead wolf management outside national parks and national wildlife refuges within federal guidelines. The FWS would implement wolf management otherwise. • Wolves severely impacting wild ungulate populations or potentially affecting other listed species would be moved as necessary. • There would be no land use restrictions implemented for wolves. • Agencies would move or kill wolves that attacked livestock (defined as cattle, sheep, horses, or mules only) on public or private land. Females with pups on public land would be released on site before October 1. • Compensation for livestock killed by wolves would be paid from an already established private fund. • Wolves that attack domestic animals, other than livestock, on private land 3 times in a calendar year would be moved. • Land owners could, in an opportunistic noninjurious manner, harass wolves on private land at any time (14 day reporting). • Public land grazing permittees could, in a noninjurious manner, harass wolves near their livestock at any time (14 day reporting). • Wolves in the act of wounding or killing livestock on private land could be killed by livestock owners /managers (24 hour reporting and evidence of livestock freshly wounded by wolves must be evident). " It agencies couia not resolve wolf depredations on livestock on public land, grazing permittees would receive permits to kill wolves in the act of attacking livestock (24 hour reporting and evidence of livestock freshly wounded by wolves must be evident). " After thorough investigation, take (killing or injuring) of wolves by unavoidable and unintentional actions during otherwise legal activities would not be prosecuted. See Tables S -2 through S -4 for a comparison of the expected actions and effects of this alternative. Alternative 2 Natural Recovery (No action or current management strategy) Summary  No wolf reintroductions would occur. Enhanced wolf management programs similar to the one currently used in Montana would be established in Idaho and Wyoming. Wolves would be encouraged to naturally expand their ranges into any area they choose, eventually into the central Idaho and Yellowstone areas. Wolves would eventually recolonize the recovery areas, but would also recolonize other areas throughout the northern Rocky Mountains and would be allowed to remain there if few conflicts occurred and wolf recovery was not precluded by moving those wolves. Because wolves would settle in some areas where their presence was undesirable, there would be occasional conflicts, particularly with livestock. Depredating wolves would be controlled by agencies as long as control did not preclude wolf population recovery. There would be no federal compensation program, although a private fund does exist and its use by livestock producers would be encouraged. Wolves would not be controlled if there were conflicts with pets or state big game management objectives. There would be some land use restrictions primarily around active den sites and on some ADC activities in occupied wolf habitat. Illegal killing, at a level that precluded or severely inhibited recovery, would result in additional land use restrictions, primarily a reduction in the number of roads open to motorized vehicles. Excessive wolf conflict with livestock would affect the location and duration of livestock grazing on public land. This alternative would likely result in recovered wolf populations in central Idaho about 2012 and in the Yellowstone area about 2025. Management Actions  An enhanced FWS wolf recovery program would be established in Idaho and Wyoming. FWS biologists and other agency cooperators would conduct the following activities: " Wolf monitoring efforts would continue but would be enhanced to solicit more reports from the public and agency personnel, increase efforts to conduct more field surveys in all areas of suspected wolf activity, and increase attempts to place radio collars on members of any wolf packs that were located. " An ADC wolf management specialist position would be established once wolf packs formed in Idaho or Wyoming. All reports of wolf depredations on legally present livestock would be investigated. Wolves that depredated on livestock (but not pets) and were likely to do so again, would be moved after the first depredation and killed or placed in captivity after subsequent depredations. Females and their young would be released on site prior to August 1. Wolves would not be controlled in areas critical to wolves (dens or ungulate calving areas) or if wolves were attracted to the area by poor livestock husbandry practices (improper carrion disposal). After b packs became established in each recovery area, depredating wolves would be killed. Wolf control is permitted only so long as wolf recovery is not prevented by such management. The public may not attempt to harm or harass any wolf unless it is necessary for the immediate protection of human life or safety, which is highly unlikely. " Compensation for livestock losses would be paid by an already established private fund. " Wolves would not be controlled to reduce predation on wild ungulate populations. " FWS would encourage and support research on wolves and their prey. " FWS would encourage land management agencies to maintain or enhance ungulate populations to ensure adequate wolf prey. " FWS would lead an aggressive public information and education program that would provide accurate information about wolves and wolf recovery under the ESA. " There would be very few land use restrictions implemented unless illegal killing began to inhibit wolf recovery. Currently, it is recommended that land management agencies restrict obtrusive human activity within 1 mile of active wolf dens from March 1 to July 1 and that ADC not conduct predator control activities (primarily use of toxic devices - M -44s) in a manner that may accidently kill a wolf. Land use restrictions, such as reducing the amount of roads or area open to motorized vehicles, seasonal closures on coyote hunting, reducing livestock grazing on public land, and closing areas near den or rendezvous sites to human activity have been applied in a few areas and, although unlikely, are possible in the northern Rocky Mountains. See Tables S -2 through S -4 for a comparison of the expected actions and effects of this alternative. Alternative 3 No Wolf Summary  Congress would pass legislation to remove wolves in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho from the list of Endangered Species. The FWS would stop all funding and management activity towards wolf monitoring, education, research, and control in the northern Rocky Mountains of the U.S. Furthermore, the states of Montana and Idaho would remove wolves from the protection of state law. Unregulated killing by the public would prevent wolf recovery in these areas. ADC activity would M A R Y Sd remove any wolves that threatened livestock. Wolf populations would not recover in the Yellowstone or central Idaho areas. Management Actions • Federal legislation would be passed that removed wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains from federal protection. • Montana and Idaho state legislation would be passed that removed protection for wolves. • Allowing people to kill wolves at any time, without restriction would by itself preven wolf population recovery. • ADC would kill any wolves causing potential conflicts with livestock. See Tables S -2 through S -4 for a comparison of the expected actions and effects of this alternative. Alternative 4 Wolf Management Committee Summary — Congress would be requested to immediately either amend the ESA or pass special . legislation to designate wolves in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho (except in and immediately west of Glacier National Park and in Yellowstone National Park) as a special state - managed nonessential experimental population. The states would develop plans to recover wolves in northwestern Montana, central Idaho, and Yellowstone National Park. Wolves would be recovered through natural dispersal in northwestern Montana and central Idaho and would be reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park. Wolves attacking or harassing livestock, working animals, or pets could be killed or moved by the public and by state, tribal, and federal agencies. Compensation for domestic animal losses, increased ungulate monitoring, and habitat enhancement would be paid from a federal trust fund. There would be few land use restrictions. Wolves would be moved to address state big game management goals. Wolf populations would recover in the Yellowstone area about 2010 and in central Idaho about 2015. Management Actions • Congress would amend the ESA and designate wolves, outside National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges, in Wyoming and Idaho and nearly all of Montana as a special nonessential experimental population and establish an K �'1- WA_ V!• Wi- �A• XA: •1�. '�'iM,. •g. ,�.I: 00: , - ,62P: U M M A R Y 4,..- - . - a - Continued from page 6... interagency committee and federal trust fund. • States would develop wolf management plans and assume management authority within 2 years. • Wolves would be reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and after 5 years possibly central Idaho. - • Agencies would move (if less than 6 packs were present) or kill (if 6 or more packs were present) wolves that attacked livestock, working animals, or pets. • Owners of livestock, working animals, and pets could kill any wolves they believed were harassing or attacking their animals. Incidents must be reported within 48 hours on private land and 14 days on public land. Any wolves killed would be replaced. The alternative requires an education program for livestock producers. • Wolves affecting state big game management objectives would be moved. • Compensation for domestic animal losses from a federal trust. • Establish public land use restrictions around active den sites between April 1 and June 15 and restrict toxicants lethal to wolves in areas where wolf occupancy was desired. • Conduct an active information and education program. • Monitor and enhance ungulate populations. See Tables S -2 through S -4 for a comparison of the expected actions and effects of this alternative. Alternative 5 Reintroduction of Nonexperimental Wolves Summary — Wolves would be reintroduced into areas in and near central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park until 10 breeding pairs were established. They would not be designated an experimental population. Wolf recovery would be a high priority on all surrounding federal lands. If required, land use restrictions such as road and trail closures, redistribution of grazing allotments, and protection of key wolf habitats would be promoted. If wolves depredated on livestock on public land or impacted state big game management objectives, no control would occur. If repeated chronic wolf depredation on livestock occurred on private lands, wolves would be moved. Compensation for livestock losses would be available only from existing private programs. Habitat for ungulates and wolf security would be enhanced to provide abundant prey. Wolf populations would likely recover rapidly and by 2000. Management Actions -The FWS would establish enhanced wolf recovery programs in Wyoming and Idaho (see Alternative 2) to conduct monitoring, research, and education programs. • The FWS would reintroduce wolves into the Yellowstone and central Idaho areas until 10 breeding pairs were established, regardless if other wolves were documented in those areas. • The USDA Forest Service and BLM, within the primary analysis areas, would use road closures and habitat enhancement on at least 35 square miles of lands they administer outside of wilderness. • Wolves would not be controlled for livestock conflicts, except in chronic problem areas on private land, or for conflicts with ungulate populations. • Land management agencies would spend about $3,000,000 /year to purchase or enhance important ungulate /wolf habitat. • Law enforcement programs would be significantly enhanced. See Tables S -2 through S -4 for a comparison of the expected actions and effects of this alternative. A wide variety of land use restrictions (seasonal and permanent) are employed on public lands throughout the Yellowstone and central Idaho areas for protection of natural resources and public safety including: on motorized vehicles, construction of structures, Animal Damage Control activities, big game winter range, calving areas, security and migration habitat, raptor nest sites, endangered species (including grizzly bears), erosion control, wetland protection, to provide a variety of outdoor experiences (motorized or nonmotorized, wilderness or developed, etc.). b Non - earned income represents investments, entitlements, and retirement income that often does not depend on where a person lives. The growth of this segment of the economy from 25% to 34% over the last 2 decades results from people with this type of income moving into the central Idaho or Yellowstone area because these areas are perceived to have a lifestyle that people want to participate in (wild spaces, abundant wildlife, less crowding, low crime, clean air, etc.). C Including only ungulate herds at least partly associated with Yellowstone National Park. Estimated over twice that number using public and private lands in overall Yellowstone area. d Including hunting, crippling loss, poaching, road kill, predation, disease, starvation, drowning, winter kill, accidents, fighting, etc. (Appendix 10). �►_ �►_ �►_ ♦_ �►_ �_ ®_ a_ a_ a_ Table S -1 presents the basic intormation about the Yellowstone and central Idaho primary analysis areas. It helps describe those areas and may be useful in understanding the potential impact of wolf reintroduction. This information represents the situation that currently exists without wolf populations in these areas. around Yello Table S -1 ;T1SUMMARY w". A summary of the key characteristics of the primary analysis area (PAA) that were analyzed as potentially being impacted by wolf recovery in and wstone National Park (includes parts of 17 adjacent counties) and in central iaano People/Land Acres % Federal Ownership % Private ownership % National Park, Wilderness, or Wildlife Refuge Regional Population (including surrounding communities) Recreational visits to federal land /year Public land usesa Open to grazing (acres) Suitable for timber harvest (acres) Timber harvested or planned for harvest /year (acres) Total miles of system trails /roads on public land Roads /trails open to motor vehicles (mi.) National Forest area not open to motorized use (includes wilderness and roadless areas) Estimated miles of hiking trails Current active sites for M -44 use (coyote cyanide devices) People/Land Economy (including surrounding counties) Total income Per capita income Farm Services Other Industry Other non - earnedb Livestock Peak numbers of livestock on PAA including the surrounding counties- (spring) cattle (spring) sheep On USDA Forest Service in PAA (May through October) Adult cattle and calves Adult sheep and lambs Horses Total livestock grazed on national forests Estimated current livestock mortality in the PAA and surrounding counties from all causes per year based upon spring cattle /sheep numbers: cattle sheep horses Ungulates (after hunting season) Elk Deer (mule & white - tailed) Moose Bighorn sheep Bison Mountain goat Pronghorn antelope Total Hunter harvest /year Estimated ungulates dying /year (all causes)d Other Animals Black bears Grizzly bears Mountain lions Coyotes YELLOWSTONE ? CENTRALIDAHO 16,000,000 13,300,000 76% = 99 °rb 21°x6 trace i 41% i 30% 288,000 92,400 5.2 people/ mi.2 E 2.6 people /mi.2 14,500,000 E 8,000,000 4,000,000 ? 4,357,822 1,500,000 ' 5,015,968 28,000 '• 41,199 13,457 20,346 8,057 9,541 44% E 44°x6 4,643 13,105 185 ranches 31 ranches $4.2 billion ? $1.43 billion $14,676 $15,552 6.4°x6 c 8.0% (55% by livestock) (65% by livestock) 39.5% E 34.6% 19.8% 24.8% 34.3% c 32.6% 354,000 384,990 117,000 100,713 145,658 i 81,893 265,152 223,523 1,270 1,109 412,080 306,525 8,340 ; 12,314 2.36% loss 3.2% loss (67% calf) (69% calf) 12,993 :' 9,366 11.1% loss 9.3% loss (74% lambs) (72% lambs) Unknown, very low unknown, very low 56,100 76,300 29,500 159,600 5,800 1,700 3,900 1,800 3,600 0 few E 2,000 400 p 99,300c ? 241,400 14,314 ' 33,358 48,559 '• 153,539 3,000 abundant 228 none some abundant abundant common Table S -2 Alternatives and expected actions associated with them. Where Compensati Control of big Land use wolves Date of Wolf mgt. Legislation Control of on for game Management restrictions for would be wolf cost until needed to Alternatives livestock losses losses predation of wolves wolves recovered recovery recovery implement Reintroduction Agencies move/kill Probably private Wolves moved if By states and None for wolves YNP YNP & ID $6,008,750 None but publish Of wolves for killing funds problem tribes; some 2015 17,600 sq. mi 2002 experimental rule Experimental livestock/pets. Public documented. federal oversight ID in federal register Population harass and control Encourage land 20,700 sq. mi under some agencies to conditions. enhance ungulate habitat Natural Agencies move Probably private None Federal I mi. around dens 35 YNP YNP $10,000,000- None Recovery wolves for livestock funds sq. mi. affected. More 23,300 sq. mi 2025 $15,000,000 depredations possible ID jg 23,900 sq. mi 2012 No Wolf All wolves killed None All wolves killed None for recovery None for wolves Nowhere Never $100,000 Modify state (MT by agencies & ID) and federal laws Wolf Agencies move/kill Compensation Wolves moved, By states. No I mi. around dens 35 NPN YNP $100,000,000- Modify state and Management wolves. Public kill by federal trust habitat enhanced, federal oversight sq. mi. affected 12,070 sq. mi 2010 $129,000,000 federal laws Committee wolves for harassing increased ungulate Some roads may be 112 and attacking monitoring 9,450 sq. mi 2015 livestock/pets/ working animals Reintroduction Agencies move Probably private Habitat enhanced Federal 1 mi. around dens 35 YNP YNP & ID $28,209,750 None Of wolves only in chronic funds sq. mi. affected. 29,130 sq. mi 2000 Nonexperimen problem areas on Some roads may be fD tal Wolves private land closed. 29,530 sq. mi ,. +i►. +�►. ♦. ♦„ ♦_ �_ i_ _ AL74F r ° A07P • y C�i ,® Table S -3 Expected impacts of recovered wolf population (100 wolves) by alternative Yellowstone area. Impact Alternative 1 Alternative 2 Alt. 3 Alternative 4 Alternative 5 on antlered harvest over Reintroduction of confined mostly to YNP wolves recover by 2000 Yellowstone area. Reintroduction of and wildemess areas Experimental Natural Recovery (No No Wolf Management Nonexperimental 32) cattle, average 68 (range Population Action) Wolf Committee Population of that projected for Elk 5 % -20% reduction, mule Same as Experimental but None Similar to Experimental Slightly higher than Impact to big deer 10% reduction, bison 5 %- will occur several decades population with effects Experimental but wolves game 10% reduction, others no . later. Short term negative confined mostly to YNP recover sooner. populations effect. Effects over effect to 30% possible and wilderness areas Yellowstone area. Effects on hunter harvest Livestock depredation Land use restrictions Visitor use Economic effects Reduced antlerless harvest Same as Experimental but None Similar to Experimental Slightly greater than 8 %(range 2 % -30 %), no effect will occur several decades population with effects Experimental (15 %) but on antlered harvest over later. Short term 30% confined mostly to YNP wolves recover by 2000 Yellowstone area. possible. and wildemess areas Annual average 19 (range 3- A few 00 %0) more over a None Losses likely toward lower Losses likely from upper 32) cattle, average 68 (range longer period (30 years). range (3 cattle & 38 sheep) range (32 cattle & 110 38 -110) sheep. Losses on private land more of that projected for sheep) of projected to likely. experimental population. several times that level. None Reduce human activity one mile around active wolf dens. 35 mi2 more possible road closures, etc. None Reduce human activity one mile around active wolf dens. 35 sq. mi more possible road closures, etc Probable 5% increase in 5 % -10% increase in 2025, None nonresident and 10% increase after wolves become in local visitation. established. Net positive benefit; $7 to $10 Net positive benefit $1.4 -$2.1 None million annually beginning by million by 2025. 2002. Probable increase (5 %- 10%) in visitation by 2010. One mile around active wolf dens. If wolves illegally killed may include road closures, removal of livestock, and limits on activities on public lands Probable increase (5 %- 10 %) in visitation by 2000. Net positive benefit $3.3- Net positive benefit; $3.8- $6.1 million; slightly lower $6.7 million annually than experimental beginning by 2000. population by 2010. Gray Wolf sightings The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needs the public to help continue the search for wolf activity in the northern Rocky Mountains. If you think you see wolves or wolf tracks or hear wolves howl in Montana, Idaho or Wyoming, please contact a State, Tribal or Federal biologist, game warden or district ranger immediately. Description • 2.5 feet tall • 80 -110 pounds • 5 -6 feet long • Long low howl • Broad snout • Round ears • Color varies from white to black , I • Fe 5 inches f 4 inches --I Table S -4 Expected impacts of recovered wolf population (100 wolves) by alternative — Central Idaho area. Impact Alternative 1 Alternative 2 Alt. 3 Alternative 4 Alternative 5 Reintroduction of Reintroduction of Experimental Natural Recovery (No No Wolf Management Nonexperimental Population Action) Wolf Committee Population Public Hearing Schedule • Sign up to begin at 12 p.m. • Hearings will begin at 2 p.m. • Locations to be announced at a later date. August 25, 1993 Bozeman, MT Missoula, MT Dillon, MT August 31, 1993 Coeur d'Alene, ID Lewiston, ID Idaho Falls, ID September 1, 1993 Cody, WY Riverton, WY Jackson Hole, WY September 27, 1993 Cheyenne, WY Boise, ID Helena, MT September 28, 1993 Salt Lake City, UT Seattle WA Denver, CO September 30, 1993 Washington, D.C. IPA, PRO ._ �.�, �.` v �''?j,,, Z- .yy ` "yam.,. > Elk 5 % -10% reduction, Same as Experimental but No new Similar to experimental Slightly higher than Impact to big others no effect in central will occur a decade later. population with effects Experimental but wolves game Idaho area by 2002. Bighorn sheep could confined mostly to wilderness recover sooner. Bighorn populations decrease temporarily areas and later (2015). sheep may be temporarily decreased. Reduced antlerless harvest Same as Experimental but No new Similar to experimental Slightly greater than Effects on (elk only) l0 % -15 %, no will occur a decade later. population with effects Experimental (15 %) during hunter harvest effect on antlered harvest Some Bighorn sheep could confined mostly to wilderness recovery but wolves in central Idaho area. be affected. areas and later. recover by 2000. Average 10 ('range 1 -19) A few more (12 cattle, 60 No new Losses likely toward lower Losses likely from upper Livestock cattle, average 57 (range sheep) over a longer period range (8 cattle, 40 sheep) of range (14 cattle, 70 sheep) depredation 32 -92) sheep. (30 years). Losses on that projected for experimental of projected to several private land more likely. population. times that level. None One mile around active wolf No new One mile around active wolf One mile around active Land use dens.35 sq. mi impacted. dens, 35 sq. mi impacted. wolf dens. If wolves restrictions More possible road illegally killed may include closures, etc. road closures, removal of livestock, and limits on activities on public lands. The projected effect is The projected effect is No new The projected effect is unclear The projected effect is Visitor use unclear, but 2% increase unclear, but likely 2% but likely to increase in 2015. unclear, but likely to 2% likely. increase in 2012. increase in 2000. Net positive benefit; $5.6 Net benefit $3.5 to $5.2 No new Net positive benefit $2.9 to Net positive benefit; $3.4 Economic to $8.4 million annually. million $5.6 million; slightly lower to $6.2 million annually. effects than experimental population beginning in 2015. Public Hearing Schedule • Sign up to begin at 12 p.m. • Hearings will begin at 2 p.m. • Locations to be announced at a later date. August 25, 1993 Bozeman, MT Missoula, MT Dillon, MT August 31, 1993 Coeur d'Alene, ID Lewiston, ID Idaho Falls, ID September 1, 1993 Cody, WY Riverton, WY Jackson Hole, WY September 27, 1993 Cheyenne, WY Boise, ID Helena, MT September 28, 1993 Salt Lake City, UT Seattle WA Denver, CO September 30, 1993 Washington, D.C. IPA, PRO ._ �.�, �.` v �''?j,,, Z- .yy ` "yam.,. > r h e. S'7g1 t C' S Y1t d H sep-f a�� ly93 Rfe- f WOLF REINTRODUCTION PLAN DRAWS FIRE I Y .�t d Y { h 14 Photo courtesy of Mission: Wolf These three gray wolves spent last winter at a wolf sanctuary near Silver Cliff, Colo. The sanctuary is owned by Mission. Wolf. The, Gtate-smax S� p az, i9g3 Ranchers, activists oppose wolf plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to bring 45 wolves to central Idaho starting in 1994. By Andrew Garber The Idaho Statesman Wolves won't eat your chil- dren if the animals are reintro- duced to Idaho. Nor will they slaughter very many sheep or cattle, if federal studies are right. They'll devour a fair number of deer and elk, but the state Fish and Game Department says those herds are at record levels anyway. Yet, even with those facts, ranchers and others are snarl- ing at a federal proposal to bring back the endangered gray wolf, which was shot, poi- soned and trapped to near ex- tinction in Idaho and the conti- nental United States by the early 1940x. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may get an earful to- day in Boise during a public hearing on its plan. The agen- cy wants to truck 45 wolves from the Canadian wilds to central Idaho and another 45 to Yellowstone National Park over a three -year period, start- ing in 1994. Ranchers don't want wolves in Idaho because they're wor- ried the nocturnal animals will attack their herds. And they're scared by the prospect of gov- Photo courtesy WoM Recovery Foundation This female gray wolf lives in a wolf sanctuary in Washington state. ernment land use restrictions to protect the wolves that they say could drive them out of business. "We're concerned about the regulators more than the wolves," sheep rancher Brad Little said. Environmental groups, curi- ously, are split. Some guarded- ly support reintroduction in the state. Others flat oppose it, charging liberal rules in the proposal would lead to the slaughter of wolves by people who dislike the animals. As one conservationist not- ed: "We'd be putting them into an environment where they'll most likely get killed." Federal biologists argue this: Opponents of their plan just don't get it. They contend ranchers' fear of wolves is based more on myth and ancient history than reality. In the late 1800s and early 1900x, wolves — which roamed the Rockies in the thousands — did kill a lot of cattle and sheep, posing a threat to the ranchers' livelihoods. There was a reason for that. As an Idaho Fish and Game study shows, uncontrolled hunting by settlers wiped out most of the deer and elk herds. The wolves had to eat cows and sheep to survive. Obviously ranchers didn't approve. An extensive cam- paign was launched to kill wolves. Early records are' sketchy, but in Montana alone 22,000 wolves were killed and turned in for rewards between 1894 and 1900. The only records on bounties kept in Idaho; show about 300 wolves were killed for rewards between 1918 and 1936. The bulk of that came between 1919 -1920 when 184 carcasses were turned in. Since then wolves, with a few exceptions, have been al- most nonexistent in Idaho. At the same time, deer and elk populations rebounded be- cause of management tech- niques by the state, including the creation of wildlife preserves. Biologists say the point is, there's plenty of big game for wolves to eat, and little reason for ranchers to fear cattle and sheep will be the predator's preferred dinner. The Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice projects a population of 100 wolves — the agency's re- covery target in central Idaho — would kill an average of 10 cattle and 57 sheep annually. By comparison, 1991 live- stock industry statistics show coyotes killed 15,300 sheep and lambs in the state. Bears killed 800, and other predators, in- cluding mountain lions, cou- gars and foxes, killed 1,000. No figures were available for See Wolves /4A he, �'taf t � n2dln, se rl :1,1943 p4te- 3 WONS/Mm 1A cattle, but biologists said preda- They also said ranchers' con- The groups want the federal tors prefer sheep over cows be- terns about government restric- government to spend more mon- cause they're smaller and easier tions are unfounded. Studies ey for field studies to find exist - to kill. show wolves don't mind living ing wolves. As for attacks on humans, the near people or roads, Fish and They also want money poured Fish and Wildlife Service said Wildlife biologist Ted Koch into an education fund that there has never been a docu- said. could be used to change nega- mented incident in the United "The reality is that land use tive attitudes about wolves. States. restrictions for elk (like closing . That's the best way to keep Still, the Idaho Cattle Associ- roads.. at certain times of the the animals alive, said Mike ation opposes reintroduction of year) are far more restrictive Medberry, with the Idaho Con - wolves. 1 "Ranchers than anything you'd have for servation League. would just as soon wolves," he said. "We have to change the social they (wolves) are not around," The concerns of environmen- environment," he said. "We said Bob Sears, executive direc- talists are harder to address. have to make people understand for of the Idaho Cattle Associ- The proposal to bring wolves to that wolves and people can co- ation. Idaho has fragemented groups exist." In addition to killing livestock, into different camps. Federal biologists said wait - "wolves have killed humans and The Wolf Recovery Founda- ing will achieve little. They've they have killed pets," Sears tion supports reintroduction of conducted exhaustive searches said. He had no evidence to back wolves if Fish and Wildlife for breeding pairs of wolves in up the claim of attacks on peo- makes several changes in its Idaho and have only found lone ple, but said history is full of proposal. animals. examples. The group, among other They agree some people need Ranchers might support rein- things, wants the agency to for- more education about wolves, troduction, but only if they had bid ranchers from shooting but note a 1991 Boise State Uni- the unrestricted right to shoot wolves attacking livestock. It versity survey showed 72 per - wolves attacking livestock , he wants only state or federal wild- cent of Idahoans favor having said. life agents to get rid of problem wolves in the state. Under the current proposal, wolves. And concerns about federal which would bring wolves back And the foundation wants protection of wolves would be as an "experimental popula- Fish and Wildlife to bring two eliminated if a population of 100 tion," ranchers could shoot wolves to central Idaho for ev- wolves is created. Once that oc- wolves attacking livestock on ',ery. one illegally killed, as an curs, that group would no long - public land only if the Fish and incentive to stop poaching. er be listed as an endangered Wildlife Service gives them a The foundation_ wants the species and could be hunted like permit to do so. They would have the right to <' measures because something is happening to wolves when they other game populations, s tists working p � cien- . g on th_e reintroduc- shoot wolves without a permit e come into the state," spokes- tion said. on private land, but less than 1 woman Suzanne Laverty said. "There's this mystique about percent of central Idaho is pri- ',We suspect the wolves are be- wolves," said Wayne Brewster, a vate land. ing poisoned and shot." Yellowstone Park biologist, Ranchers would be able to Although there have been sev- "But they are just like any other scare wolves away at will by eral hundred sightings of wolves predator. They are no more pow - firing guns into the air and mak- in Idaho over the past decade, erful or more cunning than a ing other threatening gestures. no breeding pairs have been dis- mountain lion." The "experimental" designa- covered. Laverty suspects that's tion allows all those types of because wolves are killed as actions. If the wolves were they come into the state. brought in as endangered spe- The Idaho Conservation ties, the ranchers would have to League and 11 other environ- sit and watch the predators mental groups oppose any rein - without doing anything, except troduction for at least three report incidents to the federal government and hope action would be taken. Federal scientists said the ex- perimental population designa- tion is a good compromise for ranchers. years. They contend there already could be breeding pairs of wolves in central Idaho. Bringing in an experimental population, they said, would weaken protection for the ones already here that have the full protection of the Endangered Species Act. Experts say that wolves aren't '` °Pj��9' as powerful as--people believe By Andrew Garber The Idaho Statesman Wolves aren't the cunning, all- powerful hunters that legend makes them out to be. "People think of wolves as big, evil and powerful. They are actually a large, clumsy and fragile animal," said Laird Rob- inson, a Forest Service biol- ogist. They have to hunt in packs to take down large animals li" elk. And they often get killed-in the process. "They make their living by killing ungulates (big game) that weigh slightly more than they do to more than 10 times their weight," said Wayne Brew- ster, a wolf expert at Yellow- stone National Park. Wolves weigh from 80 to 100 pounds, are between 26 -30 inch- es tall and five and six feet long. "They're successful in killing their prey 15 -20 percent of the time," Brewster said. "That's a tough way to make a living." X -rays of- dead wolves often show the animals have suffered, and recovered, from broken legs, broken ribs and skull fractures, he said. They usually get the injuries from swift kicks by their prey. Wolves, which live up to 10 years in the wild, are social ani- mals that live in packs. They only strike out alone to find a mate and will cover several hun- dred miles to accomplish that goal. The typical pack consists of a dominant "alpha" male and fe- male couple and their offspring. Sometimes the young wolves will hang-around . for several years because the food is good and living is relatively easy. The packs cover territories of 200 to 300 square miles. In Idaho, wolf packs would depend on elk and mule deer as their main source of food. Biolo- gists estimate 100 wolves in cen- tral Idaho would eat about 1,650 big game animals annually, out of a population of about 241,000. The average wolf eats eight large animals a year. It con- sumes 90 to 95 percent of its prey. Wolves generally don't go af- ter big game with horns because they're too dangerous to tackle. floe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servlco wants to truck 1,5 endangered gray wolves to Central Idaho over It three -year period, beginning In October 1994. A' wblic hearing on the proposal will be at the:: 3olse State University Student Union Bulldln today from 2 to 1.0 p.m. 15 84 15 12 80 25 Spring caVio ��14�990 Pat ,� rn antelope , -_0 Spring sheer +010,713 Tota� 241,400 7,030 � Tcrtq6 �� Usa Dayfrne Idaho Statesman Bol*se hearime on Wolf Di attracts no fence s Ray Stout For The Long Valley Advocate BOISE — As might be expect- ed with an issue as volatile as gray wolves, citizens testifying before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here last week had strong opin- ions on both sides of the issue of wolf reintroduction. The hearing, one of 16 held in August and September in cities throughout the West and in Washington, D. C., was sparsely attended. But those attending were, for the most part, clearly on one side of the fence or the other. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement, released by USF &WS in July, offers five options in man- aging the recovery or non- recov- ery of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho. Three of the options involve wild wolves being transported from western Canada and released in Yellowstone and Central Idaho. Wolves have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1973, the year the law was passed. Alternative 1, the FWS's pre- ferred alternative, proposes that wolves be reintroduced on an exper- imental basis until 10 breeding pairs are established for three con- secutive years in each area. Wolves would then be removed from the Endangered Species list — esti- mated to occur about 2002 — and managed primarily by the respec- tive states (Idaho, Montana or Wyoming). Alternative 2 encourages nat- ural recovery in which no rein - troductions would occur and the existing populations would recov- er by 2012 in Idaho and, in Yellowstone, 2025. Alternative 3, the ,No Wolf' alternative, would have wolves immediately removed from the endangered species list, thus becom- ing fair game for anyone desiring to kill them and never reaching recovery. In Alternative 4, Congress would either amend the ESA or desig- nate wolves outside national parks and national wildlife refuges a spe- cial nonessential experimental pop- ulation. Recovery would occur about 2010 in Yellowstone and 2015 in Central Idaho. Under Alternative 5, a reintro- duced wolf population would not be considered experimental but permanent and would enjoy full legal protection, recovering by about 2000. Ted Hoffman of Mountain Home, a veterinarian and cattle- man representing the Idaho Owyhee Cattleman's Association, criticized the draft EIS in general, saying it neglected individual property rights and offered "no means to force the environmentalists to honor the compromise." Furthermore, he said, the EIS The government does not have money to waste. Ted Hoffman of Mountain Home, on wolf recovery. "doesn't allow ranchers to defend their livestock on public land. The government does not have money to waste" on wolf recovery, he said. Representing the Golden Eagle Audubon Society was Alfred Larson of Boise, who urged the FWS to consider a blend of nat- ural recovery with Alternative 5's nonexperimental population with full protection. "If we compromise the ESA now, next time it may be worse," he said. Idaho Farm Bureau represen- tative Rayola Jacobson objected to the preferred alternative for its lack of a federal compensation program for livestock losses, say- ing the existing private compen- sation funds would be used up in the first year of the program. She told hearing officials that although state law prohibits the Idaho Department of Fish and Game from assisting the federal government in wolf - recovery mat- ters without the state legislature's express permission, Idaho "can and will participate in wolf recov- ery." In the meantime, "the bur- den is on you (FWS) to write a plan that is balanced, truthful and applicable," she said. Pocatello attorney Dacia Soulvere, speaking for herself, commended the agency for its pro- 0 itters ro- ersOC7 posal but recommended it inten- sify its detection and monitoring of wolves. "We need to know what we're dealing with before we start," she said. "It's not enough to just throw some wolves into the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness and then, when they don't thrive, say, `Oh, well, we tried. "' Kristin Poole of Ketchum, rep- resenting the Wolf Recovery Foundation's Wolf Education and Research Center, lamented the lack of public education regarding wolves. "In only one of the alter- natives (the natural recovery) is education addressed at all, while it is one of the most critical com- ponents of wolf recovery," she said. Lack of understanding of wolves was common because "Few of us have actually experienced wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains," she said. In speaking for the Idaho Miners' Association, Pat Holmberg of Boise advocated Alternative 3 and maintained that wolves have indeed attacked human beings. "We have had wolf attacks in Idaho, and the Fish and Wildlife Service knows about them, but it won't speak of it," she said. She said that during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a wolf came into the party's camp and "bit a man very severely." George Doval of Horseshoe Bend said the DEIS was "fatally flawed" in saying eight deer and four elk per square mile would provide sufficient prey for the rein- troduced wolves. According to the latest count, he said, these ungu- lates actually numbered about one- half deer and one elk per square mile. "My personal feeling is that these decimated game herds will not sustain wolf populations until something is done," he said. As a result, "I am opposed to any rein- troduction in central Idaho." Emmett resident Brad Little of the Idaho Wool Growers Association said his association was opposed "to any activity that would inhibit multiple -use activ- ities" on federal land. The wolf - reintroduction program, he said, would "make it unaffordable to operate sheep" in Central Idaho. He criticized the draft envi- i- Mi 4Li.kY APV1) CR 'rf- Pag0. 14f d o Yellowstone Park and Central Idaho COhlde rrc:rot 1P'Ih4e J ronmentat impact statement for not plainly disclosing the non -pre- dation costs of the program, such as restricting human activity in the wolves' rendezvous sites. "The DEIS doesn't spell out what these costs will be," he said. He said he favored only the no- wolf alternative. In emotional tones, Steve Brown of Kuna urged FWS to not rein- troduce any more wolves. "I've hunted, fished and broke horses in Idaho for years," he said. "I've seen wolves firsthand. What we've got to do is protect the ones we have. "According to the program, you'd shut down millions of acres. I'd sure hate to see them shut — I want to see those trails open." If a wolf came near his horses, he said, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't stand by and watch some horse get scared." He was followed by Jason Sutter, a Boise research field biol- ogist who said, "I do have reser- vations, but I feel it's important that we do have predators in this country." Biology student Ethan Ellworth said he had lived in Wisconsin which, in spite of having less wolf habitat than Central Idaho, is home to some populations of wolves. He said he understood the fears of ranchers, but "I've never heard of wolves in Wisconsin being a major problem," he said. "Look at what we're really getting: the benefits of a healthy ecosystem, something we can look at in pride instead of as a degraded area." I have had the privilege of living in the wild, and the wolf is missing. Laurel Pomphrey of Boise The Idaho Conservation League's Mike Medberry said his organization favored the natural - recovery alternative because its $150,000- per -year cost was a more adequate funding requirement. However, he said, he was disap- pointed that the alternative doesn't guarantee protection for the wolves under the ESA. Laurel Pomphrey of Boise said it was "unacceptable that wolves in Yellowstone or Central Idaho should ever lose their ESA pro- tection. "I have had the privilege of liv- ing in the wild, and the wolf is missing," she said. "The killing of a wolf or any endangered species is a crime. We have not had the wisdom to respect these (wildlife) communities, and it's high time we change our ways." She said she recommends Alternative 5 except for the clause providing for federal land pur- chase or enhancement, which she said would be "cost- prohibitive" at $3 million a year. Wolf Recovery Foundation rep- resentative Suzanne Laverty of Boise recommended Alternative 1 with modifications, including protection of den sites, program centralization in Helena, removal of wolves from vulnerable areas and no private- citizen killing of wolves on private or public land. "ADC (federal Animal Damage Control unit) has done a sufficient job" of removing problem wolves in other areas, she said. In addi- tion, she said the Foundation would like every wolf killed to be replaced by two. Gay Craig of Midvale said that the variability inherent in the "pri- mary analysis areas" of wolf habi- tat made the report's statistics irrel- evant. As for the "No Wolf" alter- native's expected recovery date of "never," she said: "Never is an indefinite period of time." "As a taxpaying citizen, I resent this blatant waste of money," she said. Idaho Wolf Society spokesman Craig Whilke said his group desired a combination of Alternatives 2 and 5 into a new proposal. He sug- gested including three years of field study, more public infoAna- tion and education and stronger law enforcement. "Until we get a handle on poach- ing, we will have no wolf recov ery in Central Idaho," he said. Wally Sterling of Boise recalled the pre - settlement days when the prairies were ruled by roaming bison and howling wolves. "Unfortunately, those days are gone, and trying to put them back — it isn't going to happen," he said. LONG VA i. LE - APV0CA'T E OCT b, 1913 �ot�e 57 He said a Sierra Club memoer had told him that if a breeding pair could be established, an area of 20 -mile radius would be closed to development. "A 20 -mile- radius area equals 1,256 square miles that would be closed," he said. "It would create a wilderness without any legislation whatsoever." Said Kim Kildew of Boise: "I've been hunting in the Frank Church Wilderness for the last four years, and the last two years I've had no success hunting elk or deer. "I've seen no fresh sign of elk and no deer tracks. "There's a tremendous amount of summer habitat for this game, but there's little winter habitat. The wolf won't make a living back there," he said. Hearing official Jon Rachael, an Idaho Fish and Game biologist funded by FWS to serve on the EIS team, said the hearings in some of the smaller towns have drawn 5 -15 speakers, and Idaho Falls about 50. As in Boise, "We've had pret- ty much the whole array of view- points represented, from `No wolves' to those who want them put back in with full protection," Rachael said. "The turnout hasn't been great, but we've expected more at the three state capitals (Boise, Helena and Cheyenne). Those places should be hopping." T New head of Fish and Wildlife backs reintroduction of bears and wolves By Scott Sonner The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Bringing wolves and grizzly bears back to areas where they have vanished is" necessary to show that tat- tered forest ecosystems can be restored, the head of the Fish and Wildlife Service says. Mollie Beattie, the new direc- tor of the agency, also expressed confidence that grizzlies could be reintroduced in the north Cascade Mountains of Washing- ton state without risk to hikers and campers. "In every situation, making room for these species again is hard," Beattie said. "But we've been dealing in Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies for a long time in terms of minimizing human -bear inter- action, so everybody has a place to:be and nobody — neither the bars nor the humans — are surprised by the other," she said. "We've got a long history of being able to do that. I'm quite certain if there is support in northern Washington, we can work it out," she said in a meet- , ing last week with the Regional Reporters Association. Noting opposition from farm- ers and ranchers concerned about their livestock, Beattie denied that her agency is "ag- gressively" pursuing reintroduc- tion of the huge predators. "It may be the wolves and the grizzles that pursue the policy aggressively. It is sort of a rule of wildlife management that if you provide the habitat and spe- cies are anywhere nearby, they'll move into it," she said. Experimental pursuit "We're pursuing it experimen- tally," she said. "I think it is exactly the right reaction in a situation where there are two sides. Both sides have very le- gitimate points and concerns. I think the proper response is, `Well, heck, let's try it and see what happens.' "We will exert all our effort to protect the ranchers and farm- ers in that area because their concerns are legitimate, but there are great values and a great public interest in restor- ing an entire ecosystem out there." Last week the Fish and Wild- life Service issued its final plan to rebuild the population of griz- zly bears in the Yellowstone area and three other areas from Montana through Idaho and into eastern Washington. The report said planning doc- uments necessary for grizzly re- covery in the North Cascades should be submitted to the agen- cy's Northwest Ecosystems Management Subcommittee sometime next year. Including the public "Public input should be sought throughout the develop- ment of these plans. Once these documents are completed, they should be appended to the griz- zly bear recovery plan," the re- port said. The report includes proposed guidelines for grizzly bear re- covery in the Selkirk Moun- tains, which extend from the Colville National Forest in Washington and the Idaho Pan- handle National Forest in Ida- ho northward into British Co- lumbia. Citing estimates of the grizzly population at 26 to 36 bears, "far below the levels necessary for viability," the report said log- ging, road building, mining and other development should be changed to boost the population of at least 90 bears. StdiesAoclh Mdhck Id, 19Qy Gray wolf plan wins public approval The Associated Press JACKSON, Wyo. — Public comments on a plan to introduce 15 breeding pairs of endangered gray wolves to Yellowstone Na- tional Park and Central Idaho favored the plan by nearly two - thirds, officials said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received more than 160,000 comments on its draft environmental impact statement on the plan. "As far as I know, that's the most comments ever on a federal document," said Ed Bangs, pro- ject leader for the agency in Missoula, Mont. About 100,000 of the com- ments indicated support of wolf - recovery programs in some form, Bangs said. The balance object- ed to any form of recovery, he said. The agency expects to release the comments later this week, Bangs said. The final environ- mental impact statement is ex- pected to be released in mid - April, he said. The service wants to release wolves to the areas beginning in October. The animals would be designated an experimental pop- ulation, meaning if they left their boundaries and preyed on livestock, they could be killed. However, if a breeding popula- tion of wolves is found in either area, federal regulations prohib- it introduction of a new popu- lation. There have been reports of wolf sightings in and around the park in recent years, but the service has not confirmed whether a breeding population exists in Wyoming. The agency will send the final version of the plan to the Interi -, or Department next month, Bangs said, I Pete Zimowsky Bring on gray wolves Attitudes sure do change. Sometimes so radically they just blow you away. I think wolf watching, is going to become populalr in central Idaho. i Or, just sitting in a meadow trying to hear a wolf howl may become a big hit with tourists. Heck, we may even see wolf - watching safaris popping up as new outfitter- and-guide businesses get in on the wolf thing. You could go campingg, sleep under the stars, aid hopefully hear some howling. In case you haven't heard, the federal government, plans to,put gray wolves in central Idaho to restore the number of•predators in the area. It's sort of like packing then in. Wolves are already roaming around in the wilderness areas of central Idaho, and around Bear Valley and Warm Lake: The transplanting rogr would dust increase the paCKS., I once went on a winter snowmobiling trip near Warm Lake with some biologists who were trying to track wolves. Biologists howling They'd get off their snow machines and howl like wolves. We never heard one, belt somehow you felt they were out there somewhere, maybe even looking at you. I don't know what I would have done if one started howling close by. It would have been spooky, yet exciting. Anyway, if wolf watching and listening for wolves howling becomes popular, we may soon see billboards in Lowman and Yellow Pine proclaiming the towns as the Gateways to Idaho's Wolf Country. After all, Jackson Hole has its elk herds right on the edge of town. We'll have wolf packs. That sounds a lot more glamorous. ' No, I didn't drop a tree on my head while trying to cut firewood this summer. You've got to step back several years and look at the similarities of another wildlife- reintroduction program that occurred in North Idaho. • In 1987, some folks in Boundary County were going ballistic because state and federal agencies wanted to reintroduce more woodland caribou in the Selkirk Mountains. Woodland caribou are endangered. Some animals were already up there but biologists wanted to increase the herds with animals transplanted from Canada. Stdfe srna h 6ept Logging restrictions Complaints came that more caribou would result in restrictions on logging and hurt the local economy. There were fears that the whole county would close down because of lost jobs: Well, the county's still there. In fact, there has been a turnaround in attitude. Someone told me there's even a billboard in the area that says, "Visit Boundary County — Home of the Woodland Caribou." Some biologists who worked on the program can't believe the billboard. 'Speaking of billboards, how about one near the entrance Of Bear Valley, north of Lowman, saying, "Dancing with Wolves in Central Idaho "? It's kind of catchy. Right now there's a lot of controversy about reintroducing the gray wolf in central Idaho. Hey, what are the chances of opening a wolf gift shop in Lowman? Let's see, there could be wolf - howling tapes, art prints, carvings, and jewelry, you name it. I've never seen a wolf in the wild but spotting one would be, pretty neat. Oh, how attitudes change. Pete Zimowsky is The Statesman's outdoor writer. His column appears on Thursday in Venture and on Sunday in Sports. Comments: 377 -6445. States mdh Wildlife Service proceeds with wolf plan The Associated Press LEWISTON — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is forging ahead with its plan to release wolves in Idaho, despite what the Legislature or other groups say, a state biologist reports. The agency is working with Canadian provinces to find a supply of wolves to release this winter. The Idaho Legislature's Wolf Oversight Committee is not pre - 'pared to welcome the animals with open arms, the Idaho Fish and Game Department's liaison Rio the committee said Thursday in Boise. State wildlife biologist Jon Rachael told the Idaho Fish and Game Commission the state will likely lose its chance to help plan the way wolves return to Idaho if the oversight committee maintains its stance. Current plans call for releas- ing 15 wolves into central Idaho in early December and another 15 into Yellowstone Park early next year. Some oversight committee members apparently believe the Fish and Wildlife Service is bluffing, Rachael said, while that appears far from the case. Not only has the federal agen- cy been searching for a source of wolves, it is buying equipment to move them, Rachael said. "The important point is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intends to proceed with or with- out state involvement," Rachael said. Several groups intend to file suit, but their goals may be quite different. The Farm Bu- reau has filed its notice and is expected to try to block the project. The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund might take a different tack, Rachael said, allowing the release of wolves to take place, then suing to prove a population already exists to expand protec- tion for wolves in Idaho. The federal plan now calls for wolves to be released as a non- essential experimental popula- tion. Although an endangered species, they could be killed if they wander out of their recov- ery zones and kill livestock. The federal agency also must still come to terms with the Nez Perce Tribe, which intends to be a player, Rachael said. Federal and tribal officials plan to meet Oct. 14 to talk over the tribe's role, he said. The federal plan calls for re- leasing 15 wolves a year for the next three to five years. After two packs have raised two pups each for two consecu- tive years, the wolf population would be managed to grow natu- rally. Federal experts estimate wolf populations will have recovered enough to be taken off the En- dangered Species List by 2002. The goal is to restore 10 breed- ing pairs each in northwestern Montana, Idaho and Yellow- stone by then. Oct 9,/ggy Wolf reintroduction plan arouses frenzy in worldwide media The Associated Press LIVINGSTON, Mont. — The idea of wolves returning to Yel- lowstone National Park threat- ens to generate wn intense inter- national media frenzy. Park officials say it could be- come the biggest media blitz since the giant forest fires of 1988. Yellowstone spokeswoman Marsha Karla said she gets "at least a dozen calls a day" from television, ndwspaper and maga- zine reporters, all wanting to be in the park when three groups of approximately five wolves ar- rive in November and again when they, are released in Jan- uary. All the major television net- works, major news magazines, big city newspapers, and report- ers from as far away as France and Germany have been calling, Karle said. / "I haden't'got a call from Aus- tralia yet, but I bet they'll be wanting to film the capture of the wolves in Canada. Bangs said he won't even tell anybody what town he and his crew will be based in until he's sure they get hotel reservations before reporters do. After that, they are welcome to come, he said. However, he said, reporters in both Canada and Yellowstone probably won't get to see any wolves because people must be kept away from them as much as possible. Human exposure stresses the animals. Bangs said no reporters will be allowed to accompany the capture crews doing the "excit- interested," she said. Wolves were hunted to extinc- tion in the park in the 1930s. Their scheduled return next month would cap a 15 -year effort by biologists, bureaucrats and wolf advocates. Some farm groups, however, have threat- ened to sue to half the reintro- duction. Plans call for keeping the wolves in one -acre enclosures in the Lamar Valley for up to six weeks so they can become accli- mated to their new surroundings before release. Wolves also are scheduled to be reintroduced to central Idaho. The wolves are scheduled to be captured next month in Brit- ish Columbia and Alberta, gen- erally in the area around Jasper National Park, said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bangs said he, too, has been barraged with media calls, many of them television reporters ing stuff," like catching wolves from snowmobiles and heli- copters. There are just too many of them, he said, and they would make the work impossible. Besides, catching the wolves depends on the weather. The job could be done in a few days or it could take up to a month during frigid Canadian weather. Bangs said he is counting on below - zero temperatures to thin the crowds of journalists. "Waiting around in thirty -be- low weather will weed out a lot of them," Bangs said. "This has the potential to develop into a media circus." �/u /loll �Ageesmaat A wolf stretches and yawns in this file photo. 7_111P 4441?0 Livestock is at center of Opponents doubt wolf recovery wolves can ever really e b managed plan for managing wolves. whereabouts can be monitored. At the University of Idaho, � b "Today's Idaho is not the wild Keeping tabs on wolves' move - wildlife biologist Jim Peek says area it was 200 years ago," Boyd ments and investigating live- federal officials will want to ac- The Associated Press insists. "The wolf does not real- stock kills wolves could be cept Idaho's help. MOSCOW —With the gray ly belong here any more." blamed for will be key responsi- "For wolf recovery to succeed, g y The Idaho Farm Bureau has bilities for those managing the people running the program wolf coming back to Idaho, pro- initiated a lawsuit seeking to recovery program. And it is still must have the public's trust and ponents of wolf recovery are block the wolf's reintroduction unclear whether the U.S. Fish confidence," Peek says. "Idaho saying careful management can into Idaho and Yellowstone Na- and Wildlife Service or the Ida- Fish and Game personnel are minimize livestock losses caused tional Park. Joining the Idaho ho Fish and Game Department b wolves. But ranchers and respected n ranchers, sports- by association in this action are will take on that role. >> farmers are unconvinced. the Farm Bureaus of Montana The Idaho Legislature's Wolf men and conservationists. "Some of the released wolves and Wyoming and the American Oversight Committee strongly Peek says program adminis will attack livestock. There will Farm Bureau Federation. recommends assigning wolf trat a must recognize problems be losses. After all, the wolf is a Bringing wolves back to Idaho management functions to the that are developing and prompt predator," says Patricia Tucker, would endanger livestock over a state.I Idaho Fish and Game em- ly work out practical solutions. co- founder of Wolf Sentry, g The university wildlife biolo- y wide area, says Rayola Jacobsen ployees would handle problems gist says federal officials made a group presenting wolf education of the Idaho Farm Bureau. fairly and responsibly, says positive step by placing relo- programs. "Wolves can't be managed," she House Resources and Conserva- cated wolves in a special experi- But, Tucker predicts, "Losses says. "They go where they want to tion Chairman Golden Linford' mental nonessential category so will be kept low with careful go and do what they want to do." R- Rexburg, who serves on the they can be managed. Control of management." Protecting livestock and pets oversight committee. the wolves would be all but im- Most wolves will prey on wild from outlaw wolves is an impor- "Wolf recovery is mandated possible if they were classified game, and the few that target tant goal of the wolf manage- by a federal law, the Endan- as "endangered," he explains. livestock should be trapped and ment program outlined by feder- gered Species Act," Linford "There are places for wolves removed, she says. al officials. They plan to install points out. "In carrying out this in this state and there are Stan Boyd, director of the Ida- small radio transmitters in the law, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife places wolves should not be," ho Wool Growers Association, collars of 15 Canadian wolves Service seeks the assistance of Peek says. Through effective says livestock producers wonder that are scheduled to be re- state governments. Idaho is re- management, wolves can be if government specialists can leased in central Idaho in No- sponding with a plan for wolf kept within acceptable areas, he ever come up with a foolproof vember or December. When an- management." maintains. other 15 wolves are released in In a few weeks, the oversight "People will be surprised Yellowstone Park early next committee's draft proposal for when they see how well wolves year, these animals also will car- wolf management will be under can be managed in wilderness ry mini - transmitters so their review at public hearings. areas," says Peek. "The wilder- Statesman me pnoto A gray wolf looks over his surroundings. ness ecosystem will be more complete when wolf populations are present." Livestock producers would ad- just the ecosystem by other means, Boyd says. "If wild game populations are too high in a certain area, you don't need to bring in wolves to reduce the numbers," Boyd says. VP ? b" 4 11, - Pa y e� / 66 3 Wolves could be in Idaho by next week Reintroduction not a popular decision with farmers, others By C.J. Karamargin The Idaho Statesman As early as next week, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service planes could descend on a remote airstrip in the wilds of Central Idaho and begin a long - planned and controversial mission: the reintroduction of the gray wolf. Barring any last minute legal efforts to stop the reintroduction, 15 wolves will be released in a vast, virtually uninhabited area near the confluence of Valley, Custer and Lemhi counties. Private trappers in Alberta, Canada, now are searching for for the wolves that will soon call Idaho home. Once captured, animals will be sedated and collared with electronic transmitters. In neighboring British Columbia, a similar search is underway for wolves that will be taken to Yellowstone Na- tional Park. If the wolves survive the bitterly harsh winter, if they find enough deer and elk to eat, if they mate and repro- duce, officials hope there will be at least 200 wolves roaming in Central Idaho and at Yellowstone in eight years. "The wolf has always been a part of the ecosystem, a part of Idaho," said Wayne Melquist, the non -game wild- life manager with the Idaho Fish and Game. "They will be coming back." Permission to proceed with the rein- troduction became final Friday. But official sanction has not made the reintroduction any more acceptable to the farmers, ranchers and sportsmen who look at the move as yet another example of a heavy- handed fed- eral government telling people what to do. "Why do we want to create problems ?" said an angry Pat Holmberg. "If they (wolves) came in naturally, fine. More power to them. But not this." Homberg, a hunter, fears wolves will further deplete the already thin herds of deer and elk. She spoke against the rein- troduction at a meeting Monday night held by the Idaho Fish and Game Department. The agency will help manage the wolf popu- lation in Idaho. "This thing was done behind closed doors," she said. Holmberg is not alone in har- boring bitter feelings about the reintroduction. The Idaho Farm Bureau joined farm bureaus in Montana and Wyoming, as well as the American Farm Bureau Federation, to block the reintro- duction by filing a notice of in- tent to sue. "We see absolutely zero neces- sity of introducing wolves in Idaho," said the Rayola Jacob- sen of the Idaho Bureau. "We think they are doing fine where they are. The ecosystem is doing fine. As far as we're concerned, this is not a well thought -out plan." And in an odd alliance, con- servationist groups also are op- posed. They say the reintroduc- .it ©n doesn't protect the wolf sufficiently. On the list of endangered spe- .cjes since 1973, the wolf is a protected animal. It will remain so north of Interstate 90 in Ida- ho's Panhandle, which is not part of the reintroduction area. But south of the interstate, "People have a great- er chance of being killed by any angry bull than a wolf." Suzanne Laverty Wolf education center the wolf can be moved or killed if it interferes with livestock and takes too much of a toll on deer and other game popula- tions. This is what bothers Linn Kincannon of the Idaho Conser- vation League. Wolves in Idaho will be sub- jected to different conditions than those released into Yellow- stone, situated in northwestern Wyoming, she argued. Because of Yellowstone's status as a na- tional park, killing the wolves there would be prohibited. "It's a typical government move," she said. "Lumping Yel- lowstone and Idaho together." The Sierra - Club, the Wilder- ness Society and the Audobon Society also oppose the plan. But assuming the plan is suc- cessful, it will result in the rein- troduction of an animal that has lived for generations only in the lore of the West. For generations the wolf was as much a feature of the Ameri- can West as big sky and the continental divide. Prior to the 1930s it roamed freely, using its expert hunting ability to take down animals many times its size — deer, elk, and, after they were introduced by settlers, cows. The U.S. government led the eradication effort. And the new residents of the rural west were only to happy to help out. The wolf was yet another complica- tion to homesteading in an al- ready inhospitable land. "Life was tough then. They were struggling to make a go of it," said Melquist. "It was hu- 7e s m an- 110Ve.m.bey )i, 199 # - P4.1.0 ,31 d5 3 Return of the wolf s Proposed experimental population areas in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The darker area in Idaho, south of Highway 90, is where researchers expect the wolves to reside. In this area, wolves could be killed if they threaten livestock. North of Highway 90, wolves will be protected under the Endangered Species Act and cannot be killed. Family: Largest member of the dog family. Adult weight: 75 -100 pounds. Size: 5 -6 1/2 feet long (including tail), 2 1/2 feet tall at the shoulder. Wolves don't attack humans, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service man nature to wipe out pred- ators." Now, the government is lead- ing the effort to bring the wolves back to the West. Suzanne Laverty of Boise's Wolf Education and Research Center, said the wolf is a misun- derstood and persecuted animal. "They are no more of a threat 25 Habitat: Sparsely populated northern regions. It Diet: Deer and elk. Numbers: Less than an estimated 2,000 wolves currently live in the U.S., not including Alaska. Endangered: Designated an endangered species in 1973. than any other predator," she said. "People have a greater chance of being killed by any angry bull than a wolf." Laverty and Melquist say the reintroduction plan will be good for the genetic health of Idaho's deer and elk populations be- cause weaker animals will sus- tain the wolf population. .Sfi- a Te s M a rz- A/0 'le- M 6 e fi 11, �� ? ,4 -PN, ge, 3 eJ, �F.a Photos by Glenn Oakley /Special to The Statesman At right, a gray wolf howls to other wolves at Mission Wolf, a wolf sanctu- ary in south - central Colorado. Fifteen grey wolves will be introduced into Central Idaho as early as next week. At top, a gray wolf peers through the trees at the sanctuary. Sfd�e.SMM 1'6v 1011q" Wolves readied for move to U.S. 15 to go to Idaho, 15 to Yellowstone The Associated Press CODY, Wyo. — Federal wild- life agents have started collar- ing the Canadian wolves that will be transplanted into "Yel- lowstone National Park and Central Idaho. The wolves are being fitted with radio collars that will let biologists find their packs when the time comes to move them to the United States, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Ed Bangs said. That probably will be around Thanksgiving. Biologists hope to collar one wolf in each of at least six Cana- dian wolf packs, said Bangs, who wrote the environmental impact statement on wolf re- introduction. Officials expect to capture 30 wolves and transplant 15 each to Yellowstone and Idaho. Wolves from Alberta probably will go to Central Idaho, while wolves from British Columbia go to Yellowstone. Those headed for Yellowstone must be from the same family unit because they will be held in pens for six weeks after arriving in the national park. Wolves from different packs might at- tack and kill each other if penned together. In Idaho, however, officials plan simply to release the wolves immediately, so there is no need %r the animals to be from the same pack. Release of wild wolves in Yel- lowstone and central Idaho this winter still hinges on publication in the Federal Register of the final rule that will govern the process. Officials expect the rule to be published late next week. ' l���� ������`76 ��Cr f��s/nC{��t , /l 1.23 ! Q�� Wolves put on hold-:-, for two weeks Lawsuit could of wolves for release in Yellow - lawsuit, to be filed in U.S. Dis- with, something the ranchers stone and central Idaho. The Yel -trict Court in Cheyenne, would ought to be able to live with, increase that delay lowstone -bound wolves would be include a request for a tempo- and something the public cer- held in fenced enclosures until rary restraining order to pre- tainly wants." The Associated Press early next year to allow them vent the wolves' release until The plan would allow ranch- time to become acclimated to the the lawsuit is heard. ers to kill wolves found preying CHEYENNE, Wyo.  The area before they are released in The organization and - aother on livestock. U,S. Fish and Wildlife Service the wild. The Idaho -bound wolves opponents fear wolves, consider- The Sierra Club has said it has delayed the planned reintro- would be immediately released in ed endangered in the lower,48 would accept the reintroduction duction of wolves to Yellow- the wild. states, will attack livestock and plan for Yellowstone despite its stone National Park and Cen- The Fish and Wildlife Service prompt reductions in permit=ted concerns that the wolves would lands. have tral Idaho for about two weeks had said earlier that the wolves use of public not the full protection of the agency said Tuesday. would be in the release areas by If a lawsuit is filed, at least the Endangered Species Act. "We're still trying to work late November, but Rose said one environmental organizatioil But the organization opposes through the nitty - gritty with the agency now is shooting for a might intervene to help fight a the plan for Central Idaho. "Our British Columbia and a few Na- Dec. 5 arrival. challenge to wolf reintroduc- basic theory is that tive American tribes that are Opponents to the plan, includ- tion, according to Larry Mehl- wolves are returning to Idaho, involved," agency spokeswoman i ng the American Farm Bureau haff of Sheridan, Wyo., the Sier- and there's very little question Sharon Rose of Denver said. Federation and its state chap- ra Club's regional director. of that," Mehlhaff said. "The Also Tuesday, the agency re- ters in Wyoming, Montana and He said the planjo release question is how quickly and do leased the final version of feder Idaho, were expected to file a wolves in Yellowstone was a we really need to reintroduce al rules covering implementa- lawsuit against the plan before "livable compromise" between them or should we just let them tion of the plan. the end of the week. environmentalists and ranchers. come in on their own.... We do The plan calls for the capture Larry Bourret, president of "It's not necessarily fair, he have problems with that one, the Wyoming chapter, said the said. "It's something we can live and we may challenge it." / IP Idetha '�fCSrlza17 1 /30/ 9`I Roaming wolves get ranchers' dander up Some transplants comes as federal officials are in four enclosures for 10 weeks wandering away preparing to move 15 more to allow them to get used to the wolves into Yellowstone in the environment and its food before from Yellowstone next couple of weeks. being released into the park. The 15 wolves released in Ida- Keith Martin, who ranches in By Jim Robbins ho have been out of the news the mountainous area north of New York Times News Service since January, when a wolf that the park where McLean's dog apparently had been eating a was killed, says he and his wife, FISHTAIL, Mont. — Yellow- calf was shot dead on a LemhiKathryn, have battled coyotes stone National Park, with its County ranch. An autopsy con -for years to make a living raising vast herds of bison, elk and deer, ducted by the U.S. Fish andcattle. But wolves frighten him, is painted as a slice of heaven on Wildlife Service concluded thatMartin said, adding that he re- Earth for wolves, which were the calf had been dead when thecently saw a wolf track bigger reintroduced into the park last wolf found it. than his hand. winter. But, recently, one of the One of Idaho wolves, B -11, was "It makes the hair on the back three packs that federal officials sighted three weeks ago near of your neck give you the tick - returned to Yellowstone has downtown Salmon, but federal lies," Martin said. been roaming far north of the biologists said it's not unusual or Wolves are much smarter pred- park and getting into trouble. alarming for wolves to roam ators than coyotes, he said. "The In mid - December, a hunting around human settlements. good Lord designed the wolf to dog on a walk with its owner "Wolves in Idaho are behaving be a killing machine." near this town, some 40 miles just as wolves should, making a Ranchers worry that wolves north of the park's northeastern living every day, like elk and will be on the prowl just as their boundary, strayed away for a deer," said Ted Koch, a Fish and cattle start having calves at the few minutes. The owner, Banner Wildlife biologist. The agency end of January. Federal biolo- McLean, heard snarling and plans to release 15 more wolves gists promised the ranchers that growling. When he found his in Idaho in mid - January. they would monitor the wolves dog, it was dead, with wolf Earlier this fall, Montana's and tell residents of their where - tracks and blood surrounding it. other senator, Conrad Burns, a $bouts. No such information was Tracks from Soda Butte Republican who vigorously op- issued the last time wolves were wolves, one of the three restored poses reintroducing wolves, tried released into the park. packs, also were found on the to add language to an appropria- Ed Bangs, head of wolf recov- slopes of Red Lodge Mountain tions bill for the Interior Depart- ery for the Fish and Wildlife Ser- ski area outside the town of Red ment that would bar releasing vice in Helena, Mont., said the Lodge, which is just northeast of any more wolves in the park. "Wolves could not be constantly the park. Although that effort failed, monitored, especially with feder- Ranchers in the area were an- Burns succeeded in inserting lan- al budget cutbacks, and that oc- gry that they had not been told guage that reduced by one -third casional attacks on livestock or the federal Fish and Wildlife Ser- pets were part of having wolves vice's $600,000 budget for the around. wolf project. "This kind of public hysteria is Officials of the wildlife agency a pretty common thing with wyo said the budget cuts went deep, "Wolves," Bangs said. "Dogs get a••aoau and three of the five members of run over all the time, but a wolf the wolf project staff were laid kills one, and there's an outcry." Red lodge off. But more than $30,000 was Bangs said two other dogs donated privately to buy radio were killed recently in Nine Mile W Y' collars for the Canadian wolves Valley near Missoula by a differ - Y6 t 12 and to pay for a study to prepare differ- ent pack of wolves. All they NA N pA ; for their relocation. found of one dog, a valuable lion Within the first two weeks of r �, January, 15 more wolves will be :Y. _. flown to Montana and trucked to ,e " dtrvr the d ark to the 21 wolves already therjoin They will be held that the pack of five wolves — equipped with radio transmit- ters on their collars so park offi- cials can track them — were prowling their part of Montana. Sen. Max Baucus, D- Mont., said later that the failure to no- tify residents about the wolves was "simply unacceptable." The turmoil is the latest round in a bitter debate over the re- turn of wolves to the West, and hound, was the head and a collar. Wolves have to roam. "Preda- tors require unwary prey," Bangs said. "If you hunt and hunt for three days, all of the elk are alert. That makes it tougher. They (the wolves) go somewhere where the prey isn't alert." The home range of a wolf is about 300 square miles. But Baucus, who supported the reintroduction of wolves, wants better tabs kept on the wolves. "I ask that you immedi- ately develop a system that will serve prompt notice to all poten- tially impacted landowners," Baucus wrote in a letter to John Rogers, acting director of the Wildlife Service. Bangs said the Soda Butte pack recently moved nearer the park. But Martin said he did not trust the federal government and had heard "through the grape- vine" that the wolves were still in his area. Wolves long have been viewed as a scourge, and they were near- ly wiped out by ranchers and federal trappers. Now, a half - century after the wolves disappeared from the West, they are back. "Ranchers thought it would be the end of the world with wolves," said Robert Ekey, spokesman for the Greater Yel- lowstone Coalition in Bozeman, Mont., a group that monitors en- vironmental protection of the park. But a year has passed, Ekey said, and attacks by wolves have been rare. "The fears have been largely exaggerated," he said. Statesman reporter Jonathan Brinkman contributed to this report. °'Grp m0 r2 Judge won't block return of wolves to the West The Associated Press CASPER, Wyo. A federal judge on Tuesday refused to block the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho, clearing the way for the release of Canadian wolves in the area. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it would take several days to devel- op a schedule for the release of the wolves. A spokesman for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said trapping could start as early as Saturday with release occurring a week from today. Wolves roamed the Yellow- stone region until the 1930s, when they were wiped out in a federal program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to restore the species to the area. The American Farm Bureau Federation and Mountain States Legal Foundation had asked for a preliminary injunction to bar the release of the wolves, argu- ing the predators would cause losses in livestock herds that graze in the area. But U.S. District Judge Wil- liam Downes denied the request, saying the groups failed to prove the project would cause irrepa- rable, immediate damage to ranchers in the areas. The judge noted that during a three -day hearing on the re- quest, the two groups frequently cited as evidence stories about damage caused by wolves in the 1900s, when they were common in the area. "(The groups) offered only fear and speculation of some livestock depredation in the in- definite future," he wrote. "(The groups') reliance upon anecdot- al evidence from the turn of the century is insufficient when confronted with the (Fish and Wildlife Service's) persuasive scientific testimony." William Perry Pendley, presi- dent of the Mountain States Le- gal Foundation, said the group Would proceed with its lawsuit despite the ruling. ,Vc-teSM4J7 Tat, � 1,195 First wolves for Idaho captured Workers nab four of leased in Idaho as early as Monday. Despite unexpected delays in setting up a about 30 wolves for makeshift veterinary center and kennel c4pound to process the wolves, U.S. scien- Idaho Yellowstone tists were buoyed by the fact that after 15 years of planning, they were actually begin - By Ken Miller ning to gather animals to return to a region where they were eradicated 70 years ago. Gannett News service "Keep in mind that we're doing something HINTON, Alberta — With the exception that's never been done before," Fritts told of a pair of yellow eyes darting from side to reporters eager for specifics on the most ambitious — and controversial — wildlife side, the big gray wolf remained motionless, c conservation experiment ever attempted. curled in a ball — partly due to frayed It nerves and partly to shield him from a bone- s impossible to plan every detail. Nonetheless, Canadian trappers working chilling cold that painted an icy mask on his face. under contract with the FWS have brought in four wolves for likely relocation, and "He's doing just what I thought he FWS wolf expert Joe Fontaine out of Hele- would," whispered U.S. Fish and Wildlife na Mont., was heading out to a Service biologist Steve Fritts as he sized up Saturday night to heck on a fifth wolf that one of a handful of wolves being held for may be brought in. eventual release in Yellowstone National The' wolves were to be examined Saturday Park and Central Idaho. night for their general health, possible dis- The wolf was one of four brought to a - frigid maintenance station at Alberta's Wil- liam A. Switzer Provincial Park. Here these and another two dozen yet- to -be- caught wolves will be examined by veterinarians, fitted with radio collars, and prepped for shipment to Yellowstone and Idaho. Fritts and his Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Team were blessed Saturday with spectacular blue skies as they worked feverishly to round up about 30 wolves for eventual re- introduction to the Northern Rockies in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. The capture program continues today, weather permitting. FWS officials said it's possible that 'the, first wolves could be re- The Associated Press One of the four gray wolves that are being held for relocation to the United States curls up on a bed of hay in his pen at Switzer Park in Hinton, Alberta, Canada, on Saturday. Biologists are rounding up Canadian wolves for Yellowstone and Central Idaho. Thy SIdte- 9 w1dki Lt, Biologist Dave Mech, left, and veterinarian Dave Hunter gather hay for the holding pen of an anesthetized grey wolf in Hinton, Canada, Monday. Idaho kids `adopt' incoming wolves By Ken Miller Gannett News Service HINTON, Alberta — A group of wolves destined for Central Idaho and some of the most rugged territory in the world will be sporting a dis- tinctively personal touch, thanks to students from schools around the state. In fact, wolves released in Yellowstone may have cold, scientific monikers, but those in Idaho will be roaming as "Moon Star," "Libre," "Akiata," and even "Wily E. Wolf." ?�h& SfdteS !titdh Jdvt i0, i9y5 Those are the names careful- ly — and in most cases color- fully — inscribed on the one - pound radio collars that will be attached to the Central Ida- ho wolves when they're re- leased in the coming days. While most wolves are equipped with drab, black ra- dio collars, these festive ver- sions are part of the "Track a Wolf' program launched by The Wolf Education and Re- search Center based in Ketchum. "When this goes on an ani- mal, that animal will be fol- lowed and we'll be able to pro- vide updates to students who have `adopted' the wolf," Yel- lowstone National Park veteri- narian Mark Johnson said as he held a $350 radio collar des- tined for a wolf that Idaho Nez Perce Indian students have named "Keea." "Moon Star" was named by Hemingway School students in Ketchum who inscribed a mes- sage for their wolf: "Heming- way Offers Love to Wolves." The latest on the wolves Wolf watch: Canadian gray wolves will arrive in Central Idaho as soon as Wednesday morning. Nine wolves have been snared or shot with darts from helicopters near Hinton, in southern Alberta. Idaho will get 15 "lone" wolves — animals from sepa- rate packs. What happened Monday? Trappe•s captured two more wolves — a black yearling fe- Pa�,:� -A of9 Aside from getting students involved in tracking their wolves, Johnson said the Track a Wolf program may even give would -be wolf - killers pause — now that they know a group of youngsters is watch- ing the wolf's every movement. There may be larger lessons as well: Collars last some eight years, while hard - living wild wolves usually live four to six years. The Wolf Education and Re- search Center offers a toll -free telephone number for anyone wanting to help offset the fu- ture costs of managing the in- coming wolves. The private fund - raising drive was launched in part due to ques- tions about future funding for a re- introduction program that has already cost about $6 mil- lion over several years of stud- ies, hearings, and now actually capturing and relocating the wolves. The number is (800) 793 - WOLF. male and a gray adult female. What's next? The wolves must get a health clearance. So far, two adult wolves -- a black male and a white fe- male — are suitable for Ida- ho. Biologists want to bring five in the first load. How are they doing? The nine captives are being held in 6- by 12 -foot metal cages. Most of the wolves' appe- tites have improved. Roundup nets biggest batch so far Wolves' release set for Thursday By Ken Miller Gannett News Service Scientists working to restore the gray wolf to the Northern Rockies had their best capture day so far Tuesday, bringing four more wolves to a temporary veterinary compound in Alberta and tentatively scheduling the first wolf release in Central Ida- ho for Thursday. The aerial darting of a gray female adult wolf and two black male pups — probably all relat- ed — increased the chances that the first shipment of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is imminent, U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service officials said Tuesday. The fourth animal probably will be sent to Idaho. Tuesday's wolf windfall brought to 13 the number of the animals held in a makeshift ken- nel at the foot of Alberta's Jas- per National Park. Wolves believed to be from the same social group are being sent to Yellowstone, where they will be held for up to eight weeks before being released. Loners at leasta year old are being sent to Central Idaho, where they will SfgI e s,havi Tdh cl �vys Cheyenne © 55,Ow total �: Alberta X Introduction points 0 Idaho Wolves will be released directly into the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness Area. © Mammoth Hot Springs Wolves will be put into one -acre pens for about six weeks then released into Yellowstone Park. be released immediately upon arriving. "Right now, we're looking at seven wolves," Ted Koch, FWS wolf recovery leader in Idaho, said of the long- awaited first shipment of wolves here. Koch said plans Tuesday night called for the wolf - transport plane to head to Alberta this morning. The modified transport plane is tentatively scheduled to pick up the first batch of wolves, turn around almost immediately, and " Wisconsin 60.70 • Michigan Montana Minnesota 65.75 65.75 2,000 AP / Tonia Cowan return to Montana for the night today. The animals will be sepa- rated and prepared for shipment to their last pre - release sites. If things go as hoped, the Ida- ho wolves would then be sent to Salmon where they would be loaded onto a helicopter for the final leg of their journey into the rugged Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, where their crates will be opened and they will be allowed to run free. P Court turns loose 12 Cana *an olves dw U�l , V1 �411 �41� -,,- i; .. 1 ,x. 'It AIM x 3 , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Mollie Beattie, left, is joined by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, center. and Yellowstone Superintendent Mike Finley, rear, in carrying the first gray wolf to a holding pen at Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., on Thursday. The Associated Press Ruling clears way for wolf release in Central Idaho The Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- A feder- al court on Thursday allowed 12 wolves from Canada to be freed from their small travel kennels and released in Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park holding pens. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Thursday approved a request by the U.S. Depart- ment of Justice to lift the stay it issued Wednesday that blocked the release of the wolves. The stay, requested by the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion and Mountain States Legal Foundation, was originally to expire today, but the Justice De- partment said the extra 24 hours in the small boxes could hurt the wolves. "The crates are not suitable for holding wolves for more than 48 hours," the pleading said. "Some of the animals are already show- ing signs of stress, biting at their The Idaho Farm Bureau The Idaho Farm Bureau The Idaho Farm Bureau Fed- eration is a plaintiff in the law- suit that forced a delay in rein- troducing wolves in Central Idaho. Here's some information about the bureau: ■ Membership: 10,000 farm and ranch families, or about 70 percent of Idaho farmers and ranchers. About 3,500 of those members raise sheep and cattle. cages and possibly injuring their teeth and mouths." Mountain States and the Farm Bureau, in a lawsuit, are challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan to return wolves to the region. The stay was issued to give the appeals court a chance to review a re- quest from the two groups for an injunction to halt the release until the lawsuit can be heard. When the stay was granted, Yellowstone officials decided to proceed with plans to put the wolves in pens in the Lamar Valley, but to leave the animals ■ Purpose: A non - profit group that helps members im- prove income. It is one of the most potent lobbying groups in the Idaho Legislature. ■ Employees: About 16. ■ Budget: More than $1 mil- lion annually. ■ Politics: Gave about $15,000 in the last election to legislative candidates. The group does not donate to can- didates for congressional and statewide offices. in their kennels. The wolves bound for Idaho were put in a facility in Missou- la, Mont., but also remained in the boxes, said Mike Smith, a Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman in Denver. The stay raised the ire of con- servation and animal rights groups, who criticized the deci- sion to keep the wolves in the travel kennels. "Keeping wild wolves in tiny crates for an extended time peri- od is palpably inhumane," said Allen Rutberg, with the Humane Society of the United States. 7-k,- ma kr ,/ / Wolves. return One of the wolves bears her teeth at snare noose used to tempt her out her cage on Saturday. Moonstar Shadow was the first to be released into the wilds of Central Idaho north of Salmon Saturday. Chat Chaat, Akiata and Kelly followed. Moonstar Shadow was the first released By Ken Miller Gannett News Service RIVER OF NO RETURN WILDER- NESS — Moonstar Shadow, a 90 -pound black male wolf, emerged from his trans- port crate Saturday, steadied himself on his huge paws, then bolted on the snow toward the icy Salmon River — the first Canadian wolf set free to recolonize the Northern Rocky Mountains. Minutes later, as that wolf wandered hundreds of yards away on the frozen river, Chat Chaaht, a big gray male whose name in Nez Perce means "older brother," poked his head out from his opened cage and darted toward the river. Then came Akiata, a stunning female wolf in a drop -dead white coat. Finally, Kelly was freed from her cage and she fled into wildlife conservation history. "There are now four wolves in Idaho," MORE INSIDE ■ WHAT ARE THE CHANCES of survival for Idaho's new wolves. Page 3A. proclaimed Dave Hunter, veterinarian for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. "I'm just glad they appear to be healthy at this point," said Ed Bangs, leader of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's historic attempt to re- intro- duce the gray wolf into the Northern Rockies. The wolf re- introduction program has been beset by legal challenges that kept the animals locked up in tiny cages for more than two days. Plans to fly the Idaho wolves into one of the most isolated corners of the vast Frank Church River of No Return Wil- derness area were scrapped Friday and again Saturday morning due to impossi- ble flying conditions. Members of the wolf relocation team, fearing another day in captivity could kill the animals, finally picked a fall- back relocation site. But they had to truck the wolves more than three hours on a treacherously icy forest road, and only then with the help of a big snowplow. After reaching the site, Bangs vetoed the wolves' release because he felt the road -weary canines would be unable to negotiate the steep canyon walls and would instead run down the banks of the ice - clogged Salmon River, perhaps fall- ing in as they tried to roam the river's ice shelf. So the team pressed ahead until it arrived at the end of the road at Corn Creek, where the wolves were finally unloaded. 777 /ao�o :_75t4-17'_&517a.1Z Wolves are now in Idaho, but survival is not a given Many perils await them in their new wilderness territory By Ken Miller Gannett News Service RIVER OF NO RETURN WILDERNESS — Now that four wolves have been released into the Central Idaho wilderness, the biggest threat to their sur- vival is accidents. "Some of them may not make it," said Ed Bangs, leader of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's attempt to re- introduce the gray wolf the Northern Rockies. He ticked off a litany of perils facing the wolves, including fall- ing off a cliff in the unfamiliar terrain or falling through the ice on the river. Wolves can go 30 days be- tween meals, and with so much game in the neighborhood, the odds of them starving are slim. "This is' a large, remote area with a big prey base," said Rog- ers Thomas, district ranger for the Salmon National Forest. He said the region is teeming with wolf food — deer, elk, and big- horn sheep. "I think they'll find a very rich environment here, Thomas said. "And given where they are, I don't think they'll be in any danger of being indiscriminately shot." The government plans to bring 30 wolves a year for three to five years to this magnificent moun- tain range and to Yellowstone National Park in hopes of restor- ing viable wolf packs to a region where the West's top predator was snuffed out in the 1920s. Another shipment of wolves could arrive in Yellowstone, Idaho or both by the middle of next week, Bangs said. Seven more wolves await shipment in Canada, and plans call for an- other seven wolves to be sent to Yellowstone and another 11 sent here. While there are wolf packs in Montana and occasional wolves in Idaho, Saturday's release of these four accomplished killers was a watershed in efforts to Katherine Jones /The Idaho Statesman David Langhorst, executive director of the Wolf Education and Re- search Center, makes a toast after four wolves were released into the wilds of Central Idaho north of Salmon on Saturday. A spare bottle of wine has been set aside to toast the arrival of prospective pups. Wolf release points and territory Coeur d'Alene Wolves' pot Missoula territory Helena Montana Cody Idaho Jackson<<,. National Park Wyoming reverse generations of predator extermination. Another group of eight Cana- dian wolves arrived in Yellow- stone last week. The animals are being held in acclimation pens for several weeks as they adjust to their new surroundings be- fore being turned loose in hopes they'll flourish in the protective cocoon of the national park. While Bangs remained cau- tious about the fate of these pil- grims from Canada, there was jubilation all around him as a day many had worked for had finally arrived. The sight of watching wolves leaping over X Introduction points Idaho Wolves were released Saturday directly into the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness Area. © Mammoth Hot Springs Wolves were put Into one -acre pens Friday for a stay of up to eight weeks, then will be released into Yellowstone Park. logs and darting among the trees was powerful. "This is the beginning of a solution for a long- standing con- troversy," said David Langhorst of the Wolf Education and Re- search Center. "Now we can go on. Wolves will recover here, and people will find the hysteria was just that." "We really didn't know what to expect," said Dave Hunter, veterinarian for the Idaho De- partment of Fish and Game. "But they're here, they're healthy, and there are no prob- lems. I don't think I could ask for more." ��Gt�� 1daGu��'f��tes��7a��t ����19/9��' Moonstar Shadow explores Montana By Charles Etlinger The Idaho Statesman Moonstar Shadow migrated to Montana this week, leaving Ida- ho with only three transplanted Canadian wolves. But biologists say the 90- pound black male likely will re- turn. In any case, another 11 captured wolves are to be re- leased in Central Idaho on Friday. Four gray wolves were let out of their cages Saturday at Corn Creek, west of Salmon. They launched the recolonization of the endangered species wiped out in Idaho six decades ago. Moonstar Shadow was the first of the quartet to be freed and sprint into the forest. On Tuesday afternoon, a U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service plane picked up radio signals from a miniature trans- mitter on the wolfs collar, agen- cy spokeswoman Sharon Rose said Wednesday. Moonstar Shadow had trav- eled 26 miles north to just across the Idaho - Montana border in the Bitteroot Mountains. Wolves can lope up to 50 miles a day. "It wasn't unexpected at all," Rose said. Studies of wolves re- leased in other states show they may head back in the direction from which they were captured, but often return to their release site, she said. The other three Idaho wolves were spotted 11 miles from Corn Creek in several directions, she said. Aerial monitoring will resume today. The 11 additional wolves will be flown to Salmon Friday morning, and released at a Cen- tral Idaho site to be determined later, Rose said. They will be the last transplanting this winter. Wolf release draws 40 mixed views BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star-News For better or worse, the wolves are back in the Idaho wilderness, and despite a rash of dire predictions, lo- cal experts do not foresee problems coming from the wolves' reintro- duction. By Tuesday, 15 wolves had been released into central Idaho. The ani- mals were released as "experimental and non - essential," which means they are not afforded the rigid protection required under full - fledged federal Endangered Species Act status. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game supports wolf recovery in Idaho, believing it "is compatible with other natural resource interests in the state, and that it will not have a negative impact on Idaho's economy," accord- ing to an F &G statement. The wolves are not likely to harm the deer, elk or the wild sheep popu- lations in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, where the wolves were released, according to Mike Schlegel, regional wildlife di- rector for the F &G. Schlegel said there will be some predation on local big -game popula- tions, depending on where the wolves settle and form packs, but the total number of animals killed will be "sta- tistically insignificant" on the state's deer and elk herds. There are also mechanisms in place that allow wolves to be captured and relocated if they are decimating local big -game populations. The F &G also does not intend to allow the wolf recovery to "signifi- cantly interfere with hunting, trap- ping or fishing activities," the depart- ment reported. The only other potential result the wolf recovery may have is area re- strictions in case of illegal killings of the wolves, or restrictions during times when the wolves are denning, or car- ing for their young. "The whole idea is not to have any restrictions on forest activities," said Floyd Gordon, the forest wildlife bi- ologist on the Payette National For- est. "There will probably be less re- strictions on them (wolves) than we have on elk," Gordon said. He said there could be closures within a mile of active wolf dens, usually during the summer, but the only way that could have a significant effect is if a den was near a road. Otherwise, he said the wolves tend to be flexible and adaptable to human activities as long as humans aren't trying to kill or harm them. "I don't see any problems based on what the plans are to manage wolves," Gordon said. Not all people agree it will be busi- ness as usual in the forest with the re- introduction of the wolves. "I' in afraid we're going to see cur- tailment in use of the forest in hunting and other things," said Ted Epley, a former wilderness outfitter in McCall. "Things like this tend to tie things up. Grant Simonds, executive director of the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, said his organization has two major concerns over the wolf re- introduction. First, the organization fears "un- acceptable impacts" on deer and elk populations. Second, they are wary of any land -use restrictions. A den located in an outfitter's area could hurt his business since he is legally bound to operate in a specific region of the wilderness, Simonds said. "I know of no Frank Church Wil- derness outfitter who can afford to miss the month of June because a den is located next to a trail or campsite," Simonds said. The association took an informal poll, and about 40 percent of its mem- bers favor wolf re- introductions, 40 percent were opposed, and 20 percent were undecided, Simonds said. The association is hoping the state will assume management duties of the wolves and ensure the guides and outfitters' businesses are not hurt. The state is currently in negotia- tions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nez Perce tribe to devise a management plan that will put the Idaho wolves under joint state and tribal management. `7�rl / -gal,-a - s -_a fes17?an - ��-1,- /%s- eleased female wolf is making tracks She has traveled 75 miles north in just over 2 weeks The Associated Press LEWISTON — A black female wolf nicknamed Libria has tied the distance record for miles traveled since 15 of the preda- tors were released last month in Central Idaho. The wolf equipped with a ra- dio collar found her way north into the Selway River country east of Lowell by Friday. She was named by Moscow Junior High School students. The wolf was still within the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness, said Ted Koch, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Idaho wolf recovery coordinator. The 89 -pound adult was re- leased Jan. 20 at the Indian Creek Airstrip along the Salmon River's Middle Fork some 75 miles to the south. Libria's travels tied her for the distance record set so far by the 15 radio - collared wolves. Another animal in the group has nearly reached the limits of the wolf reintroduction area, near Interstate 90 southeast of Missoula, Mont., Koch said. The investigation into the shooting of one of the 15 wolves Sunday has not turned up any suspects. She was killed at a Salmon - area ranch as she was feeding on a calf she killed. The owner of the ranch and his agents are not considered subjects. Koch said it was not surpris- ing a disoriented wolf would kill easy prey like the calf. The Defenders of Wildlife group has promised to pay for livestock losses verified to be wolf - killed. A wolf with a collar decorated by Lapwai High School students was staying near the confluence of the main Salmon and its Mid- dle Fork, Koch said. Chat Chaaht, or "Big Broth- er" in Nez Perce, was one of the four released near Corn Creek Jan. 14. Aerial tracking showed the other wolves were staying close to the areas they picked shortly after their release. In northern Idaho, the service still hopes to catch and collar a wolf near Priest River that was accompanying another one killed a week ago by a govern- ment trapper. The two apparently wandered south from Canada. "We want to monitor its whereabouts. It appeared to us that it may have been the pre- cursor to a pack up there," Koch said. "If it stays in an area with livestock, we want to be able to get a collar on it to keep track of its whereabouts." W to Xa4 x 6, Sd ,177�- 511eai-7 - :?/ 7�y� Male wolf, female, take a closer look By Charles Etlinger The Idaho Statesman It's boy wolf meets girl wolf. Two transplanted Canadian wolves were spotted Sunday within 100 meters of each other near the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. "We may have a budding love affair," Ted Koch, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, said Monday. The two: an unnamed black - dark gray adult female, and Keea, a gray adult male spon- sored by McCall - Donnelly Ju- nior High School. If they mate, they could have four to eight pups in late April. That would give the Central Ida- ho wolf introduction program a boost towards its goal of 100 wolves by 2002. The wolves were detected by an airplane that picked up sig- nals from their radio collars. On Friday, they were within a half - mile of each other. The animals are in heavily wooded, rugged country and were not seen by the spotter on Sunday. They were released at Indian Creek, near the Middle Fork, on Jan. 20 and are from different packs in Canada. Wolf biologists also are en- couraged by movements of other wolves who are backtracking af- ter they dispersed from their re- lease sites in January. Two that appeared headed for Canada have partly retraced their steps, one by 40 miles. "This is a typical pattern of wolves dispersing," Koch said. "They'll say, perhaps, `My favor- ite place is the Big Creek drain- age. I'll meet a pretty girl and settle down.' " He said a new Idaho Depart- ment of Fish and Game survey Idaho wolf locations A male wolf and a female wolf were spotted Sunday within 100 meters of each other rear the Middle Fork of the Salmon River m° and may be ©� mating. AI , Nlsjhis lis n 3oiseo s are in oup ;mrrr -, I I . Fish and wildlife Service indicates there are roughly 6,000 elk — prime wolf food — in the Middle Fork country, twice as many as in past years. Fifteen wolves were released in Central Idaho. The service is investigating the shooting of one, 25 miles south of Salmon. #,l TdoV Jtbt6"JM&,t r3/ /ol �,s Wolf probe attracts Delegates plan to review federal agents' actions By Charles Etlinger The Idaho Statesman Congress will probe allegations that federal agents intimidated a 74- year -old rancher while investi- gating the killing of a wolf near Salmon. On Wednesday, three armed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents confronted rancher Gene Hussey with a warrant to search his ranch for the bullet that killed the gray female wolf. In a letter to Idaho's congressio- nal delegation, Lemhi County Sheriff Brett Barsalou said the confrontation "was inappropriate, heavy- handed and dangerously close to excessive force." The agents apparently were in- vestigating whether Hussey was involved in the death of the wolf, said Barsalou's chief deputy, Sam Slavin. Barsalou couldn't be reached for comment, but Slavin said after the agents arrived, an employee of Hussey's called the sheriff's office and Barsalou drove to the ranch. "He (Hussey) felt he was out- numbered by three armed agents he didn't know," Slavin said. The sheriff asked for an affida- vit justifying the search, Slavin said, but the agents couldn't or wouldn't produce it. Barsalou and Hussey left, and Congress' attention the agents went ahead with the search. "I understand nothing was produced," Slavin said. Barsalou said he would no long- er cooperate in the probe. Hussey couldn't be reached for comment. Rep. Mike Crapo, R- Idaho, said Thursday the House Natural Re- sources Committee will hold a hearing by the end of March on the incident. "I have strong questions about the proper role of federal agents enforcing federal laws without co- operation from local law enforce- ment agencies," Crapo said. Gov. Phil Batt called the ac- tions "'totally irresponsible and overreaching." Attorney General Al Lance is investigating. The 87 -pound wolf was one of 15 Canadian wolves transplanted to Central Idaho in January to rein- troduce the species to its ancestral lands. The Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice said the animal was shot dead from 130 yards with a rifle on Hussey's ranch, 25 miles south of Salmon. It was found Jan. 29 alongside a calf it had apparently been eating. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, R- Idaho, called Fish and Wildlife Service Director Mollie Beattie on Thurs- day and asked her to investigate. Sen. Larry Craig, R- Idaho, invited her to his office today. Rep. Helen Chenoweth, R -Ida- ho, and Lt. Gov. Butch Otter said Thursday they will hold a public hearing "to investigate charges of excessive use of government force by federal agencies." The hearing is slated for 10 a.m. March 17 at Boise City Hall. Agency head admits wolf -probe errors The Associated Press The head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service admitted on Friday that her agents made mistakes earlier this week in serving a search warrant on an elderly Salmon rancher as part of their investigation into Janu- ary's killing of a Canadian wolf. During a meeting with Idaho's two congressmen and two U.S. senators, Service Director Mol- lie Beattie "did not deny claims by Lemhi County commissioners and Sheriff Brett Barsalou that the rancher, Gene Hussey, may have been intimidated and that Barsalou was not consulted," according to a statement from the all- Republican delegation. While the three agents did not draw their weapons or use phys- ical force during Wednesday's incident, Beattie said they should have been more coopera- tive with local law enforcement. However, the Fish and Wild- life Service's regional office in Portland, Ore., issued a less - apologetic statement late Friday. "The three officers conducted themselves in a professional and responsible manner; as is rou- tine practice the officers unob- Nez Perce to watch wolves in Idaho LEWISTON — The Nez Perce Tribe has given final ap- proval to a $151,000 contract with the federal government to take over monitoring of 14 Ca- nadian gray wolves in the cen- tral Idaho backcountry. Meanwhile, evidence contin- ues to grow that a litter of wolf pups may be on the way. Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Charles Hayes on Wednesday ap- proved the pact with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Legislature rejected al- lowing the state to oversee re- covery. Chuck Lobdell, Fish and Wildlife's Idaho director, said the agency would keep law- trusively carried standard -issue weapons," the statement said. "When it became evident that they would be unable to gain the cooperation of others at the site and to conduct the search of the field in a peaceful and cooperative manner, the officers prudently withdrew from the area and returned to enforcement responsibilities. The politics do not seem to have deterred a budding ro- mance among the wolves. Along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, a pair of wolves seem to be setting up a family. Lobdell said another younger male appears to have split off from the pair more than a week ago. This week's flight showed he was about eight miles from the duo. "If I had to guess, I'd say he got chewed on pretty good and was trying to find someplace that was a little friendlier," Lobdell said. The three are among the 15 wolves released in January. their office." The statement also said autop- sies on the wolf found shot to death on Hussey's ranch and a calf found dead at its side "indi- cate that the dead wolf did not kill the calf," and that the calf "is believed to have been still- born or to have died from natu- ral causes shortly after birth." .' hv. ,S't d 't e S h4 d o More wolves set free — s , � , ,, r4 ` 3 �� y� Yellowstone wolves first ones let out stay in ` move away from pens YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Wolves freed PARK, Wyo. — Wildlife biolo- into Yellowstone National Park gists, undaunted by the refusal appear to be moving away from of six wolves to leave their pen their holding pens, wildlife biol- in' Yellowstone National Park, ogists said Monday. headed back into the park While the nine wolves seemed Wednesday to open a second hesitant to leave their pens in pen. Park spokeswoman Cheryl the park's Lamar Valley last week, only one remained in a Matthews said biologists decid- pen on Monday, said Yellow - p ed to open a pen near Rose Creek in the park's Lamar Val- stone spokeswoman Elizabeth trick. ley that contained three wolves . The wolves did not leave their — a female, her female pup and e.The pns until the weekend after bi- a male. ologists cut a secondary opening The opening of the second pen in the structures. was to follow by about 24 hours The nine wolves are among 14 the opening of a pen containing brought to the park in January one female and five male wolves as part of an effort to restore on Tuesday. L'All along, they said they wolves in Yellowstone. I wSnted to try to get them out The remaining five wolves are without a long time delay," Mat- in a third pen that is to be opened later this week. thews said. "They want to kind of give them all equal footing." Meanwhile, at the first pen to be opened about 5 miles away, the wolves continued to mill about inside their pen, 24 hours after its gate was opened. 5 more wolves leave pens Matthews said biologists be- lieved the wolves were doing in Yellowstone; one stays well, and they continued to hope YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL that the predators would leave PARK, Wyo. — Five of the six the pen on their own. wolves that have spent the past But biologists planned to visit one and one -half weeks in their the pen today if the wolves had open pen in Yellowstone Na- not left by then, she added. tional Park finally left the en- I. just a safety measure to closure Friday, according to a go in and make sure everything park spokeswoman. is ,all right," she said. The movement leaves only one The wolves were among 29 Canadian gray wolf of the 14 brought to Yellowstone and brought to Yellowstone in Janu- Central Idaho from Canada in ary still inside a pen, with the January in an effort to restore rest ranging from 4 to 14 miles the animals to America's north- away from the pens that were erb Rockies. their homes for more than two months. In addition, one of the wander - ing packs apparently has killed a bison, a significant develop- ment in the opinion of biolo- gists, who said it would help the predators put down roots in the park. N,&MK a3, iqq � Api - l j q q5 3 wolves return to park after visit to Montana YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Three wolves released in Yellowstone Nation- al Park have returned to the park after briefly straying into Montana. Park spokeswoman Marsha Karle said Monday that the wolves released from their pen almost two weeks ago moved back into Yellowstone over the weekend after traveling seven miles north of Yellowstone's boundary into the Gallatin Na- tional Forest last week. The return of ' the three wolves, an adult female, an adult male and one female pup, occurred as the other 11 wolves released in the park roamed widely in and around the Lamar Valley. ��l11' ��Ct'G7LYO ��- -��'��`�� C.SrnCclZ -. 161 ��/s First gray wolf litter born near Yellowstone By Jane Kay San Francisco Examiner A gray wolf has given birth to a litter of seven puppies near snow - covered Yellowstone Na- tional Park, making them the first born since wild wolves were reintroduced to Montana and Idaho four months ago. But her mate, a 122 -pound 'grayish male, was killed, appar- ently by "foul play," last Thurs- day near Red Lodge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials said. Of the 14 gray wolves reintro- duced into Yellowstone in Janu- ary after a 60 -year absence, the male's death is the first mortal- ity just as his progeny are the first sign of the population's re- newal. Of the 15 gray wolves released about the same time in the Central Idaho wilderness, a male was found shot in January, near a dead newborn calf. On Wednesday near Yellow- stone, a Fish and Wildlife re- searcher came upon the tiny pups, not in a traditional den but "scrunched together under a pine tree," said Hank Fischer, of the group Defenders of Wildlife. Researchers believe the moth- er wolf, who was not with the litter, had been waiting for the male to return, possibly to con- tinue a search for a den site. "It's harder for her, but she can make it without a mate," Fischer said. In the last week, 5 to 6 inches of new snow has fallen 30 miles east of Yellowstone, where they were found. The rancher on whose land the pups were born has agreed to leave them alone. Under a Defenders program, he is eligible for a $5,000 award if they grow to maturity. YAP sr 2�P `It's unbelievable that we can just walk out and see them' ELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Four wolves, two adults and their jet - black yearling sons, trot out of an aspen stand into a meadow lit by the rising sun. About 35 grazing elk look up briefly, then return their attention to the lush grass. The wolves aren't worth worrying about. They aren't hunting. The appearance of the carnivores, though, has a different effect on a group of about 35 people clustered on a hillside on the opposite side of the wide, green Lamar Valley. Spotting scopes swing on tripods, binoculars snap into focus, conversation stops. "It's almost unbelievable that we can just walk out and see them," said Tim McClure, a schoolteacher from Roscommon, Mich. "Wow. They're really here." Stunning even the most optimistic biologists, one of the three wolf packs reintroduced to Yellowstone this March has set. Wd in an area of the park visi- ble from a public road. Story and photos by JONATHAN BRINCKMAN / Roadside tourists nave peen We to watch the Crystal Bench Pack do things even top scientists have never been able to observe wild wolves do. Playing high - stakes games of chicken, the pack's young ss wolves have chased young griz- zlies, then turned tail and skel- itpred when the bears stopped running. The pack has *harassed coyotes, digging up a coyote den and apparently killing a pup. Adults and year - cgs alike have spent hours cavorting in the open meadows, The Idaho Statesman _r V - g bones high into the air itching them, playing -war, ambushing each as they cross the grass- or those who have battled to reintroduce wolves to VISITORS USE SPOTTING SCOPES AND E SIDE OF LAMAR VALLEY. "This has Deen iar, iar snore first time that 1 really knew successful than we had ever they were back," he said. expected," said Rick McIntyre, Bill and Sheri Slaughter of the park service ranger who Salt Lake City, who came to directs Yellowstone's wolf -e,du- Yellowstone with their daugh- cation program. "It's of world- ter Danielle, were most wide significance. From now on impressed by an encounter well always have a factual between the wolf pack and a foundation for wolf recovery „ the Northern Rockies, the programs. That prospect displeases Yellowstone wolf show is ranchers who have bitterly natic confirmation that fought against the federal r efforts were worthwhile: effort to return wolves to Idaho !r a two - decade push driven and Wyoming, fearing that he Endangered Species Act, l wolves are again visible in their cattle will be killed. nation's first national park. `Yes, this going to be a source of more favorable pres- last wolves in Yellowstone sure by mostly non -rural and e killed by rangers 69 years non - Western folks who want 1 " said Geor e A More significantly, with 3,000 sitors estimated to have seen e Crystal Bench Pack over Le past five weeks, the popu- rity of the Yellowstone wolves likely to translate into ronger public support for pro - Isals to reintroduce wolves to her areas of the country, .cluding New Mexico, Aorado and Arizona. Capturing wolves and releas- g them in new areas has giver been tried before. Now ologists know that the wolves ill stay put, hunting wild prey ithout bee - lining for nearby inches or attempting to trek their original home. The Yellowstone success, and Iccess in a parallel effort to introduce wolves to Idaho, uld even have international iplications. Biologists in ;otland and Japan, which are so considering reintroducing elves, are watching closely. more wo ves, g Bennett, natural resources con. sultant for the Idaho Cattle Association. "If you don't pay the price, you don't care what i costs." 'ellowstone visitors last week weren't concerned about the politics of the wolf appearances. They busy enjoying the ani- ing were something I didn't expect," said Col. Rick Mali( an F -16 pilot from Tucson, Ariz., in Yellowstone with a wolf tour organized by the Audubon Society and The International Wolf Center of Ely, Minn. "They obviously 1 their new home." Mike Link, co- author of a book on wolves and a leader the tour, said the wolves seemed to be settling in. "W] I saw them play, that was th family of grizzly bears. The wolves were napping in a meadow when a mother grizzly and two near -adult cubs walked out of a grove `wolves leaped trees. The young l to their feet and ran over to the grizzlies. The adult wolves raised their heads and watched. Then the adult male got up and walked toward the mother bear. For a moment, while viewers held their breath, the two stood nctRP -to -nose. Finally the male 11'a f Ps wolf turned and walked away. The young wolves followed. "It was incredible. It was spiritual," Bill Slaughter said. 'Thate to be corny, but every- body was just awed. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was an amazing encounter." Mary Anne Bellingham, a writer from Billings, Mont., was most excited when her 10- year -old daughter, Brynn, first saw the wolves. She also enjoyed watching bison eye the hunting wolves, and then put the mothers and young calf behind a line of large bulls. "It was out of a textbook," she said. or scientists scattered among the wolf watchers, the unusual visibility of the animals is a research windfall. In Minnesota, which has 2,000 wolves, people con- sider themselves lucky just to glimpse one dashing across a road. Here researchers can watch the pack for hours. For 69 years, the Yellowstone ecosystem has functioned with- out the presence America's most ( hunters. Now all Yellowstone's an prey such as dee predators like co zly bears, must r BALL SLAUGHTER, A SALT LAKE CITY HISTORIAN, DESCRIBES A MEETING BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE CRYSTAL BENCH WOLF PACK AND A GRIZZLY FAMILY. "IT WAS INCREDIBLE. IT WAS SPIRITUAL. IT ONLY LASTED FOR A FEW SECONDS, BUT IT WAS �� r /, F'aq��P h: 3 vy -- -y 1 � 1 (' c DRS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE FLOCKING TO YELLOWSTONE THIS SUMMER IN HOPES OF CATCHING GLIMPSES OF WOLVES RELEASED IN THE PARK LAST WINTER. RICK MCINTYRE, A YELLOWSTONE RANGER, LEADS A WALK NEAR THE SPOT E THE CRYSTAL BENCH PACK WAS RELEASED. P laah o _F3 gv A-,/a f - -??a f es Chronology ■Jan. 10: Twelve wolves are captured n Alberta, Canada; four for release in Idaho and eight for release in ellowstone. ■ an. 11: Wolves start flight to Mo Jtana. Stay against release of wolves issued in case filed by American Farm ureau. Wolves arrive in Great Falls. I Jan. 12: Wolves flown to Missoula. tay lifted. ■ Jan. 13: Yellowstone wolves released from shipping containers into acclimation pens. Six wolves, the Crystal Bench Pack, go in one pen. An alpha female and young female, the Rose Creek Pack, go into another pen. M Jan. 19: Seventeen more wolves captured in Alberta; 11 for Idaho and six for Yellowstone. ■ Jan. 20: Six Yellowstone wolves placed in acclimation pens. Five wolves, the Soda Butte Pack, go in one pen. The sixth wolf, an adult male, is added to the Rose Creek pen. ■ March 21: Crystal Bench pen opened. Wolves leave pen three days later. ■ March 22: Rose Creek pen opened. Wolves leave pen two days later. ■ March 27: Soda Butte pen opened. Wolves leave pen that evening. ■ April 27: Collar of Rose Creek alpha male is found in canyon near Red Lodge, Mont. ■ May 3: Eight pups from Rose Creek alpha female found on ranch. ■ May 7: Carcass of Rose Creek male, skinned with its head removed, is found near Red Lodge. ■ May 16: Park biologists sight Crystal Bench Pack in Lamar Valley. ■ May 18: Rose Creek female and pups moved back to acclimation pen in Yellowstone. Chad McKittrick of Red Lodge is charged with shooting the male and arraigned on three felony counts. ■ June 16: Park Service biologists on aerial survey spot a pup with a member of the Soda Butte Pack. The total number of pups is unknown. Source: National Park Service "You hear of the ripple effect, where one change in the ecosystem causes all kinds of changes in species abundance and composition," he said. "Here, we're seeing the mecha- nisms that explain these phe- nomena." Park Service biologists aren't exactly sure why the Crystal Bench Pack has chosen to stay in a part of the Lamar Valley visible by road. A big factor, they say, is the presence of thousands of elk, deer and bison on the plains beside the winding river. Also, the wolves' current playground is beside the one -acre acclimation pen where the pack was held for 10 weeks before being released Fourteen gray wolves, all captured near Jasper National Park in Canada, were released in Yellowstone National Park this March. The wolves were released as packs, each with an "alpha male" and an "alpha female." The alpha pairs, which lead the packs, are the only wolves that have pups. In an effort to prevent the wolves from moving out of the park, the packs were kept in separate one -acre "acclimation pens" for 10 weeks before being released. One of the packs, the Crystal Bench Pack, has since May 16 remained in an area of the Lamar Valley visible from a park road. More than 3,000 visitors have had an opportunity to watch a pack of wild wolves hunt, play and loaf. Crystal Rose Creek Bench Soda Butte (Two wolves, plus pups) (Six wolves) (Five wolves, plus pups) Alpha female, with eight pups Alpha pair, four Alpha pair, with unknown (four males and four females), yearling males. number of pups, yearling yearling female. (The male male, adult female, adult was killed April 24). male. rv. - - -- t Acclimation pens r \ Wyoming Yellowstone Idaho ? National Park N ' 0 10� Miles Ranges were determined by radio locations of all wolves from March 30 to April 20, 1995 into the park. But Yellowstone has hun- dreds of thousands of acres suitable for wolves. The pack, biologists say, could easily have crossed Specimen Ridge and settled in the next valley to the south. Simply moving up the Lamar Valley for a few miles would have taken it out of sight of the road, which turns north at Soda Butte Creek. Wolf packs usually range over 100 square miles. Biologists for weeks have been expecting the pack to leave Lamar Valley, particularly as wintering herds of game ani- mals move to higher elevations as snows melt. McIntyre and Mike Phillips, the biologist in charge of Soda Butte Creek ■ Loopy - \ Road o� Lamar River Wolf sighting area Yellowstone's wolf recovery effort, list other successes of the Yellowstone effort: The two other packs, the Rose Creek Pack and the Soda Butte Pack, have had pups. And no rancher has reported livestock killed by T lves. he greatest victory, though, is that two of the three packs have stayed in the Yellowstone area. Phillips said the key to the suc- cess of the wolf reintroduction program was ensuring that a stable population of wolves remains in the park. The wolf recovery plan calls for wolves to be taken off the endangered species list when 10 wolf pairs in each of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have pups for three consecutive years. The goal is for that to happen by 2002. The northern edge of the park, with tens of thousands of deer and elk roaming across mountain landscapes, is the most suited for wolves. Unfortunately, the boundary is ringed by cattle ranches. Biologists feared the wolves, captured in Alberta, Canada, would immediately attempt to head north. Holding the packs in one -acre acclimation pens, ringed with chain -link fences, for 10 weeks before their release was an experiment designed to encour- age the wolves to stay put. The experiment appears to have worked. While the packg . have taken forays over the bor- der, two packs returned to the park or the adjoining Absaroka- Beartooth Wilderness. One trip, however, proved fatal to the only male of the small Rose Creek Pack, which now only consists of the adult female, . her pups and a younger female. The skinned carcass of the . male wolf was found near Red Lodge, Mont., on May 7. Four days earlier, biologists had found his mate's pups under ar tree on a nearby ranch. A suspect, Chad McKittrick of Red Lodge, was charged in the shooting. He was arraigned in federal court in Billings on May 18 on three counts. Two of the counts carry maximum penalties of six months in prison and a $25,000 fine; the third carries maximum penal- ties of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Park Service biologists have captured the eight pups and their mother and returned them to the acclimation pen. They plan to release the wolves in late October, after the elk hunting season ends. Now, there is little fear that all of the wolves will leave the,; park. 8 "For them, this is paradise. " It's kind of the wolf equivalent' of winning a lottery," said McIntyre. "They've stayed put in a prime spot for wolves. What an unexpected bonus that it's also a prime spot for viewing wolves." lcLa�oo Ps r-n an - jz�fyS' pa9,0A� / sf` 3 Idaho dances with wolves Six months after the first releases in our state, the reintroduction program is at a `vulnerable stage' TANLEY, Idaho — Cameras were whirring the gray January morn- ing when U.S. Fish & Wildlife biologists opened cramped metal cages and let the first four wolves bolt into Idaho's wilderness. Since then, however, few people have seen or heard from those animals, or 11 others released a few days later. Six months into a controversial ffort designed to bring gray olves back to the Northern ckies, the Idaho wolf reintro- Valpa Asher Alice Whitelaw Scientists are watching both efforts carefully because they will serve as models for future attempts to reintroduce wolves in the United States and else- where. Further, because the $12.3 million effort to return the wolves was launched under the Endangered Species Act, its success or failure could have implications for the act's future, which is now being considered in Congress. Six of the Idaho wolves briefly paired, but the romances all appear to have ended with- out pups. Wolf advocates say the lack of pups this year makes it critically important that attempts to dismantle the Endangered Species Act and halt the wolf program are resisted. Unless more wolves are re- leased in future years, said Suzanne Laverty, program director of the Ketchum -based Wolf Education & Research Center, the wolves may not form pup - rearing packs. "We're at a vulnerable stage," she said. "If the effort stops now we could end up with noth- duction program has been the source of surprising successes and heartbreaking frustrations. Confounding critics, no cattle have been killed, the Fish & Wildlife Service reports, and most of the wolves have remained in remote areas. Still, the wolves — released indi- vidually, unlike in a companion program in Yellowstone National Park — have not formed families and had pups, disappointing biol- ogists monitoring their progress. Story and photos b yrALPA ASHER AND ALICE WHITELAW, WOLF FIELD BIOLOGISTS WITH THE J.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, FIT A RADIO COLLAR ON ONE OF 15 WOLVES TRAPPED IN ALBERTA, CANADA, FOR RELEASE IN IDAHO. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service JONATHAN BRINCKMAN / The Idaho Statesman Many critics, including some biologists, predicted the wolves would either immediately high- tail it for Alberta, Canada, where they were captured, or gravitate to Idaho's populated valleys. Instead, 12 of the surviving 14 wolves remain in Idaho. Of those, said Ted Koch — the Fish & Wildlife biologist who over- sees the Idaho effort — seven are in designated wilder- ness and the other five are in remote areas, far from people and cattle. Two wolves are in Montana — one not far from the Idaho border; the other, when last detected, in the northern section of the state, apparently bound for Canada. Even without forming packs, which is how most wolves live, the Idaho wolves are surviving by catching deer and elk. "They're exceeding our grandest expectations," Koch said. "I have yet to meet a rancher who did not have a profound interest in animals," said George A. Bennett, a Valley County rancher and natural resources director for the Idaho Cattle Association. "Yet no rancher is going to like to see a cougar jumping on a calf or a wolf taking out a heifer." Still, Bennett says that after a rocky start, relations with federal officials have improved. "We feel there are some good people on the ground attempt- ing to make it work," he said. "They may be misguided, but they're good people." In particular, Bennett is impressed by two Fish & Wildlife Service field biologists, lk"ave her and Whitelaw are Valpa Asher and Alice addened that none of the Whitelaw, who have taken up daho wolves appear to residence in Custer County, a had pups. center of wolf opposition. Different release methods Both women say months of were used in Yellowstone and rritieiam nn tall cirlaQ — f-n,,, Idaho, but it's too soon to say whether that will make a differ- ence in whether the wolves will reproduce. For Yellowstone, three entire packs were captured in Alberta, then released in the park after being held there for 10 weeks in a one -acre "acclimation pens." The strategy, called a "soft release," was intended to encourage the packs to remain in the area. Two of these packs have already had pups. A different approach, called a "hard release," was taken in Idaho. Biologists captured indi- doesn't happen when women are involved." Sipping water at Stanley's Mountain Village Restaurant, Whitelaw described the time she and Asher — investigating reports of a wild wolf — knocked on a rancher's door. He spent more than an hour answering questions, then walked them to the door. "On the way out he said, `You know, if you had been two men, I wouldn't have said a goddamn thing to you. These feds knew what they were doing, sending women in here.' " 9 ❑ ranchers who oppose the wolves, to environmentalists ranchers remain fierce- who say the animals should be left to migrate slowly south idaho ly opposed to the wolf pro- from Canada and northern gram, calling the introduc- Montana — have taken a toll. tion of efficient killing Koch, who supervises Asher machines to their rangelands and Whitelaw, said he didn't just one more headache in a dif- ficult life. While no cow has yet make a conscious decision to been demonstrated to have choose women for the job. But although inadvertent, he said, been killed by one of the Idaho it was a good move. wolves, ranchers say they fear "Something happens to attacks on livestock will increase as the wolf population testosterone levels when a man in a uniform tries to tell other rises. men what to do," he said. "That the calf's hair and concluded that the wolf had eaten the calf. But scientists at the service's forensics laboratory in Ashland, Ore., determined that the calf was dead before the wolf found it. The investigation made head -lines after the Lemhi County Sheriff confronted Fish & Wildlife law enforcement offi- cers as they attempted to search the meadow for the bul- let used to kill the wolf. The person who shot the wolf has not been found. s . �. ther investigations have gone more smoothly. Officials, including Asher and Whitelaw, concluded that a calf found dead in May on a ranch near Salmon had been killed by coy- otes. A specific culprit wasn't found in the case of two calves killed in late April on a Lemhi 'y. County ranch. The Fish & u;ouiuVYll °° Wildlife Service found no evi- dence of wolves and concluded the calves were killed by a "a large canine." archers, special Endangered Quinton Snook, the rancher, pecies Act regulations have still thinks the calves were een issued for the Northern killed by a wolf. He says a large Rockies wolf program. wolf, not wearing a collar, has Ranchers with stock on pri- been spotted in the area several ate land are allowed to shoot times. wolves caught in the act of "Why bring the wolves back illing livestock, as long as they and destroy everything we otify authorities of their action spent years building," he said. within 24 hours and can pre- "I have no problem if people ent evidence of animals killed want these animals back in the r wounded by wolves. wild, but wolves don't know where the line is Ranchers grazing public land ave the right to harass adult Mike Jimenez " the wolf olves seen near their live- biologist for the Nez Pierce tock. If livestock is killed or g njured, Fish & Wildlife Tribe, which has signed a con - ervice biologists or their tract to monitor the wolves for gents will investigate. If farm the Fish & Wildlife Service. He animals are found to have been believes as ranchers get used to attacked, the service will either wolves, the ranchers will learn emove or destroy the offending first- hand that very few of wolf. their animals are lost. "I almost look forward to the The experience in Montana, day when a wolf kills a live- he said, shows that most wolves stock animal — and it will hap- stay away from people, and pen," Koch said. "That will be those that don't tend to leave the opportunity to prove that livestock alone. we will continue to do what we "When you have wolves in an say we will do." area for five years and there So far, Koch said, the agency are very few problems, that has no evidence that one of the tells people a lot," Jimenez said. Idaho wolves has killed cattle. "Wolves will let people know Wolf B13 was found shot what wolves are about." Jan. 29 on a ranch near Salmon beside the body of a partly eaten calf. The service matched the DNA of hair found in the wolf's stomach with DNA of r b v k n s 0 h V s S a r GRAY WOLF RUNS AFTER BEING RELEASED IN WILDERNESS AREAS ON JAN. 4. IT WAS THE FIRST OF THREE RELEASES THAT NT 15 WOLVES INTO IDAHO'S WILDERNESS. vidual wolves for the Idaho pro- Asher and Whitelaw both gram, each one about the age hold out hope for pups next when wolves normally leave year. their packs. The animals were ❑ then transported to Idaho and A-+ l f d ie i e y ree . mm This method was used for he quicker the animals two major reasons: It was less start reproducing, the the federal recov- expensive than constructing pens and tending them for 10 quicker ery effort can be disband - weeks. And, with the wolves ed. The recovery plan calls for released in the enormous wolves to be taken off the species list when Frank Church River of No Return wilderness area, the endangered 10 pairs in each Idaho, Idaho animals can travel father Montana and Wyoming have than the Yellowstone wolves pups for three consecutive before bumping into ranches or years. The goal is for that to towns. happen by 2002. Asher and Whitelaw, who About $6 million of the pro - ack the wolves with radio sig- posed $12.3 million price tag nals from high -tech collars has been spent so far, mainly attached to the wolves, have on studies and education had hopes for parenthood raised efforts. The plan calls for 15 several times. Three sets of wolves a year to be reintro- airs have formed, then broken duced in both Idaho and p, apparently without pups. Wyoming for three to five years. Monitoring one pair, known Each of those release efforts s wolves B6 and B8, was par- costs between $100,000 and icularly wrenching. $200,000. "They hooked up right in the While biologists are certain eginning, and split up just a that some Idaho livestock will onth ago. . "Asher said, be taken by wolves, federal offi- er voice trailing off as she cials say losses should be low. poke in her small cabin in In Montana, which has had unbeam, 10 miles down the wolves for 10 years, a total of almon River from Stanley. "I 21 cattle and 12 sheep has on't know what happened, been killed by wolves. ctually; maybe it was just too Also, in a measure designed ate to have pups." to offer further protection for i c�a-7"�smG h �' Wildlife Service logs Chronology *e positions Of Idaho N Oct. 14, 1994: Idaho Department of wolves with aerial surveys Idaho !/. Fish and Game chooses release sites for that pick up signals from Idaho wolves. Jan. 10: Twelve captured wolves their radio collars. Ma Map gathered in Alberta, Canada; four for shows recent positions. Fifteen gray wolves release in Idaho and eight for release in 1: The wolves are known as 82 from Alberta, Canada, , " °" ° Yellowstone National Park. through 1316. There is no 61 because that wolf was released in were released in Idaho Family: Largest y 9 Jan. 11: Wolves start flight to Montana. Stay against release of wolves issued in Canada. in January. One of the member of the dog case filed by American Farm Bureau. 15 wolves has been family. Wolves arrive in Great Falls, Mont. 2: 76 -pound, gray ra male. a years old. p Name: Chat -Chaat (Nez Perce word shot; one has left the Adult weight: Jan. 12: Wolves flown to Missoula, for older brother) region and is believed to 75-100 pounds. Mont. Stay lifted. Jan. 13: Four Idaho wolves taken by 3 *: 78- pound, dark gray and black be in northern Montana, a Size: 5 -6 1/2 feet long truck to Salmon. female. 2 years old. Name: Akiata and one is in south- (including tail), 2 1 /2 Jan 14: Four wolves released at Corn western Montana. feet tall at the shoulder. Creek, northwest of Salmon. 4: 82- pound, dark gray female. 5 The remaining 12 are Habitat: Sparsely Jan. 19: Seventeen more captured years old. Name: Kelly in Central Idaho. populated wolves transported from Alberta to northern regions. g Missoula, 11 for release in Idaho and six 5: 90- pound, black and gray male. for Yellowstone. 2 -3 years old. Name: Moonstar Diet: Deer and elk. Jan. 20: Eleven wolves helicoptered Shadow into Idaho. Wolves are released north of Stanley, eight at Indian Creek and three 6: 72- pound, dark gray and black at Thomas Creek. female. 2 -4 years old. Unnamed Jan. 23: Idaho House of 7: 60- pound, gray male. 1 -3 years old. Unnamed Lewiston ® Representatives rejects wolf management plan, leaving U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in charge of the Idaho 8: 94- pound, gray male. 2 -4 years old. Name: Keea ® wolf program. Jan. 29: Wolf 13 is shot near Salmon on ranch owned by Gene Hussey. 9: 94- pound, gray male. 3 -5 years ❑ Corn Creek release site March 8: Fish and Wildlife Service law old. Name: Hinton ® m (Jan. 14) �U ❑ enforcement officers attempt to search Indian Creek release meadow on Hussey's ranch for bullet 10: 87 -pound, black female. 1 -2 p Riggins site Jan. 20 ( ) used to kill wolf. Confrontation ensues years old. Name: Librai ®W ID Thomas Creek release K3 Salmon 20) with Lemhi County sheriff 11: 87- pound, black female. 1 -2 site (Jan. McCall March 8: Last know location of wolf 3, in western Montana, heading north. Nez years old. Name: Bee -Yaw (Shoshone- Bannock for mother) Perce tribe signs cooperative agreement OChallis with Fish and Wildlife Service to help 12: 98- pound, black male. 3 -4 years O manage wolves. old. Unnamed Stanley March 30: Congressional hearing on incident on Hussey's ranch. 13 * *: 87- pound, gray female 1 -2 Lowman April 7: Hussey calls Fish and Wildlife years old. Unnamed Service for help investigating wolf on property. Fish and Wildlife responds; no 14:101- -pound, gray male. 5 ears P 9 Y y Boise wolf found. old. Unnamed Late April -early May: Fish and Wildlife 15: 74- pound, gray female 1 -2 years receives three separate reports of cows suspected of being killed by wolves. The old. Unnamed service, working with local officials, finds 16: 73- pound, gray female. 1 -2 years no evidence of wolf involvement. old. Unnamed Source: U.S. Fish Late May: Twelve of remaining 14 wolves are In remote areas of central has been missing since March 8. She is and Wildlife Service; World Book Idaho. Wolf 3 is unlocated and is thought believed to be in northern Montana b to be in northwestern Montana. Wolf 4 is •* 13 was shot by an unknown person on Jan. 29. in southwestern Montana. 3tc).te5 iii d k Effort bringing 30 more wolves, Sponsors plan to release transplants in Idaho again The Associated Press BOZEMAN, Mont. — With do- nations of cash, equipment and labor partially making up for congressional cuts, more wolves will be captured in Canada this winter and relocated to Yellow- stone National Park and central Idaho, program sponsors say. "We're planning on doing it again and basically replicating what we did last year," said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordina- tor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Plans now call for about 30 wolves to be captured in Canada in January, the same target num- ber as last year. About half will be taken to Yellowstone, where they will be held in pens for several weeks before release. The others will be released immedi- ately in central Idaho. Congressional opponents, led by Sen. Conrad Burns, R- Mont., attempted to scuttle the program by cutting its 1996 budget from $600,000 to $400,000. But Bangs said three private groups Defenders of Wildlife, the Idaho Wolf Education and Research Center and the Yellow- stone Natural History Associa- tion — are donating $40,000, Bangs said. That is enough to find areas in British Columbia where wolves can be captured without harming populations there, Bangs said. The British Columbia govern- ment is donating staff time, Bangs said. In addition, makers of radio tracking collars are of- fering a 30 percent discount, a camera company has donated equipment and a truck has been given to the National Park Service. "Everybody's kicking in a lit- tle bit here and there," Bangs said. That does not mean the budget cuts have no impact. Bangs said the wolf program has been cut from five people to two. Losses, include Steve Fritts, whom; Bangs called "one of the world's: foremost experts on wolves." Fritts is being transferred to Denver, where his duties remain' unclear, Bangs said. But because Fish and Wildlife' "took the pain internally," Bangs said, enough money re mains in the budget to help fund - state programs when they take: over wolf management programs in future months. He said bringing more wolves south this winter will save mon- ey eventually, by allowing wolves to be removed from the` endangered species list more quickly. , "If you want to save money in- the long run, reintroduction is the cheapest, fastest, most effec- tive way to recovery," Bangs` said. The success of last year's rein troduction surprised almost ev- erybody. None of the wolves in Yellow- stone or Idaho has made any., confirmed livestock kills yet, the' biggest expressed fear of wolf op- ponents. And the wolves have' stayed primarily in the wild an' eas where they were released. Plus, nine pups were born to the Yellowstone wolves, all of� them survived, and the Idaho wolves are pairing off, raising, hopes for pups there in the. spring. If this winter's work is as suc- . cessful as last year's, it probably will be the last reintroduction, Bangs said. "We may be done in two years. We're so far ahead of schedule." %c y, i9 9 5" Statz- fmdn%-0vzua�y 1, ig96 The Associated Press Yellowstone National Park wrangler Ben Cunningham and Wally Wines drive a sleigh carrying two Canadian wolves Tuesday, bound for a 10 -week stay in a Yellowstone pen. Nine wolves bound for Idaho were still in Montana. Weather prevented helicopters from transporting the animals into the state. Snow, clouds delay wolves' Idaho arrival Nine wolves bound for release in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area re- mained in Missoula, Mont., Tuesday because snow and clouds prevented helicopter flights into Idaho. The wolves, along with 11 oth- ers taken to Yellowstone Na- tional Park Tuesday, were flown down from northern British Co- lumbia Monday. Biologists hope to fly the Ida- ho -bound wolves into the state today and release them near the spots that 15 Canadian wolves were released last year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to fly at least another six wolves into Idaho and at least another 4 wolves into Yellowstone by the end of this week, for a total of about 15 wolves in each area. "The wolves are doing great," said Mike Jimenez, the wolf bi- ologist for the Nez Perce tribe who is directing the wolf recov- ery effort in Idaho. "They're up and perky and sitting on top of their transport boxes." Jimenez said biologists have given the wolves blocks of ice to chew on and pieces of road - killed deer and elk to eat. 7-he &a,4 o J�� /9V er 15 wolves in both areas will help lock in a permanent wolf Wolves population. That's because the new wolves are expected to link en route up with resident animals, in- creasing the number of pup. bearing packs. Thei 29 wolves released last to states year — 15 in Idaho and 14 in ellowstone —are thriving be- 1d supporters' greatest hopes. 1=yvo packs in Yellowstone had Shipments part pups and six Idaho wolves have paired off, leading experts to ex of reintroduction pect litters this spring. ^ " This is the fulfillment of the reintroduction plan," said Roy By Jonathan Brinckman Ferrar, co -owner of a Boise The Idaho Statesman equipment leasing company and vice - president of the Wolf Edu- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife cation and Research Center, a Service on Monday loaded 19 Boise non - profit group which captured wolves onto a plane Has contributed $30,000 to the bound from northern British Co- recovery effort and has three lumbia to Great Falls, Montana. volunteers in British Columbia Nine of the wolves are to be helping capture and care for the released today in the Frank wolves. Church -River of No Return Wil- `Idaho is one of the few places derness Area. The agency also in, the world that has any wilder - plans today to put 10 of the nass to speak of," Ferrar said. "There's wolves into holding pens in Yel a balance in there. And lowstone National Park, where the wolf is part of that balance." they will be held for about three "It's not a balance that ranch - months before being released. ers in central Idaho want to see. The flight Monday, part of an This is livestock country, effort to return wolves to the and we don't like wolves," said Northern Rockies, lacks the dra- R. -J. Smith, who has a 250 cow - ma of inaugural wolf delivery and -calf operation about 20 last January. An injunction was miles south of Salmon. filed by the Farm Bureau after "Fish and Wildlife officials say the plane lifted off and led to the they expect some cattle to be killed by wolves. But they say wolves being held for days in the Missoula airport. they will capture and remove Still, it's a major victory for livestock - killing animals. An en- supporters of efforts to restore vironmental group, Defenders of wolves and another defeat for Wildlife, reimburses ranchers ranchers. who lose livestock. The second shipment of That's no comfort to Smith wolves comes despite delays and others, who say that wolves caused by the federal govern- bring federal control of western ment furlough, congressional land. Because they are listed as budget cuts and continued oppo- endangered species, the wolves sition from cattle interests and have strong federal protections members of the Idaho and Mon- that include fines and prison tana congressional delegation. sentences for people convicted "We've objected in every of killing a wolf that was not place we can file objections, to caught attacking livestock. no avail," said Bob Sears, execu- "We honestly think that this tive director of the Idaho Cattle all fits one big picture." Smith Association. "There's nothing said. "The federal government more we can do." wants to control our property, Environmental groups con- our water. This is just one of the tributed more than $60,000 — ways to do it." enough money to fund the cap- Alice Whitelaw, a Fish and ture of wolves even as the feder- Wildlife Service wolf biologist, al government was shut down. agrees that many ranchers are The Fish and Wildlife service more angry about government plans to capture and relocate at intervention than the threat least 30 wolves during this ef- posed by wolves. She said she fort. Agency biologists, who understands that position. have been using helicopters and "I guess I'm real sympathet- dart guns to capture wolves, ic," she said. "I get a little tired plan to send at least 11 more of people beating on ranchers. from Canada later this week. They need to be listened to in- Now, supporters and critics stead of blown away because agree, the introduction of anoth- people in New York City think it's real cool to have wolves in Idaho." /.:z //yo, Wolves could arrive by Monday By Jon Sarche The Associated Press Four new packs of Canadian wolves could be brought to their new home in either Idaho or Yel- lowstone National Park early next week, a U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service spokeswoman said Saturday. Sharon Rose, in a telephone in- terview from Fort St. John, Brit- ish Columbia, said biologists had captured 16 wolves through Fri- day and were hoping for three more for a full plane load for a flight to Montana on Monday. In the first year of the federal government's wolf recovery pro- ject, biologists captured 29 wolves near Hinton, Alberta, in early 1995. Fourteen were released in Yellowstone and 15 released in Idaho's Frank Church Wilderness. This Year, Rose said, officials hoped to capture up to 38 wolves to come closer to meeting the pro- ject's goal of establishing at least 10 breeding pairs of wolves for three consecutive years in Yellow- stone and Idaho and in northwest- ern Montana. Two packs of wolves in Yellow- stone saw a total of nine pups born last year. One was killed by a delivery truck, but the remaining eight have been reported in good health. Wolves were eradicated from Yellowstone and the surrounding area early this century. She said the 16 wolves captured through Friday appeared in good health, with the largest weighing 130 pounds. g to f e y rv1 d 11 ,'dR 7, / yq� Wolf recovery on track despite latest hurdle Donations allow second reintroduction in Idaho despite shutdown he federal effort to bring more wolves to Idaho, slowed last year by opposition from ranchers and others, this year faces a new obstacle: the furlough. Plans called for the second release of 15 Canadian wolves in Idaho on Jan. 14. But with the staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service locked out since Dec. 16 by the govern- ment shutdown, that date is out of reach. The program will go forward, though, because of an unusual effort by private environmen- tal groups — including The Wolf Education & Research Center of Boise. They contrib- uted enough money to pay for an operation now under way in Canada to locate wolves for capture. Teams of Canadian biolo- g atc_,�g helicopters char- tered by the environmental groups, have been working for weeks to fit radio collars onto individual wolves in six packs. . Because that work has been done, Fish and Wildlife Service officials say, federal biologists will be able to quickly find the packs and capture 30 wolves for Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho. "If they hadn't given us that money, we'd be at a complete standstill," said Ed Bangs, who directs the agency's wolf recov- ery effort. "It saved our butt." Money for the relocation probably will come as the fur- lough is lifted, Bangs said. If the money remains unavail- able, he said, private donations could keep the program on track. "Right now, they've got their radio collars on. Once we get the budget approved, we can go right up there and get them." The wolves, who give birth in the spring, must be moved in the winter. Early in the year is better, giving the animals a chance to explore their new surroundings and settle in be- File photo The reintroduction of wolves into Idaho and the Yellowstone area began last year. The wolves, like the one in the file photo above, were transplanted from Canada. The recovery plan also called for 15 more wolves to be moved into Yellowstone this month. Fourteen wolves were released in the park last year. The three environmental groups — Defenders of Wild- life, the Yellowstone Natural History Association and The Wolf Education & Research Center — began their fund- raising effort last fall when congressional Republicans an- nounced plans to remove all wolf- recovery funds from the federal budget. It now turns out the legisla- tion would cut that budget by one third, instead — from $600,000 to $400,000 — leaving enough money for the wolf pro- gram. But the Fish and Wild- . life Service was shut down dur- ing a critical time because the Interior Department budget is among funding measures yet unsigned by President Clinton. The wolf location effort is going forward because much wolf - location work is being It We're getting close to establishing wolves in Idaho, but without a second introduction, it wouldn't be a sure thing. Ny — Suzanne Laverty Program director for The Wolf Education & Research Center done by biologists with the Province of British Columbia. The environmental groups con- tributed about $10,000 for radio collars and receivers and $30,000 for helicopter contracts. "We didn't know, when we started this effort, how impor- tant this would be," said Su- zanne Laverty, program direc- tor for The Wolf Education & Research Center. "We're get- ting close to establishing wolves in Idaho. but without a second introduction, it wouldn't be a sure thing. "After working this long, it would have been awful to go back to ground zero." 3 rd Ie 5 kvi d 0 T,t f, -7, l 9 Q b P,qe_ 3 of 3 The 199 r5 elease 1 Idaho wolves After a rocky start, when one a wolf was shot on a Lemhi Family: Largest member of the dog family. County ranch, the 14 surviving Adult weight: 75 -100 pounds. wolves released in Idaho last Size: Up to 6 1/2 feet long (including tail), January are doing well. Six 2 112 feet tall at the shoulder. wolves have coupled up; pups are expected this spring. The original 1995-96 plan: December: Locate Canadian Ae Coupled wolves wolf packs in northern British A Single wolf Columbia. Fit one or two members of each pack with radio collars; monitor wolves and decide which ones to capture. Jan. 5: Start catching '*Lewiston ~ •: Canadian wolves. 0? Jan. 12: Fly Canadian wolves from British Columbia. Jan. 13: Move Canadian Rfy9me_ . Salmon wolves to central Idaho. et! Jan. 14: Release 15 McCall Canadian wolves into Idaho. .challis Effects of the furlough: Lowman e Stanley Federal biologists say they should still be able to complete Soelae the release before the end of the month. Packs have been located and fitted with radio collars using $40,000 donated by three environmental groups. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; The Wolf Education and Research Center Laverty says she is thrilled by the public support. A funding drive that started with 76,000 letters mailed out before Christ- mas already has drawn more than $30,000. Donors include a machine shop in New York state that contributed $500, a woman who said she was giving $100 made available by a New Year's resolution to quit smoking, and a women who sent two dollar bills, "50 percent of my daugh- ter's accrued loot." "I'm so proud of the people and their response," Laverty said. "It's one thing to say you're for wolves, it's another thing to financially support the effort." Money goes to service The money, which will be do- nated to the Fish and Wildlife Service, follows a $10,000 dona- tion from the research center late last fall. Opponents of the wolf pro- gram say their feelings haven't changed. Bob Sears, executive director of the Idaho Cattle As- sociation, had urged Congress to eliminate funding for the wolf recovery effort. "Wolves are a predator, anq ✓e have calves out there that .re an obvious target for predat- ng wolves," Sears said. "We will work diligently to do every - ching we can to stop them from bringing any more wolves into Central Idaho." In northern Montana, which now has about 80 wolves, the animals attack about one -tenth of one percent of the livestock available to them, Bangs said. Since 1982, when wolves first migrated into the area from Canada, livestock losses caused by wolves have averaged one sheep and three calves a year. Ranchers get paid The Defenders of Wildlife compensates ranchers who lose animals to wolves. The group has paid out $17,000, averaging about $1,300 a year. Typically, the gio* pays about $500 for a fatted c'a"jf. None of the wolves released in Idaho and Yellowstone last year has yet killed livestock, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. One dog was killed by Yellowstone wolves. ,Federal biologist say they ex- pect some livestock losses in Idaho. When that happens, they say, the offending wolf or wolves AfAf The people who live far away think restor- ing wolves is neat. The people who live close say, `Why don't you do it in your back yard ?' " Mike Jimenez a biologist with the Nez Perce tribe will be identified and either de- stroyed or relocated, and the rancher will be compensated. Ranchers stand firm Still, most ranchers probably will never endorse the idea of re- introducing wolves to Idaho, said Mike Jimenez, a biologist with the Nez Perce tribe who is managing the wolf program in Idaho. "The people who live far away think restoring wolves is neat," Jimenez said. "The people who live close say, `Why don't you do it in your back yard ?' "That's pretty understandable and pretty legitimate. We're not asking for people to love wolves. We're just asking people to play by the game rules and give us a chance to make it work." The federal plan calls for the wolves to remain listed as endan- gered species until 30 packs are established in the region — 10 in Idaho, 10 in Yellowstone and 10 in northern Montana. Jimenez said that keeping the reintroduction effort going for a few more years will get the wolves off the endangered species list more quickly — a development he STdTes�� Suzanne Laverty, program director for The Wolf Education & Re- search Center, says' the center has received many donations for the wolf recovery efforts. said would please ranchers frus- trated by the federal rules. Move speeds recovery Bringing 15 more wolves into Idaho will greatly speed wolf re- covery in the state, he said, be- cause wolves released this year probably will link up with wolves released last year. Wolves don't have pups until they group into sets of two or more animals; or packs. "Getting another reintroduction this year, ironically, will end the whole thing quicker," Jimenez said. "We won't be always work- ing on a crisis basis." 5fji eSVhdH Biologists capture 4 wolves for Yellowstone, Idaho Three males, one female captured so far in Canada By Ken Miller Gannett News Service Biologists have captured four big wolves in remote British Co- lumbia this week for the second and perhaps final reintroduction of the predator into Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho. Weather near Fort St. John in eastern British Columbia, Cana- da, tested the durability and'inge- nuity of trappers and biologists for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their Canadian counterparts as the second year of the contro- versial wolf recovery program hit high gear. With a target of 30 wolves and a ceiling of 38 to be captured, divid- ed and shipped to Yellowstone and Idaho, crews so far have cap- tured three adult males and a female. All were tranquilized by aerial marksmen in an isolated stretch of frozen frontier called Pink Moun- tain, an area teeming with elk, moose, bison and wolves about 100 miles north of Fort St. John. Trap- pers have yet to focus on six ready -made wolf packs that were radio - collared for easier capture over the next several days. Acting under orders from Con- gress and the federal Endangered Species Act, Fish and Wildlife plans to bring enough wolves to Yellowstone and Idaho to estab- lish fully functioning social groups, or packs. Once that is accomplished, the gray wolf can be removed from the endangered species list in the Northern Rocky Mountains, where they were exterminated as vermin 70 years ago. Thirty wolves were captured in Alberta and flown to both recov- ery areas last January despite bit- ter opposition from local ranchers and some politicians. Sen. Conrad Burns, R- Mont., has sought to eliminate funding for the program, while ranchers continue their le- gal battle against wolf recovery this year. Despite the partial federal gov- ernment shutdown and serious fi- nancial questions, biologists de- cided to push ahead with this second, crucial year of the wolf experiment. They were buoyed in part by private contributions from groups such as Defenders of Wildlife. Fish and Wildlife wolf recovery leader Ed Bangs said from Helena, Mont., that if this year's capture and release program goes as hoped, a third round of captures next year will be unnecessary — the wolves will be well on their way to recovery. That is because the Yellowstone wolves already are reproducing — stunning biologists with two packs having litters last year — while the Idaho wolves are re- maining fairly close to their new home in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. Experts expected about 30 per- cent of the wolves to die. But aside from the loss of two wolves to bullets and a third to an acci- dent involving a truck at Yellow- stone, the animals are flourishing. "It was so successful last year, we had a lower mortality than we thought we'd have and had pups produced which we hadn't antici- pated, that if we're that successful again, I don't think we're going to need a third reintroduction," Bangs said. "I think we would be done with reintroduction; it's over with way ahead of schedule and under budget." Parham said it is too early to tell when the Fish and Wildlife team will have enough wolves to call off the capture and ship the animals south. "It's day - today as far as when they'll arrive in Yellowstone and Idaho," she said. Tdk rs, ?q6 Wolf `can run, but he can't hide' Federal agents plan to capture or kill stock- killing wolf BOZEMAN, Mont. — A stock - killing wolf from Yellowstone Na- tignal Park has returned to the Emigrant area and federal agents plan to either capture or kill it, officials said Saturday night. The wolf killed two sheep in the area four weeks ago, two oth- ers were missing, and now a fifth animal on the same ranch was wounded early Saturday. Federal agents planned to con- verge this morning at South Glas- tonbury, a subdivision of the Church Universal and Trium- pliant, and take care of the wolf as quickly as possible, Mike Phil- lips, Yellowstone's wolf recovery ;coordinator, told the Bozeman .Daily Chronicle. "All the agencies are commit- ted to removing that wolf from .the population," Phillips said. ' "He can run, but he can't hide." Trappers for the federal Animal Damage Control agency netted the radio - collared black male from a helicopter Jan. 14 and sent him back to Yellowstone, where he spent several days in a one - acre pen. He was later released in the Pelican Valley, along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. By Friday, he was in the Daily Lake area on the east side of Paradise Valley and by Saturday 'he had crossed the Yellowstone River and was back near the Ho- rus and Susan Brailsford proper- ty. Radio signals picked up by a ground -based monitor proved he was there, Phillips said. "We don't know that he's killed anything but the fact that he's back there is disturbing," Phillips said. "He needs to be removed from the program." Protocol spelled out in the plan to restore wolves to Yellowstone says they must be killed or taken from the wild if they attack live- Wolf shot, killed after returning to sheep ranch EMIGRANT, Mont. — A wolf brought to Yellowstone Nation- al Park under a plan to restore the endangered predator to the American Rockies was shot and killed by federal agents Monday after it returned to a sheep ranch. The black male wolf was shot from a helicopter after the Na- tional Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decid- ed it wasn't practical to capture the animal alive and keep it caged. The dead wolf, known as No. 3, was captured in Canada last winter and released in Yellow- stone. It split off from its pack this winter and wandered to Montana's Paradise Valley. There, it killed two sheep on the ranch of Susan and Horus Brailsford near Emigrant, which is about 30 miles north of the park. Two other sheep are missing. Killing of the wolf was en- dorsed, with some regret, by De- fenders of Wildlife, the principal environmental group supporting wolf re- introduction. "We all agreed to a set of rules for how wolves would be han- dled if they got in trouble," said Hank Fischer of Defenders of Wildlife. "We hate the idea of having to kill wolves, but a deal's a deal." Wolves greet spri0 ng with breeding boom Litters may bring Yellowstone transfer project to an end The Associated Press YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Canadian wolves brought to Yellowstone Nation - al Park last year are on the verge of a breeding boom, with biologists expecting all four free- roaming packs to produce new litters of pups this spring. Three of four females being held in acclimation pens also appear to be pregnant. "These wolves are hard -wired to breed," said Mike Phillips, leader of the Yellowstone Wolf • Recovery Team. "When there is a large prey base, wolves tend to respond with larger litters." With the unexpectedly high reproduction rate of wolves in Yellowstone National Park and the success of the northern Rockies wolf reintroduction pro- gram, biologists predict that by 2002 the gray wolf could be re- moved from the list of endan- gered species in the United States. Phillips is considering suspen- sion of the capture and transfer of more Canadian wolves to Yel- lowstone next winter. He may have enough wolves in the park to re- establish the presence of a predator systematically extermi- nated by humans at the turn of the century. There have been isolated con- flicts with wolves leaving the park and preying on cattle. A federal lawsuit to block the rein- troduction is still pending in Wy- oming. But few people expected the Yellowstone wolves to do so well and be rooted so quickly to their new environment. A year ago, the first 14 wolves were released in the park. Last spring, nine pups were born in two packs. One of those pups was accidentally killed by a de- livery truck in December, and three adult males now are dead — one was shot illegally, one was killed by biologists after it attacked livestock outside the park and a third was found dead last month on a highway near Daniel, Wyo. That wolf's car- cass has been sent to a wildlife forensics lab to determine the cause of death. Today, 19 wolves roam the Yellowstone region, and 17 more are scheduled to be released from acclimation pens in coming weeks. Phillips expects around six litters this spring, with each yielding five to seven pups. The goal is to have 10 wolf packs in Yellowstone, 10 in Ida- ho and 10 in Montana for three consecutive years. Montana al- ready has eight packs that have established naturally in the Gla- cier National Park region after migrating from Canada. In the central Idaho wilderness, at least four pairings of wolves have been documented, al- though the pairings will not be considered packs until they pro- duce offspring. Phillips says at least two wolf groups held in pens will be moved into the southern and central regions of Yellowstone National Park before they are set free. Biologists hope the newly released wolves will re- side. in areas not yet claimed by the established packs in the north, lessening the chance of wolves killing other wolves over disputed territory. Relocating the penned wolves deeper into the park also may reduce the potential for out-of- bounds excursions to livestock operations. T(l /c aka _Z//5 _/94/1 2 more wolves " to go free today The Associated Press YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — More wolves were to be released in Yellow- stone National Park today, a park spokeswoman said. Cheryl Matthews said the two wolves in the Blacktail acclima- tion pen southeast of Mammoth would be tranquilized and then moved to an area near Old Faithful. Meanwhile, tracking flights over the Nez Perce and Rose Creek pens on Thursday showe4,- that four of the six Nez Peroe� wolves had traveled about .16- miles northeast of their pen, while the other two had re- mained near or inside the enclo sure, Matthews said. All five wolves in the Rosie:. Creek pen remained inside as;Of Thursday afternoon, she said. Wolf population is thriving with new pups at Yellowstone By James Brooke New York Times News Service BILLINGS, Mont. — Around Yellowstone National Park, five wolf dens are alive with new lit- ters, leading biologists to predict that the wolf packs introduced into the park from Canada during the last year and a half will thrive on their own, without more imports. "Wolf reintroduction is done, unless something unusual hap- pens," said Ed Bangs, a biologist with the Federal Fish and Wild- life Service who helped to coordi- nate the airlifts of gray wolves. Lots o' pups When Yellowstone opens fully on Wednesday, wildlife watchers will find that the population of wolves has tripled from that of last year. In addition to 17 adult wolves that were added in Janu- ary, biologists have counted eight new pups in two litters and are confident that three more females gave birth in late April. "There are 15 to 30 new pups on the ground, making a total of 50 to 65 wolves," Mike Phillips, head of the National Park Service's wolf restoration project, said by telephone from his office in Mam- moth Hot Springs, Wyo. Thl, wolves now in Yellowstone are the first to roam the park since the 1920s, when the last of that era's population were killed off by a government eradication program favoring livestock. Three - quarters of a century later, the species has been brought back to Yellowstone, and to loca- tions in Idaho and western Mon- tana, by the federal restoration project, which sprang largely from an overpopulation of elk. Healthy eaters In their new habitat, the wolf packs of Yellowstone have proved to be voracious eaters, killing an elk about every five days as well as an occasional mountain sheep, mule deer or moose. The consolidation of the park's new wolf packs has defied not only court challenge and hostile ;politicians but also misadventure. Of late, gunfire or nature has killed at least one adult wolf a month. In February, one was killed by a mountain lion in west- ern Montana, and another, which had wandered 80 miles south of the park, was shot by a passer -by. In March, a rancher shot a wolf that was roaming through a calv- ing pasture 50 miles west of the park. And on April 14, an adult female fell into a Yellowstone thermal pool and was scalded to death. A necropsy showed that she had been just two weeks short of delivering six pups. For all that, Bangs said, the program is doing well. "Overall," he said, "we expected a 30 per- cent mortality rate. Instead, we have a 15 percent mortality rate." rancher shoots to frighten two wolves Montanan says canines harassed cattle near home The Associated Press PRAY, Mont. — A Montana ancher says he fired near two wolves to chase them from cat- tle they were harassing. And the wolf recovery team leader for the Yellowstone Na- tional Park area said Jim Melin did exactly what the wolf re- introduction program contem- plated in such situations. "He handled the situation very responsibly," Mike Phil- lips said. Wolf reintroduction allows ranchers to harass wolves on private land. Wolves can be killed only if caught ac- tually attacking livestock. Melin said he grabbed a pistol and jumped on his motorcycle after cattle grazing about 200 yards from his home "came un- corked" early Wednesday and stirred his family from a sound sleep. lie found the cows bunched up in a corner, panicked by two wolves standing nearby. Melin said he charged to within 25 feet of the wolves on his motor- cycle but "they just stood there. ... They looked as big as a barn." Melin fired a shot between one wolf's legs, with no effect. A second shot under the ani- mal's belly moved the pair back about 150 yards, and a third shot finally sent them into the timber above Melin's ranch. Melin said his son had no luck scaring off a wolf he found ambling through a cattle herd last week. The wolves were released in the park this spring after being transplanted from Canada dur- ing the winter. Federal officials have dis- cussed removing the wolves from the valley but have taken no action. "Wolves have evolved as the big dog on the block," Phillips said. "They sometimes wander through life oblivious to every- thing that isn't a threat to them." The Associated Press CALL OF THE WILD: A wolf leaps across a road into the wilds of central Idaho north of Salmon in this Jan. 14, 1995, photo. After a halting start, the first year of wolf reintroduction into Idaho's wilderness is being declared a success, with most of the 15 Canadian wolves released along the frozen banks of the Salmon River still alive and pairing up. `� e-j ro Sri �smu� 4f13 Rancher reports wolf attacking calf near Cascade By Frank E. Lockwood The Idaho Statesman What appears to have been a wolf attacked a calf east of Cas- cade Saturday — the third such incident in the past three weeks. Rancher Brad Little said he nearly lost a large calf, weighing 300 to 400 pounds, Saturday morning. A neighbor witnessed the attack about 9 a.m. and fired a shot over the predator's head, scaring it off. The neighbor, Walt DeLoach, told Little the attacker was a wolf. Under federal rules, DeLoach could have killed the creature because it was attacking live- stock on private land. A veterinarian treated the calf, which appeared to have an in- jured back. Previous attacks were also blamed on a "large, wolf -sized canine,' said Mark Collinge, state director for ani- mal damage control. The animal could be a wolf - hybrid, a wild wolf, or one of the wolves which were shipped to Central Idaho-from Canada. Whatever it is, Little doesn't much like it. "He's been chewing on my calves, and I'm not very happy about it." Layne Bangerter of the federal A€umal Damage Control office in Boise is investigating. If he de- termines that a wolf caused the damage, then Defenders of Wild- life — a pro -wolf group — will pay Little compensation. Animal Damage Control offi- cers have also investigated the death of a five - day -old calf on May 31 and a two - day -old calf on June 8 — both east of Cascade. Those attacks occurred about five miles from Little's land. Damage control officials will try.to locate the animal and relo- cate it. If a wolf re- offends, it is killed or sent to a zoo. "The environmental communi- ty has done a great job of con- vincing people how great the wolfes are," Little said. But Little, a former Idaho Woolgrowers Association presi- dent, said he doesn't share their enthusiasm. "It's sure not a pro- gram we want, but I guess the taxpayers have got a stomach for this program." Over the past year and a half, 35 wolves have been introduced into the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness Area iri Central Idaho. Most have flour- ished. But one was shot near Salmon, apparently after attack- ing a calf. Another has disap- peared. And a third wolf was killed by a cougar. U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServWb officials say the wolf reintroduc- tion program is going well and that such attacks were likely to occur. "We've had a few inciL dents of depredation or suspect- ed depredation, but all in all it's been pretty quiet this spring," said Bob Ruesink of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Boise. Eighth wolf found dead in Yellowstone YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A young male wolf has been found dead in Yel- lowstone National Park, possi- bly the victim of a run -in with wolves from another pack. Park officials said Monday. that biologists found the body of the yearling male identified as wolf No. 20 in the Lamar Valley in the northeastern section of the park during the weekend. It was one of eight pups born to a female in the Rose Creek pack in April 1995, officials said. Biologists are unsure what caused the wolf's death, but they said it is possible the animal died of injuries it suffered dur- ing an encounter between its pack and another earlier in the week. The wolf's carcass has been sent to the U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service's National Forensics Laboratory in Oregon to verify the cause of death and provide other biological information. The wolf is the eighth to die since the Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice started bringing Canadian wolves to Yellowstone in early 1995. But the mortality rate among wolves remains below what fed- eral officials had anticipated. In addition, at least 30 wolf pups have been born in the park since the reintroduction program began. ki�� oa&z,�J Radio - collared wolf found dead in Scott Valley east of Cascade Wolf seen attacking another calf on Little Ranch there &/ -2— (,,// q q 6 CASCADE — The wolf believed to be responsible for the deaths of at least two calves east of here, along with causing serious injury to another, died Sunday morning when it drowned after being caught in a live Trap. The wolf, which was radio - collared and carried the eartag `B -21," is one of those released into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness this past winter. "It's pretty clear this is the same wolf that was on Davises," said Layne Bangerter, a federal Animal Damage Control officer from Boise. Bangerter, who set the live traps for the animal following reports of it being in Scott Valley Saturday, said it was unfortunate the animal died. He said the trap that caught the animal was set between 110 and 150 yards from Big Creek. After being caught, file wolf dragged the trap to Big Creek, crossed the creek, but then fell back into the creek and drowned. On Saturday, the wolf was seen attacking a large calf owned by Little Land & Livestock Company of Emmett. A neighbor, Walt DeLoach, shot at the wolf to scare it, and it ran off, Bangerter said. But not before it had cripple the 350 -pound calf, he said. Brad Little said Monday that he wasn't certain if the calf was ultimately destroyed, but that it was paralyzed and consideration was being given to putting it down. The ear tag on the wolf that died east of Cascade Sunday reads "B -21." "It was fortunate for the calf that the eyewitness was right there," Bangerter said. He said that under the regulations in effect for the "experimental" population of wolves that is being introduced back into central Idaho, it would have been permissable to kill the wolf while it was attack- ing the calf. But Little said Monday that DeLoach didn't shoot the animal because neither he nor DeLoach were certain about the regulations and didn't want to end up in jail or facing a heavy fine because of killing the wolf. Bangerter, who flew over the area with Nez Perce Tribe biologists following the killing of two calves belonging to Cascade rancher Phil Davis two weeks ago, said he was concerned about the data they were given by the tribe about the location of the radio - collared wolves. The information gained during that flight put the nearest radio - collared wolf about 25 miles east of Long Valley, he said. We need to have accurate data from the Nez Perce Tribe, he said. The Tribe is under contract to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to monitor and man- age the reintroduction effort. Curt Mack, coordinator of the Nez Perce Wolf Recovery Program, said Tuesday that he couldn't comment on the matter as the death of the wolf is under investigation by the USF &WS's law enforce- ment branch, as are all wolf deaths. "Any time a wolf ends up dead, under any cir- cumstances, they do an investigation," he said. But Bangerter said the wolf had been seen off and on in the area over the past three weeks. Without any good hard evidence, such as information gained from the radio - tracking flights, he said it's been dif- ficult to deal with the problem, and that he felt for- tunate to catch him. "It was a live capture attempt," he emphasized. "But whenever you're handling wildlife there's a possibility of mortality, and that can come from over- heating, strangle themselves or drowning." He said USF &WS has taken custody of the ani- mal's body and officials there will determine what to do with it. Adding a bit of intrigue to the matter, Little said in an interview Monday, is that he's been told Tribal biologists had told the Idaho Cattle Association that wolf 'B -21" is the one that was destroyed last win- ter after it bit one of scientists involved in the cap- ture and release of the wolves. But he too, said he didn't exactly like the idea that the wolf died.- "We weren't out to kill the wolf," he said. "We just wanted to stop it from killing any more of our cattle." He said the wolf weighed about 150 pounds and, according to reports from his employees,had little trouble knocking the large calf down. Concerning the compensation program through the private organization Defenders of Wildlife that will reimburse ranchers for cattle lost to wolves, Little said he's not too thrilled with it. "That compensation deal is a pig in a poke," he said. And, he said it's impossible to know how many head of cattle the wolf might have killed previous- ly that went undetected. And, he said Monday he's not sure if he even cares if he's reimbursed or not. Key to reimburse- ment for their losses is Bangerter's assessment that the damages were in fact done by a wolf, and he said Monday that there is no question in his mind about that. Ironically, both Davis and Little have been two of the more vocal opponents of wolf reintroduction over the past half -dozen years. And both are quick to point out that the activities of the past few weeks only serve to support their position that wolves are not the harmless creatures that people are being told by those who support the wolf reintroduction program. Agency was not aware of wolf's route BY TOM GROTE Flyover of area The Stu -News A wolf that likely killed two calves and attacked a third near Cascade this month was roaming on private land without the knowledge of the federal agency in charge of predator control, an official of the agency said this week. Federal and tribal officials in charge of the wolf reintroduction pro- gram in central Idaho declined to answerquestions this week on whether the wolf was known to be pear private property when the calves were at- tacked. However, an official with the fed- eral Animal Damage Control office in Boise said a flyover of the area after the first calf attack did not pick up a signal from a radio collar worn by the wolf. The wolf, known as B -21, was discovered drowned early Sunday in Big Creek in Scott V alley, about eight miles east of Cascade. The two - year -old male wolf had been snared by a padded leg -hold trap set on Saturday after the third calf attack was reported that day, said Layne Bangerter of the Boise ADC office. The 125 -pound wolf was able to drag the trap and a drag hook more than 100 yards and crossed Big Creek, but apparently fell back into the creek and drowned, Bangerter said. The wolf s body was discovered about 8 a.m. Sunday. The wolf is being blamed in the attack on Saturday that injured a calf in Scott Valley belonging to rancher Brad Little. The attack was witnessed by a neighbor who fired a shot and scared away the wolf. On June 2 and June 8, two young calves belonging to Cascade rancher Phil Davis were killed. Davis previ- ously reported that his father and a ranch hand had seen a collared wolf on the ranch, but could not prove the claim without trapping the animal. On June 3, Bangerter said he flew over the area with a local pilot after first calf attack found no signal from any wolf equipped with a radio scanner pro- grammed to frequencies emitted by the 30 collared wolves that are part of the reintroduction program. No Sig- nals were detected during the flight, said Bangerter, —supervi!mr wildlife biologist for the ADC. Tracking of the collared wolves is the responsibility of the Nez Perce Tribe, which has an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the supervi- sory agency of the program. Flyovers are conducted every two weeks to pick up signals from the wolves to track them, said Curt Mack, wildlife biologist for the Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai. Mack would not say if the tribe knew B -21, the wolf that drowned on Sunday, was in the Cascade area at the time of the calf attacks. He de- clined to comment pending a formal investigation by the fish and wildlife service. The wolf's body was to be sent this week to a fish and wildlife service forensic laboratory in Ashland, Ore., for examination, said Tom Riley of Boise, special agent in charge of Idaho and Nevada for the agency. Part of the examination will include whether the radio collar on the wolf was operat- ing, Riley said. In general, the Nez Perce tribe "has pretty good success" in finding the wolves using a network of pilots from around the region, Mack said. He noted that tracking the wolves is a formidable task, as the release area covers 13 million acres of central Idaho. Also, bad weather or land bar- riers such as mountains or canyons can prevent a signal from being de- tected, Mack said. The Nez Perce has a policy to notify owners of private property and federal agencies if a wolf wanders onto private land, Mack said. "We do make an attempt to contact the land- owner," he said. No such notification was made in the case of B -21, Bangerter said. "It would have been more helpful," he said. "My response would have been different." Had ADC been informed a wolf was in the Cascade area, a helicopter likely would have been used to flush the wolf into the open and shoot it with a tranquilizer dart, Bangerter said. The wolf could then have been relo- cated back into the wilderness, he said. Davis said Sunday he questions the ability of the federal government to keep track of the wolves. "They don't know how to manage a wolf, even though they said `we can man- age it,' " Davis said. "This is an issue where we work hard to keep cattle alive, and losing them to a wolf just isn't right," he said. The wolf that was found drowned on Sunday originally was captured in British Columbia and released in Janu- ary near Lowman, said Suzanne Laverty of the Wolf Education and Research Center in Boise. Three dozen wolves have been re- leased in the past two years in central Idaho, and the animals are reproduc- ing to the point that future releases may not be needed, Laverty said. Laverty said Davis and other ranch- ers are reacting too harshly to the threat of the wolves. She said 1,600 head of cattle were lost to predators in the United States in 1995, but none were attributed to wolves. The original planning document for the wolf recovery program esti- mated 67 head of cattle would be lost each year to the wolves, so the few calves killed so far are well within expectations, she said. "Any loss is unfortunate, but it really is not as big of a deal as they are making it out to be," Laverty said. There has never been a proven case in U.S. history where a healthy wild wolf has attacked and killed a human, she said. Davis, however, said the program has exceeded reasonable bounds. "This is not a reintroduction, but an introduction, since we've never seen wolves here before," he said. S�,d fe. S t�n d h Pat! Wolf agency admits error Calf's attacker was deleted from detection system By Jonathan Brinckman The Idaho Statesman The wolf that attacked a calf near Cascade last month was not detected by a radio - collar monitoring system because of a clerical error by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of the error, which agency officials acknowledged Wednesday, the wolf that at- tacked a calf had not Been tracked by radio since it was released in Idaho in January. Each of the 35 wolves released in Idaho over the past two years wears a radio collar intended to help officials keep track of its location and quickly locate it if it attacks livestock. Here's how agency officials say the mixup was made: On Jan. 24 agency officials de- stroyed a wolf bound for release in Idaho after the animal bit the thumb of a federal biologist. Because the animal was in a box labeled "13-21 ", officials de- leted from the system the fre- quency emitted from that collar. But Wolf B -21 was actually in a different box. It was released a few days later and spent six months roaming the state unde- tected by aerial surveys. "It's was an unfortunate mis- take," said Bob Ruesink, super- visor of the agency's Boise of- fice. "We're confident it was the only mistake on the list. Wolf B -21 was found dead in a stream on June 23. It had acci- dently drowned after being snagged in a leg trap intended to catch the wolf that attacked a Katherine Jones /The Idaho Statesman Wolf B -21 was not being monitored through this radio- frequency collar because of a clerical error. He was subsequently trapped and accidentally drowned. calf the day before. The trap was set by Animal Damage Control, a federal agency. Federal offi- cials believe the trapped wolf is almost certainly the one that attacked the calf. The collar error only adds to anger ranchers feel about the wolf - introduction program. Ida- ho ranchers have consistently opposed the effort, arguing that it does not make sense to return the predator to the state. "These wolves are not benign animals, and there's going to be plenty of trouble from them," said Brad Little, owner of the ranch where the calf was attacked. The calf was destroyed be- cause of its injuries. Little said he is annoyed that the government does not regu- larly notify landowners when wolves are near their property. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that while it at- tempts to let ranchers know when wolves are nearby, such notifications are not the main purpose of the monitoring program. Instead, said Tom Riley, a Fish and Wildlife Service law - enforcement agent, the agency seeks to monitor the rough loca- tions and denning activities of the wolves. "It's not as though we have a giant control panel with flash- ing lights every time the wolves move," Riley said. Tracking from the air The Nez Perce Tribe, under contract with the federal agen- cy, does aerial wolf surveys twice a month. Leaders of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife effort to return wolves to Idaho say they always expect- ed some of the carnivores would V/z sheep a year have been killed by wolves in northwest Montana since the mid- 1980s, an area with 453,000 cattle and 58,400 sheep. Idaho has 1.77 million adult cattle. Last year, 300 adult ani- mals were killed by predators and another 25,700 died of other causes, including disease and rough weather, according to the state Department of Agricul- ture. Of the 700,000 calves born in Idaho last year, 1,300 were killed by predators and another 50,700 died of other causes. "Bears eat cows and sheep, mountain lions do it, coyotes do it, and wolves do it," said Su- zanne Laverty, director of the Wolf Education and Research Center. "Wolves are a weeny tiny problem that ranchers are crying about." Rancher compensation The Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington, D.C., environmen- tal group, compensates ranchers in the Northern Rockies for live- stock killed by wolves. Since 1987, when the fund was started, the group has paid $23,000 for 21 claims, an average of over $1,000 per claim. Ranchers say they get no com- fort from either the relatively small number of cattle lost to wolves or the compensation of- fered by the environmental group. Phil Davis, who had two calves killed earlier this month by what the ADC believes is the wolf that attacked Little's calf, said reimbursement would not help. "We're not in this just for the money," he said. "Hell, you get to know these cattle. It would be about like if someone came and killed your family dog. `�'tdte3 1,1 Ne -)of One of Emmett rancher Brad Little's calves was attacked by one of the wolves released in Idaho. The wolf was later trapped and found to be wearing a radio collar, but because of an error, the wolf had never been radio - tracked to find its location. attack livestock. The surprise, they say, is that program has gone this long without a con- firmed attack in Idaho. Fifteen wolves were released in Idaho in 1995, with 20 addi- tional wolves released this year. Wolves were simultaneously re- leased in Yellowstone National Park. "We've always been up front that wolves do kill livestock eventually," said Ed Bangs, who heads the agency's wolf- reintro- duction program. He said experience in north- west Montana, now home to about 100 wolves, shows that livestock losses are minimal when livestock - killing wolves are quickly captured and removed. -� - vl4,)I- - ?/z 5-1 9 b Wolf pups born close to remote Landmark area BY ROGER PHILLIPS The Star-News Biologists have discovered a pair of transplanted wolves has established a den on the Challis National Forest land in the Landmark area about 30 miles east of Donnelly. The wolves have an unconfirmed number of pups, according to Curt Mack, head biologist for the Nez Perce Tribe in Lapwai. Another pair of wolves in the Selway area has also produced pups, and the births mark the first docu- mented gray wolf pups born in the state in the past several decades, bi- ologists said. (Continued from Page I) The information is essential for measuring the rate of success of the reintroduction program, a release said. The breeding pairs are good news to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is trying to establish wolf packs in Idaho. Over the last two years, 35 wolves have been transplanted from Canada to Idaho's wilderness under a controversial plan to return wolves to Idaho. Earlier this month, a transplanted wolf drowned while crossing a stream after it was caught in a padded leg hold trap. The wolf is believed to have killed two calves and attacked an- other that belonged to two area ranchers. The attacks angered local ranchers and drew criticism to the Fish and Wildlife Service because the two - year -old wolf that drowned was not being tracked due to a clerical error. The animal had been spotted sev- eral times on the Phil Davis ranch near Cascade, but the fish and wild- life service was unaware of its location because its radio collar was not listed in the tracking frequencies, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The collared animal was released last winter in the second round of wolf reintroductions, but it was wearing collar `B -21." That collar was the one the agency thought belonged to a wolf that was killed after it bit a biologist during its relocation from Canada to Idaho. Fish and Wildlife deleted B -21 from its records, thinking it was dead, Mack said the Landmark den was in a "pretty remote" area far from any livestock. The wolf family should stay near the denning site throughout the summer and fall, Mack said, then roam together during the winter months after the pups have grown. He also expects the family will stay to- gether and form the nucleus of a pack. "Hopefully, this will beginning of the first pack," Mack said. Biologist will continue monitoring the wolves by air, and ground crews will also be collecting data on the loca- tion, characteristics and habitats of dens used by the released wolves. although a wolf wearing that collar was released, the agency said. The wolf roamed Central Idaho for six months before it was reported on the Davis ranch.. The collar the wolf was wearing was working, according to Tom Riley of the Boise U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office. But since the animal was deleted from the agency's data- base,. it was not being actively monitored, Riley said. After the attacks, Mack admitted there were errors, but he defended the overall tracking program, saying the Nez Perce tribe had been able to moni- tor the movement of most of the wolves during its bi- weekly flights. Mack said it is difficult to monitor 31 animals over 13 million acres, but any animal that is missed during a particular fly over is usually located during subsequent searches. "We do a pretty good job picking up those animals," Mack said. He also said the main purpose of tracking the wolves is to monitor their general locations and denning habits, but keeping track of their day -to -day movements is "not a realistic expec- tation." Mack said tribal biologists would continue attempting to notify private landowners if a wolf is located on their property, although Mack con- ceded they can't notify landowners every time a wolf leaves public land. "The expectation of us always be- ing able to tell when they are on private property is not real feasible," Mack said. ��1T (- ld��ko '5rma n  el.3 //11191 New Yellowstone wolves may help recovery The Associated Press YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo.  The unexpected introduction of four new wolf pups to Yellowstone National Park this week could help speed the process of removing wolves from the list of endangered species. The pups  three females and one male  were among a litter of nine pups born this year to a pack in northwestern Montana. They were moved to Yellow- stone on Thursday after biologists earlier this month spotted adult members of the pack feeding on a freshly killed calf, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wolf recovery co- ordinator Ed Bangs said Friday. The pack's dominant female was killed because she was known to be directly involved in at least five cattle killings, but Bangs said the pups had not been involved in any of the killings. Wildlife managers hope that re- moving the four pups will lessen the pressure on the remaining adult wolves to kill livestock to sustain the other five pups. "They're starting with a clean slate," he said, adding cattle deaths attributed to wolves in northwestern Montana have num- bered in the single digits each year. "Problems aren't that frequent, but you need some control if you want to keep it that low" partly by ensuring that wolves don't form a habit of killing livestock. "The bottom line is most wolves don't eat livestock," he said. "If they make a habit of it, then we eliminate those wolves." Pups fill wolf gap Bangs said the four pups were brought to Yellowstone because of the three wolf recovery areas in the region, and the park appeared to have the fewest breeding pairs. The recovery program's goal is to remove wolves from the list of endangered species. For that to happen, at least 10 breeding pairs of wolves must be established for three consecutive years in each of the three recovery areas of Yel- lowstone, central Idaho and north- western Montana. Bangs said biologists believe there are 10 breeding pairs in Montana now, "and we may start the delisting process next year." He said there are up to eight breeding pairs in Idaho, but only four confirmed in Yellowstone. Starting out as family The four pups were placed in a chain -link pen that already was occupied by two yearling wolves from the Nez Perce pack, which split up after its release in the park last spring. They bring to 49 the total num- ber of wolves in Yellowstone. Bangs said biologists hope the six wolves will stay together when they are released north of Yellow- stone Lake in early spring 1997. Park spokeswoman Cheryl Mat. thews said at that time of year, there are many winter - weakened elk and bison in the Pelican Val- ley, providing the wolves with plenty of game. "My guess is they could form a breeding pair, but more likely we'll end up with six wolves this spring," Bangs said. "And the fol- lowing winter, they may form a pack or join up with a wandering wolf. They'll certainly be a family by next spring." The transplanted wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act, but are considered an "experimental, nonessential" pop- ulation. That designation allows ranchers to shoot any wolves they catch killing livestock. Wolves make themselves at home in Yellowstone Packs quickly restoring natural order of things By Louis Sahagun Los Angeles Times YELLOWSTONE NATION- AL PARK, Wyo. — Field biolo- gist Mike Phillips was fretting over the mysterious death of a young female wolf in a tempo- rary holding pen here when the telephone rang. It was a U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service official desperately wanting to ship at least five pups from a troublesome Mon- tana pack to Phillips' already overcrowded pens. Wolves/ From Page lA in and breeding so successfully that biologists hope to begin the process of removing the wolf from the endangered species list by 2002. Natural order of things With 34 wolves in five packs now loping through the forests, significant repercussions are be- ing recorded throughout the 2.2- million -acre park's wildlife hier- archy. Wolf predation, coupled with the sudden bounty of wolf - killed elk, is dramatically re- shaping the behavior of scaven- gers, from grizzly bears to carrion beetles. As a result, biologists say, life in Yellowstone is returning to a more natural state faster than anyone had anticipated. "Over the past year — a wink in ecological terms — we've seen things we can scarcely be- lieve," said Robert Crabtree, a field biologist and federal con- sultant studying wolves and coyotes in the park. "Elk hud- dling in larger groups, grizzly bears fighting wolves, wolves killing coyotes and coyote pups, wolves forcing coyotes to den in places where they are running into black bears." The absence of the wolves had disrupted the natural balance of predator and prey throughout the Rocky Mountain region and resulted in a population explo- sion of such species as deer and elk. A fully recovered wolf popu- lation is expected to kill 1,200 Phillips hung up the phone, sighed and said: "I can't turn my back on those pups; the alternative is killing them. On the other hand, there may be a flaw in our husbandry program that could put other wolves at risk." It was another trying day in the office for the head of the historic project designed to bring wolves back to the top of the food chain in the nation's oldest national park. He would rather have been out watching the effort unfold in the wild. And unfolding it is. Twenty - one months after gray wolves from Canada were reintro- duced to the northern Rocky Mountains of Yellowstone and central Idaho, they are settling Losses of wolves also are lov- µ .Y °"` • er than anticipated. Nine wolve Right now, Crabtree says, the have died in Yellowstone thi greatest impact is being felt by year: Two adults and one pu coyotes, which were top dog in were believed killed by othe the park until the wolves wolves; two were illegall returned. killed; one was killed by fedell What was once a quiet, com- wildlife authorities; one was hi fortable condominium complex by a delivery truck; a pregnan for coyotes is now a totally so- female died after falling into dally disrupted system," Crab - hot spring, and a female pu tree said. "We' ve seen wolves died of undetermined causes in kill coyotes with severe bites to holding pen. the chest that crush ribs, play For biologists, those are ac with the carcasses and then toss ceptable losses. them aside unconsumed. "There is nothing simpl "At the risk of being anthro- about this restoration plan, bu pomorphic, I cant help but be we are good at what we do reminded of those ranchers who Phillips said. "Also in our favo, kill coyotes and hang them from wolves are good at what they di fences to send a message to oth- er hard -wired to breed." er coyotes. Settling down Toll on livestock As predicted, most of th Trouble is, sheep also are be- wolves are settling in the genera ing killed by wolves that roam vicinity of their release sites it beyond the park's boundaries. the northern portions of the par] When a wolf becomes a problem, because that is where most a it is captured and released else - their prey lives. The cooperatioi where in the park, or killed. of neighboring states and tole, Nevertheless, ranching organi- ance of their residents will deter zations are continuing legal ef- mine the wolves' ultimate range. forts to dismantle the wolf pro - About three weeks later, the wolf was back at her ranch, sniffing around the barn. Feder- al wildlife authorities killed the wolf with a shotgun fired from a helicopter. Ranchers and their congres- sional allies once predicted that the wolves would kill hundreds of sheep and cattle. In fact, no livestock were killed in 1995. So far, Yellowstone wolves have killed 12 sheep this year, and all affected ranchers have been compensated. 'T71,55- Sheep - killing wolf trapped, relocated Federal officers trapped a wolf that had been killing sheep near McCall and relocated it to a re- mote area of the Clearwater Na- tional Forest late last month. The female was trapped in the headwaters of the Payette River's North Fork upstream from Payette Lake after it and a male had been killing sheep owned by Phil Soulen of Weiser. Soulen first reported sheep losses in early August, said Roy Heberger, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist oversee- ing the agency's Idaho wolf pro- gram. The incident was made public Wednesday. Nez Perce Tribe wolf biologist Curt Mack said the Animal Dam- age Control branch of the U.S. Agriculture Department sent a trapper to the area Aug. 6. The trapper and biologists tried to capture the animals on three different occasions. The wolves would show up and harass or kill sheep about every five to eight days, Mack said. Each time the trapper set out the traps, the animals would dis- - ,ppear for a week. Thinking the ncident was over, the traps would be pulled and the team vould head home. On the third attempt, the fe- nale was caught in a leghold trap dug. 28. She was then taken forth to the edge of the Selway- 3itterroot Wilderness. Female wolf trapped north of McCall MCCALL — A female gray wolf was relocated to the Authorities had hoped to trap both wolves and relocate Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness last month after being trapped ;-the pair to the Selway country, but it didn't work out. on the Payette National Forest north of McCall. He said the way the problem has been handled north of The wolf and her male companion were the suspects in a McCall is the way the system that's been established should number of attacks on sheep being grazed on the forest begin- work out. A snafu had complicated things earlier this sum - ning Aug. 6. The sheep were owned by rancher Phil Solon, mer when a wolf drowned after being caught in a trap in Scott according to Mark Collinge, state director of Animal Damage Valley east of Cascade. Control in Boise. That wolf had killed several calves, and though it was In that first attack, one sheep was injured. The next night radio - collared, it wasn't being monitored because of a snafu 10 sheep were injured in an attack by the wolves. , involving monitoring that wolf and another one that was After a couple of weeks of attacks, Collinge said, action destroyed after biting one of the transplant biologists after it was taken and attempts were made to trap the two wolves, was captured in British Columbia. both of which were radio - collared. He also said that the Nez Perce Tribe, which is monitor- ing the wolf reintroduction under contract with the U.S. Government, had warned grazing permittees in the area that there were two wolves frequenting the area north of McCall. Those warnings came in advance of troubles with the wolves, he said. Immediately following a night of attacks, the monitoring flight located the two wolves, which had paired up but not had a litter of pups, within a half -mile of the flock of sheep, he said. He said that at that point, they decided to take action to trap the wolves, but it was _ complicated somewhat by r action Solon �..;.– was taking �. s on his own, ram � `` ! •r `��� which was having ' •� i�� noisemaker- 3) ,� J equipped ��z;'� / employees sleeping with the sheep. �f A couple of weeks of trapping attempts were unsuccess- ful, he said, and they decided to pull the traps, he said. That very night, the wolves returned and attacked some more sheep, he said. The traps were again put out, and after a week or so, they were able to capture the female wolf, he said. She was then flown into the Selway- Bitterroot. They attempted to trap the male over the next few days but were unsuccessful, he said. He said the male wolf is still in the area, but the flock has been moved out of the area, and no additional attacks have been recorded since Aug. 28. All told, 4 sheep were killed outright by the wolves, and an additional 24 were injured. Twenty of those injured sheep have since died, Collinge said. ��o"q Kalloq edKon��z��,-, Wolf program success means no more Canadian wolves for Central Idaho The program to reintroduce wolves to central Idaho has proven so successful that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not be trapping any more Canadian wolves to release in the state. And, if things continue to improve for the next few years, the animals could end up being removed from endangered status under the Endangered Species Act. "It's moving right along," Joe Fontaine, director of the Montana Wolf Recovery Project, said this week. He said that reproduction of the wolves that have paired up is good, and there are good numbers of breeding pairs in all three areas of the wolf recov- ery program, Montana, Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. He said that the latest information his agency has gathered indicates that there are five to six breeding pairs in Yellowstone, 7 to 9 breeding pairs in the central Idaho wilderness, and 9 breeding pairs in Montana. Once the wolves have reached, and maintained for three years in a row, 10 breeding pairs in each area, then the federal restrictions imposed by the ESA can be lifted, Fontaine said. "We just have to take a wait and see attitude," he said. The problems have been low, mortality has been low, and reproduction has been high, he said. "We're getting real close to that magic number. They're doing really well," he said. But there have been problems. Several calves were killed just east of Cascade this past summer by a male wolf that wasn't radio monitored because of a mix -up in collars with another wolf that was destroyed by biologists after it bit one of them during this past winter's transplanting activities. That wolf was trapped by Idaho Animal Damage Control officials, but died when if drowned while trying to cross Big Creek in Scott Valley east of Cascade. More recently, a female wolf was successfully trapped and relocated from north of McCall to the Selway- Bitterroot Wilderness Area. That female, and another male that eluded traps and is still believed to be roaming the area between McCall and the Salmon River, are believed respon- sible for the killing of two dozen sheep that were part of a large herd being grazed in that area. And, a wolf lunged at a sheepherder near Warm Lake in mid - September. The herder believes that the presence of four Great Pyrenees guard dogs, which chased the wolf away, prevented any injury. Federal officials believe that if present trends con- tinue, the wolves could be removed from the endan- gered species list by the year 2001. But they also believe that the situation could turn around dramat- ically with the deaths of a few wolves. szcx,L,fs � 0- 0 // / 0/ / q) q),-2 Wolf survival exceeds expectations Wildlife officials say animals appear to be taking hold in Idaho The Associated Press TWIN FALLS — Endangered gray wolves reintroduced to the wild in Idaho two years ago are sticking together and staying alive in numbers far greater than authorities had expected, the government's wolf recovery coordinator said. "I doubt that we'll have to bring any more in, ever," Ed Bangs said, reiterating the an- nouncement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials made last fall in assessing the pro- gram that is moving into its third year. After releasing 15 Canadian gray wolves during the winter of 1995 and 20 more a year ago, officials see the animals taking hold. "All the signs are pretty en- couraging," said Curt Mack, wolf coordinator for the Nez Perce tribe, which is supervis- Associated Press file photo An Alaskan gray wolf pup is shown near Fairbanks, Alaska. The government's wolf recovery coordinator says progress toward restoring the endangered species has far exceeded expectations. ing the recovery program in Idaho because the state chose not to get involved. Gov. Phil Batt said recently that he believes the state will have to get involved in the pro- gram since it appears likely that the wolves will be removed from the Endangered Species list by the end of the decade or shortly after that. In 1996, three breeding pairs produced a total of six to eight pups in Idaho. "We have nine pairs now, with only two females left to pair up," Mack said. But not everyone is happy with the wolves' success. "I expect to see wolf cubs all over the place this next sea- son," said Bob Sears, executive vice president of the Idaho Cat- tle Association. "We're relieved they're not going to be bringing in any more." Of the 35 wolves released in central Idaho, four are known to have died and two are unac- counted for even though they were wearing radio collars. For the most part, Idaho's wolves stayed out of trouble in 1996. There were eight reports of livestock depredation and fed- eral Animal Damage Control agents confirmed wolves were involved in three of the attacks, Mack said. SfafeglkylaIn 16416,!gg7 Biologists release wolf pups 0 into W Change from Montana Si We're hoping the differences in the orientation landsca a may kee p of the terrain might help acclimate them to the area them from wandering or at least delay them. YY The Associated Press LEWISTON — Nez Perce trib- al wolf biologists hope the wild country along the North Fork of the Clearwater River will hold a pair of wolves with a case of wanderlust. The wolves were released Sat- urday after being penned at a re- mote ranch along the Selway River since tribal and federal wildlife agents recaptured them in southwestern Montana's Big Hole country. Ranchers there said the wolves were killing cattle. Timm Kaminski, the tribe's Idaho Wolf Project leader, said Monday that the pair have bare- ly moved from the release site north of Headquarters. The adult wolves were moved to Idaho to see if they would adopt pups from a Montana pair that have been implicated in livestock losses. Two of three pups placed in the one -acre pen were killed by the adults, apparently as they tried to feed on a deer carcass, Kaminski said. The pups were taken from the Montana pack so they would not learn from their parents to kill livestork. Timm Kaminski Nez Perce Idaho Wolf Project leader One 3- month -old pup, a 30- pound female, remains in the pen and federal biologists hope to catch two other pups still with their parents. The pups will be released this winter when they are able to fend for themselves, Kaminski said. He had hoped the Big Hole wolves would adopt the pups be- cause that would help discour- age the adults from traveling a long distance, perhaps returning to Montana. But when the at- tempt at creating an instant family failed, biologists decided to release them. Kaminski said the fact that tributaries to the North Fork tend to run east and west, rather than north and south, might help keep the pair from repeat- ing past journeys back to the Big Hole. "We're hoping the differences in the orientation of the terrain might help acclimate them to the area or at least delay them," he said. The female found her way back to the Big Hole last sum- mer after she was captured and released at Fish Lake between the Selway and Lochsa rivers in Idaho. The male found his way home last winter after escaping from a pen at the Hornocker Wildlife Institute's backcountry research station at Running Creek Ranch. He was recaptured in April. Since their release along the North Fork, tribal biologists checked in on the wolves Sunday and Monday by air. "They're within three miles of where we released them," Kaminski said. Meanwhile, it has been a pro- ductive year for the wolves relo- cated to Idaho from Canada in 1995 and 1996. Kaminski said six of seven pairs of wolves that denned in Idaho this year produced pups. "We estimate the six packs, based on our counts so far, will have 25 to 30 pups," he said. Four of the 35 wolves original- ly released have died, but biolo- gists know of the locations of at least 29 others. With Wolves With litters of pups and few livestock killings, Idaho's first reintroduction efforts are on track Special to the Idaho Statesman Biologist Timm Kaminski has worked on wolf reintroduction for more than 15 years. Above, Kaminski is moving a wolf pup tions, even attacks on humans — So far, biologists have docu- of the salmon and bull trout regu- the same arguments now raised mented 12 pairs ofwolves in Idaho latory burden," Brad Little said. in opposition to grizzly -bear re- and six or seven litters, producing Dorris and Kaminski found an- introduction. But three years into at least 32 pups in 1997. That dou- other pack of wolves while flying aff program, Idaho's wolves have bles the three litters and 11 pups over Landmark, using a transceiv- mused hardly a stir. born in 1996. er that captured transmissions >" Meantime,. their population has To meet the recovery goal, biolo- from the wolves' radio collars. As doubI ed. gists must document 10 litters Dorris went into the now familiar ` w :There are key differences be- over three consecutive years. If circle a black wolf revealed itself, tween grizzly bears and wolves: Idaho's trend continues, 1998 walking from the trees into a Katherine Jones/The Idaho statesman 4 zzlies need more habitat pro- could be the first year for meeting small opening in the forest. Biologist Timm Kaminski listens to (lion, are less prolific and pre- that requirement. "One two four, seven, eight, the transceiver as he flies over :t more serious threats to hu- Ranchers wonder nine of them," Kaminski shouts Central Idaho, monitoring 75 rs than wolves do. The real over the roar of the engine. "Can wolves in a dozen packs. test of the program may come But Brad Little of Emmett, who you see them?" ven wolf numbers reach recov- runs sheep and cattle in the Boise A half a mile away on the same By Rocky Barker &Y goals, which could happen in National Forest, said he doubts mountain, a dozen elk are bedded The Idaho Statesman 1. environmentalists and animal down in the snow. Many Idaho --Lawsuits, money shortages and rights advocates will allow the hunters worry that the growing LANDMARK —Pilot Pat Dor- al killings may prevent the wolves to be taken off the endan- wolf population will mean fewer ris banked his plane into a tight Population from reaching those gered species list and returned to elk and deer. turn around a snow - covered peak s and rating removal from fed- state control any time soon. So far, Idaho Department of just north of Deadwood Reservoir 013d protection under the Endan- The cattle ignored by the three Fish and Game biologists have no in the Boise National Forest. Species Act. wolves near Deadwood Reservoir, evidence wolves are reducing the He and biologist Timm Kamin- S. Fish and Wildlife officials in Bear Valley, belong to Little's herds. But Lonn Kuck, a Fish and ski tried to catch a glimpse of the C'e investigating Idaho's latest brother Jim. Still, he predicts Game big game biologist, ac- three wolves hidden in the trees king Saturday about 45 trouble in the future. knowledges they don't know on the rocky, windblown moun- _ s northeast of Orofino. A wolf "When the wolf population has much. "All we do is our normal tain. Seeing fresh elk tracks in vs►s found dead — probably shot. to pack up to protect their pups, monitoring of elk and deer herds, the snow, they suspected the trio Z:Iad a radio collar and. is be- we are going to have a problem," he said. was feeding on a fresh kill. 1#e'ved to be one of the wolves re- Brad Little said. Kaminski, who also has studied But keeping out of sight is what introduced in 1995. Brad Little removed his own elk and deer populations, said the helps make these animals such ef- :- �'I'hese wolves have been very herd from the Landmark area — wolves so far are killing old cow ficient predators. They live in the ) a °'"ter -key, so we don't know why not because of wolves, but because elk and calves. He was watching middle of a far -flung cattle herd sMebody shot it," Kaminski said. of restrictions imposed on his last summer as the Bear Valley and had even kept some wran- ­-People killing wolves "will make grazing operations by the Nation- trio made a kill in a meadow glers awake with their howling iF more cost and more effort, al Marine Fisheries Service to pro - crowded with 20 cow -calf pairs. the night before, but they chose to m®re government," Kaminski tect endangered chinook salmon. They probed for the weakest travel 19 miles for elk. The same restrictions may drive calf, and one wolf attacked and "i've seen them walk right o ffi, the program is on its way his brother from Bear Valley. killed it. The rest of the elk cows through the middle of the cows *,becoming one of the great suc- But since the wolves were re- went about grazing like nothing without them paying no attention 09w stories in wildlife conserva- introduced as an "experimental was happening. to them," said Dorris, 41, who has " ' • non - essential population," land- "you get the impression the elk spent hundreds of hours keeping use restrictions have not applied. have grown accustomed to being track of Idaho wolves by plane. That makes reintroduction easi- chased by predators," he said. Opponents of wolf reintroduc- er to swallow for the Little broth- "Jim Flying high, flying long tion warned of widespread live- ers. would take two more stock killings, land -use restric- packs of wolves if he could get rid The flight path takes Kaminski, SCE; 1' P5/770h — 16� 41, over familiar ground. He drove 65,000 miles in the past year and logged more than 1,000 hours of flying time to follow the 75 wolves that have scattered across a 1,000 - mile area from the St. Joe River to the north and the White Cloud Mountains in the south. He drove Oct. 8 on forest roads north of Deadwood Reservoir, past Deer Creek, where, 19 deer sea- sons ago on Oct. 11, a hunter shot a 130 -pound wolf and started the process that led to the reintroduc- tion of wolves into Idaho in 1995. That 1978 killing confirmed that wolves had migrated as far south as the Boise National Forest from Canada after officials in that country had restricted wolf shoot- ing. It also brought Kaminski, then a young volunteer, to Idaho to begin his study of the state's wolves. In reports and scientific papers, he concluded Idaho had a few wolves but not enough to grow into a sustaining population — at least not for decades. But he demonstrated that Central Idaho had the habitat and thousands of deer and elk to sustain a wolf pop- ulation. He even mapped out where he expected them to live: the Cham- berlain Basin northeast of McCall, Bear Valley near Lowman, the Landmark area west of Warm Lake and the Stanley Basin north- west of the Sawtooths. His predic- tions are proving correct. When he rslation his Idaho research, ki went to Washington as to former Rep. Wayne D -Utah, who pushed leg - calling for wolf reintroduc- ellowstone and Idaho. bi ll never passed, but creatures, are important to the Nez Perce for religious reasons. They are ` wyakans," or protectors, each offering traits to those it prd- tects. The traits wolves offer involve both war and hunting. "The Nez Perce believe that.all living creatures are important;'' Penney said. Wolves do kill livestock. And one family has suffered the brunt of the problem two years in a row. Wolves have killed nearly 30 sheep in each of the past two years from the bands of 8,000 run in the Payette National Forest north- west of McCall by the Soulen fam- ily of Weiser. Defenders of Wildlife, an environmental group, compensated the family for the Kaminski's efforts helped keep alive the federal funding that eventually brought 35 wolves ,W Idaho in 1995 and 1996. Today, Kaminski works for the Nez Perce Tribe, which contracts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage Idaho's wolves. The Idaho Legislature has prohib- ited the Idaho Department of Fish and Game from doing it. Indians happy with effort The Nez Perce are among the first American Indians to lead a recovery program of an endan- gered species, a matter of great pride to the tribe. "I think the results show the re- covery effort is ahead of schedule in Idaho even though we spend far ess than programs elsewhere," aid Sam Penney, Nez Perce tribal hairman. R. [But the tribe's motivation goes yond pride or power. Wolves, e bears, coyotes and other forest losses, but the money doesn't make up for the time lost and the effects on the remaining sheep, the Soulens said. "They don't feed when they're disturbed," Margaret Soulen said: Last year, it took biologists sev- eral weeks to trap one of the pair that had been raiding the band. This year, due in part to delays, the wolf got away and then came back. More help needed? The Soulens have cooperated with the tribe but want a quicker response and more monitoring, both of which mean more people and more funding. "It's frustrating," Soulen said. "If Timm's out of the area, some- one else should have the ability to approve trapping." Kaminski said he empathizes with the Soulens and will continue to work to limit their losses. "So long as there's sheep there, you are going to have a problem," he said. "That wolf was in and out of sheep all summer, and its amazing to me he didn't kill more." But coyotes, bears and moun- tain lions also prey on livestock, said Suzanne Laverty, president of the Boise -based Wolf Recovery Foundation. "I hope we get to a point where the presence of wolves is just as accepted as the presence of black bears and mountain lions," she said. Katherine Jones/The Idaho Statesman The wolf reintroduction program is becoming one of the great success stories in wildlife conservation. The Landmark Pack — started with a pair of reintroduced wolves in 1996 — has 10 wolves, including five pups. The pack was spotted in the snow on a monitoring flight. 'n 1995 and 1996, 35 wolves were brought to Idaho from Canada and released in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness. At least eight packs have formed, and more than 35 pups were born during the past two years. For wolves to be re- moved from the endangered species list, at least 10 pairs must successfully breed for three years. > Chamberlain Basin Pack: Six wolves, including four yearlings and four pups born in 1997. The "al- phas," or leaders, were brought from Canada in 1995. > Jureano Mountain Pack: Eight IDAHO'S WOLF PACKS wolves, including six pups near Salmon. This new pack's alphas were brought from Canada in 1996. > Kelly Creek Pack: Seven or eight wolves, including five pups born in 1997 north of Orofino. This new pack is the first one that formed be- tween an introduced wolf and a na- tive wolf. > Landmark Pack: Ten wolves, in- cluding five pups east of Warm Lake. Alphas were brought from Canada in 1996. > Moyer Basin Pack: Seven or eight wolves, including 5 pups near Chal- lis. The two alphas were brought from Canada in 1996. i'aT" , a- - � `S7 -� S r Z'I <,, Os > Selway Pack: Probably four wolves including two yearlings. The two alphas, brought from Canada in 1995, did not den in 1997. > Stanley Basin Pack: Seven wolves including six pups. This new pack was formed from wolves brought from Canada in 1996. > Bear Valley Pack: These three wolves were reintroduced in 1996. > White Cloud Pack: A reintroduced female mated with a native wolf and had a litter in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilder- ness, abandoned it, and now ap- pears to have moved to the White Clouds. Special to the mano atacesman Although the wolf packs usually can be found in the vicinity of elk, worn teeth on a jawbone show that the wolves have been killing elderly cow elk and calves — not the bulls that critics feared they would take. IA1131,0 I Judge orders wolves removed from Idaho, Yellowstone IBy Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman A federal judge ordered the gov- ernment Friday to remove trans- planted wolves from Idaho and Yel- lowstone National Park. U.S. District Judge William Downes stayed his order awaiting appeal. If upheld, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would have to round up more than 160 wolves in Idaho and Yellowstone that were brought from Canada in 1995 and 1996 or were born to those wolves. Downes, ruling in favor of a coali- tion of the National Audubon Soci- ety, the American Farm Bureau and a Wyoming ranching couple, said the federal experimental rein- troduction is illegal. He said the program doesn't keep the wolves brought from. Canada separated from native wolves, which are pro- tected by the federal Endangered Species Act. The Casper, Wyo., decision was called a major victory by the Idaho Farm Bureau, the Idaho Cattle As- sociation and applauded by Gov. Phil Batt. "We're extremely excited about this ruling," Idaho Farm Bureau President Frank Preistley said. "The ruling means that our posi- tion that the wolf program basical- ly ignored the concerns of farmers and ranchers has been seconded by the courts." But a rancher who runs cattle in wolf country in Central Idaho isn't sharing in the excitement. "It puts us into chaos," Jim Little of Emmett said. "You talk about untangling a mess with collared wolves and uncollared wolves. It sounds like a horrendous job." The decision won't keep wolves out of Idaho or Yellowstone, even if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice has to pull its transplants, said Ed Bangs, the federal biolo- gist in charge of the wolf pro- gram. "We just have to go back to the natural recovery option, and that's going to take 30 years and cost a lot more money," he said. Once Idaho, Yellowstone and Montana each had 10 breeding pairs of wolves, the animal would qualify for removal from the en- dangered species list. With the transplanted wolves, the states could reach that mark in three years or less. That would allow states to take control of the wolves from the fed- eral government and make it eas- ier for ranchers to shoot them. Downes' ruling focused on the Endangered Species Act require- ment to give native wolves the full protection. The experimental, transplanted wolves don't get the same protection. For instance, reintroduced wolves and their offspring can be shot by ranchers when their live- stock is under attack. Native wolves can only be killed by fed- eral officers. That was the argument made by lawyer Doug Honnold of Earthiustice, which represented the Audubon Society. "We believe the way you pro- tect wolves over the long term is to have laws that protect the ani- mals and protect their habitat," he said. Special to The Idaho Statesman A wolf jumps out of its pen and into the wilds of Idaho in the Bear Valley area during a second wolf release in January 1996. He also said wolves may need even stricter restrictions — like road closures — which are pre- cluded by the reintroduction plan. "The question is not are we going to have wolves in Idaho to- morrow but whether we have wolves in 50 to 100 years," he said. Honnold's victory delivers a blow to what has been considered one of the great conservation suc- cess stories of the past 20 years, said Suzanne Laverty of the Boise -based Wolf Recovery Foun- dation. "Pushing this to the extreme when we had a compromise that was working puts the wolves at risk and jeopardizes our efforts to work with wolf reintroduction op- ponents," she said. Batt, who opposed wolf reintro- duction from the start, said he was encouraged by the decision. "I'm glad to see a discussion recognizing the impact of the wolves in the reintroduction area," he said. '17 /04�'v Second group vows to fight wolf ruling The Associated Press CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A sec- ond national conservation group has promised to appeal a federal judge's finding that the federal wolf reintroduction program in Central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park is illegal. The National Wildlife Federa- tion said Friday's ruling by U.S. District Judge William Downes of Casper is flawed. Downes found the program does not give wolves the protection due them under federal law. "We will not stand by and Statesman file photo A wolf enters Idaho during a wolf release in January 1996. his decision, Defenders of Wildlife promised to appeal. Downes ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove all wolves it moved to Idaho and Yel- lowstone since the program began in 1995, but he put the order on hold pending an appeal expected from the government. A Fish and Wildlife spokes- woman said the Justice Depart- ment was reviewing the ruling and would decide whether to ap- peal. Several Idaho lawmakers, including Gov. Phil Batt, have praised the judge's ruling. Fish and Wildlife moved 66 watch this country make the take of exterminating wolves in Canadian wolves to Yellowstone same mistake twice," National the first place. We won't let a bad and Idaho in 1995 and 1996. Biol- Wildlife Federation President interpretation of the law take ogists estimate about 160 Cana - Mark Van Putten said Saturday. them away again." than wolves and their offspring "It took decades to undo the mis- Shortly after Downes issued now live in the area. <'� 'z3r 17 W01 ves are ree in 'Gr!eg ear wa out Increasing numbers, not said N elson, laano r arm tsureau stone, stretching the restoration « , g period over several more decades. executive vice president. "I'm not sure court order, may bring The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- wed shed big tears if they had to be vice and several environmental killed. end to federal protection groups say they will appeal the But the environmental community D 12 rulhn b U S District- is divided. Defenders of Wildlife and By Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman Wolf numbers are rising so fast in the Northern Rockies that the animals may qualify for removal from the endangered- species list before a court can ever evict them. Only the wolves appear unaf- fected so far by a federal court de- cision this month that calls for their removal. More than 160 wolves in Idaho and Yellowstone and dozens more in Northwest Montana are preparing to enter the third breeding season since 35 wolves were brought in from Canada in 1995. There must be 10 breeding pairs in all three areas for three years running before the wolves can be taken off the federal en- dangered- species list. The ani- mals have been so prolific, biolo- gists say that could happen for the first time next year if current trends continue. "I think we could be looking at delisting in four or five years," said Hank Fischer, Defenders of Wildlife regional director. Instead, wolf advocates are looking at the real possibility that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of- ficials could be forced to hunt down transplanted wolves. That would leave only three known na- •t y,e wolves in Idaho and Yellow- ec. g Y other groups that support the reintro- unilget Court Judge William Downes of duction want to allow ranchers to kill Wyoming. wolves when The appeal could take years to Others, like they attack livestock. the Sierra Club and resolve. And additional lawsuits EarthJustice, or environmental reviews could which represented Audubon in the lawsuit, want the delay the eviction even longer. court to give all the wolves full protec- Idahoans interviewed were di- tion of the Endangered Species Act. vided about the decision. Mary That would limit killing and ,f uld Ragan, a singer from Boise, said As a result of this decision we have cause road closures. the wolves shouldn't have been three choices: We can evict the wolves brought from Canada. from their rightful home, we can kill "We can't just shoot them," she them or we can give them full protec- said. "You don't clean up a mis- tion under the Endangered Species j take through annihilation." Act," said Betsy Buffington of the Sier- Hunter Jason St. George from ra Club. Meridian said he worries about Given that choice, Interior Secre- wolf attacks on huntinc dons, their tary Bruce Babbitt chooses full protec- effect on elk herds and public safety. tion, he said last week. But that would "I say get rid of them," St. George, break the deal the federal government an insurance agent, said. "Next time it made with Western ranchers when it might be my niece or nephew that gets decided to bring wolves from Canada. mauled by them." "They're leading to the same point But Miguel Pedroza of Mountain they started with," Nelson said. "They Home said the wolves belong in want wolves and the heck with all the Idaho's wilderness. other considerations." "They have a life just like we do," he But Gov. Phil Batt and Sen. Larry said. Craig, R- Idaho, said they're not ready The decision was confusing because to call for the wolves' removal yet. Downes ruled in favor of the Farm Bu- Craig called it "a double -edged sword." reau, which wanted the wolves re- Said Batt: "I will not be recommend - moved, and the Audubon Society, ing any substantial changes until the which wanted native wolves to get status is cleared by the courts." stronger protection. The two separate Meanwhile, the only consensus be- cases, filed in 1995, were joined to- tween wolf fans and foes is that more gether, placing the would -be oppo- funding is needed to monitor them in nents on the same side arguing that Central Idaho. At Batt's prodding, fed - the federal government's reintroduc- eral officials have agreed to sink an tion program was illegal. additional $100,000 into the Nez The Farm Bureau's position is clear. Perce Tribe's wolf management pro- 'We want to see them removed," gram in Idaho. Pair of wolves found dead near Middle Fork of Salmon LEWISTON — An investiga- tion is under way, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not disclose what killed a breeding pair of wolves found dead in Central Idaho. The deaths are a setback to a wolf reintroduction program that is one of the great success stories of wildlife preservation. The so -called Landmark pair had produced litters of pups during each of the past two springs, contributing to the esti- mated seven litters and 32 pups born in Idaho during 1997. Biologists had hoped for 10 litters in 1998, 1999 and 2000 — the number deemed necessary for full recovery and removal from the list of endangered species. The wolves' carcasses were discovered in a rugged area along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River east of McCall during a routine monitoring flight by the Nez Perce Tribe. The Fish and Wildlife Service was shipping the female wolf's carcass to the federal wildlife forensic laboratory in Ashland, Ore., said Roy Heberger, the service's wolf recovery coordi- nator in Boise. The male could not be recovered because of rough terrain. At least three wolves brought in from Canada have been shot in Idaho since the wolf recovery program began. The first was killed within weeks after the releases began, and two of the wolves had mi- grated to Idaho on their own. 1 D/4H0 ­j_TOTE5#1/3/', S — 9 — ?? WOLF PACK ON THE MOVE Katherine Jones/ Statesman file photo Monitors with the Nez Perce Tribe spotted the "Landmark" wolf pack north of Deadwood Reservoir during a flight in December. A successful breeding pair from the pack was found dead last week east of McCall. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating. " Group legal The Associated Press In wo reintroduction case DENVER  An environmental group wants a federal appellate court to overturn a lower court's order that more than 160 transplanted gray wolves be removed from central Ida- ho and Yellowstone National Park. "We're appealing not only to save the lives of the wolves but also to se- cure the future of our nation's most successful wildlife reintroduction ef- fort ever," Defenders of Wildlife Le- gal Director Bill Snape said Monday. The group said it will file a brief this week with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, making good on the notice it and the National Wildlife Federation gave this spring that they would challenge the deci- sion of U.S. District Judge Williams Downes. In the brief, Defenders of Wildlife attorney Brian O'Neill argues Downes erred when he ruled the wolves were illegally reintroduced to the central Idaho wilderness and the park. Downes declared the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery pro- gram illegal because he said it re- duced the endangered species protec- tion afforded native wolves in Mon- tana and Canada that may migrate in- to those areas. "We're appealing not only to save the lives of the wolves but also to secure the future of our nation's most suc- cessful wildlife rein- troduction effort ever." BILL SNAPS Defenders of Wildlife legal director Under the program, the wolves placed in Yellowstone and central Idaho are considered an "experimen- tal population," meaning they do not have endangered species protection. The native wolves have full endan- gered species protection, and Downes ruled that they would be subject to the lesser standard if they wandered into the transplant areas. He ordered the transplanted wolves removed, but stayed his order pending appeal. The judge ruled in lawsuits brought by environmental groups seeking greater protection for the reintro- duced wolves and the Farm Bureau Federation trying to block reintroduc- tion completely. Critics have complained that he agreed with the claims of environ- mentalists but then adopted the solu- tion proposed by the Farm Bureau Federation. They contend that the on- ly way to remove the animals is to kill them, since their numbers have in- creased and so many are without ra- dio collars to track them. In 1995 and 1996, the Fish and Wildlife Service brought in 66 Cana- dian gray wolves to Yellowstone and central Idaho. The population grew much faster than officials expected and initial preparations are already being made for possible delisting as the mating pairs increase and the like- lihood of survival improves. Idaho It's not easy keeping track of transplanted wolves said. In that case, finding the By Candace Bums pups and documenting breed - Idaho Falls Post -Register "It'S so remote, ing pairs would be next to im- IDAHO FALLS — When it uld als be hard comes to tracking wolves, high - tech tracking equipment such as radio collars, airplanes and sophisticated telemetry sys- tems frequently are no match for the wily animals living in the tucks and folds of central Idaho's wilderness. "It's so remote, rugged and densely forested that it's like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Curt Mack, Ida- ho Wolf Recovery coordinator for the Nez Perce Tribe. "A lot of times we can just be chasing signals around and never see the pups. If the trackers are on the ground for two or three days and lose the signals, then we'll put a plane up to help find them." Keeping tabs on Idaho's wolves is essential to recover- ing the endangered species, bi- ologists say. First of all, they want to be sure that wolves are reproducing and multiplying, so they know when to remove them from the endangered species list. They also want to know whether the wolves are, biting into deer and elk popula- tions, or dining on forbidden livestock. And, if people are killing wolves, they want to know about that, too. Looking for offspring possible. It wo 0 rugged and densely to tell whether the wolves were I preying on livestock. forested that A s like looking for a needle in a haystack. CURT MACK Idaho Wolf Recovery coordinator for the Nez Perce Tribe, on trying to track wolves in the wilderness In 1995 and 1996, a total of 35 radio- collared Canadian wolves were transplanted into Idaho by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Nez Perce Tribe manages Idaho's wolf re- covery program, monitoring the wolves' whereabouts year - round through regular tele- metry flights that pick up the signals given off by the radio collars. They pay special atten- tion to packs such as Moyer and Jureano, which share their ter- ritory with livestock near Salmon. In the spring, Mack picks up the location of potential breed- ing pairs, then puts tracking teams in the field to locate dens and count pups. Without the summer field trackers, Mack wouldn't know whether or not the pairs actually bred. This year, for example, ground trackers have documented that 10 out of 13 possible breeding pairs had a total of 47 pups. Ida- ho must document 10 breeding pairs for three consecutive years before the wolves can be removed from the endangered species list. Mack said there's one hitch: Montana and Yel- lowstone National Park also must document at least 10 pairs each during the same years. Tough tracking But keeping up with the crit- ters has been harder this year than last. Ten of last year's 32 pups have been captured and col- lared. That means more than 20 adolescent wolves, and 47 half - grown pups, are slipping around Idaho's mountains un- detected. While young adults often travel with other mem- bers of the pack, having uncol- lared wolves can present track- ing problems. For example, while tracking the Moyer Pack earlier this month near Salmon, Mack lucked out when No. 900, a young adult trapped and col- lared in June, was left behind to tend the pups. If an uncollared yearling had been designated as baby- sitter, Mack and the others wouldn't have known where to look for them. Or, if an uncollared yearling had been stationed as a sentinel on the canyon rim, he and the other trackers may have been spotted before they got close enough to see the pups. When last year's pups begi n to pair off and form their o packs, there could be whole packs without collars, Mac Long wait Field teams pay special atten- tion to packs that share their summer range with livestock. They rely on six things to lead them to the pups: radio collars, wolf smarts, hiking, howling, hunkering and a world of pa- tience. "You could spend 12 hours out, hear and see nothing, and the 13th hour everything un- folds before you," said second - year tracker Russ Richards of Logandale, Nev. "I've spent a week and not even heard a beep." Richards and his partner, Kenny Bourgeau, track the Moyer Pack, members of which killed at least four cattle in July. After the killings, one uncol- lared young adult was trapped, collared and released into Mon- tana's Selway Wilderness. Telemetry flights show that she is heading north, away from her home range. Radio signals, which can be blocked by high mountains and long distance, tell trackers where the wolves are and sometimes who they're with. Once they get a bead on a wolf's location, trackers have to figure out how to get a sighting. Dens often are in thick timber at the bottom of steep canyons lit- tered with downfall. Ren- dezvous sites, a sort of secluded hunting camp for older pups, usually are found in secluded meadows in deep canyons. While biologists rely on radio collars to tell them where the wolves are, they rely on scat and kill sites to help tell them what the wolves are eating. Scat analysis is an important tool in determining the impact wolves are having on wildlife and livestock, Mack said. More than 1,000 cow -calf pairs share the Moyer Pack's territory. Because cattle are scattered over miles of mostly inaccessi- ble timbered land, car ses own can easily go ' undeteed. Studying scat is one w to Mack monitor the wolves' diet. i1/3 / 98' Grizzlies, wolves go to lunch together in Yellowstone area By Rachel Odell Jackson Hole News JACKSON, Wyo. — The lion may not be lying down with the lamb, but two major predators of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are proving to be compatible cooperators, biolo- gists said. Grizzly bears and gray wolves seem to have developed cooperative, benign relation- ships since wolf reintroduction in 1995, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Biologist Ed Bangs said. "You would think it's a predator -prey relationship," Bangs said. "And, potentially, either one could hurt the other pretty bad. "But if you were a wolf and you were going to try to kick somebody's butt, it sure as hell wouldn't be a grizzly bear. That's a lot of energy to put out for such little gain." The two types of animals have been observed traveling together, and sometimes even killing together, grizzly bear bi- ologist Steve French said. "It is true that with the wolves out there making rou- tine kills, some bears in some localities are taking advantage of that," he said. "We've seen an individual bear walk up to a carcass with nine wolves on it and scare them off. But we also saw a sow with two cubs travel with a cou- ple of wolves for about a week, feed- ing together." French's observations were made in Yellowstone National Park. When gray wolves were reintro- duced to Yellowstone, many people wondered what impact the wolves would have on grizzly bears. "My patent answer is that there is an impact," French said. That impact may be seen in differ- ent feeding habits, and in postpone- ment of bears' hibernation he said. Bears like a free lunch "Wherever there's a very active wolf pack, some of the bears will learn to take advantage of wolf 'ills," French said. "My guess is that same bears may actually stay out of their dens a little longer simply be- cause they can take advantage of these wolf kills." Biologists in Yellowstone have observed wolves following bears and feeding on kills. They also have seen bears chase wolves off a kill. Most of the observations show the two predators accepting each other and sometimes cooperating on kills. Yellowstone wolf biologist Doug Smith said he saw a grizzly bear bedding down in the Pelican Valley with about 15 wolves. No problem, big guy "They didn't mind that bear in there at all," Smith said. "Even when the bear got up and began walking, the wolves watched it go. There haven't been any real aggressive in- teractions that I know about." This behavior is not surprising to biologists who say wolves have lived near grizzly bears throughout the world for thousands of years. Still, the observations provide important information for wildlife managers as they prepare for the southern migra- tions of the two species from Yellow- stone into Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding forests. "The majority of the grizzly bears live outside of the Yellowstone boundaries," French said. "Bears are preceding wolves in the move- ment south. But the wolves are going to be coming down into their historic habitat soon, simply because its good habitat." Most of the interactions between the predators take place in Pelican and Lamar Valleys in Yellowstone. French said the behavioral studies are interesting partly because there were expectations that wolf reintro- duction would greatly influence the Yellowstone grizzly population. "These animals coexisted for thousands of years, and they figured out the rules of how they get along," he said. "For the most part, they kind of go along and do their own things." Minnesota man denies breaking laws by killing gray wolf in Central Idaho BOISE A Minngsota man has pleaded innocent in feder- al court to killing a gray wolf in the Central Idaho mountains. Daniel Thomas Kloskowski, 54, of Eden Prairie, was ar- raigned Monday on one count of killing an endangered species, unlawfully possessing and transporting the wolf, and damaging government proper- ty by cutting a radio telemetry collar from the wolf's neck. The collar, which helps biol- ogists track the wolf reintro- duced into Idaho from Canada, was recovered in September in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness. Kloskowski entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Larry Boyle, who scheduled a Dec. 15 trial before Chief U.S. Dis- trict Judge Edward Lodge. A violation of the Endan- gered Species Act and destruc- tion of government property carry a maximum penalty of one year behind bars and a $100,000 fine. )utfifters fear WAS wolves will destroy Drop -off in hunter success has guides concerned about big game populations By Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman The return of the wolf to Ida- ho's wilderness is hailed as one of the nation's great conserva- tion success stories. But 150 families whose liveli- hoods depend on guiding hunters into the heart of Idaho's wolf country fear it may be turn- ing into their worst nightmare. They worry that wolves will kill enough elk and deer to put Mountains from the Endangered Species list in 2000. Outfitters and hunters were rela- tively quiet when reintroduction was argued in more than a decade of hearings, environmental reviews and court cases. Not anymore. "Idaho will not tolerate a wolf pop- ulation that will adversely affect the big game resource," said Scott Farr, an outfitter in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River country. He and other outfitters urged fed - eral and state officials to set wolf them out of business. . goals that maintain current deer and "The last two years, hunter . elk populations. success has been off consider - But biologist Jim Peek of the Uni- ably," said Jim Dartt, of the , versity of Idaho said that to meet that Salmon River Lodge, which goal, state game managers will need guides hunters in the Frank Church River of No Return - Wilderness. "Our concern is how to keep our business vi- able." Biologists can't say yet how Idaho's 115 wolves are affectilg elk and deer herds. But experts gathered in Gar- den City at a predator sympo- sium Tuesday sponsored by the Idaho Outfitters and Guides As- sociation agreed hunters may have to give up some hunting opportunities to wolves. For the last four years, the main concern of wildlife man- agers was whether wolves would reestablish themselves in Idaho after 35 were introduced into the state from Canada in 1995 and 1996. But now, with 10 packs spread across Idaho's wild heart, their future appears almost secure. Attention is turning to a new question of how to keep the wolf population in balance with game herds, hunter expecta- tions and ranchers. In fact, fed- eral officials could begin a three - year process for removing wolves in the northern Rocky to do far more studies and monitoring than they do now. "I think there will be cases where individual populations will be heavily preyed upon," he said. "I think that's already happening." Woff vs. outfitter Dartt hears them howling around his Cold Meadows camp in the Chamberlain Basin area and occa- sionally sees them. But he's seen few- er elk and deer — and they have moved to other areas. Since outfitters are limited to hunt- ing in a particular location, they can be hit hard when wolves move the prey elsewhere. "We can't just get up and move," he said. Farr warned that outfitters would lead a movement to eliminate wolves if their concerns are not met. "We spend millions of dollars every year to promote elk and deer, and we don't want them to go to wolf feed," said Don Clower of Meridian, chair- man of the Idaho Wildlife Council. Idaho law prohibits the Idaho De- partment of Fish and Game from managing wolves in the state. That has prompted federal officials to hand the job to the Nez Perce Tribe. While their efforts were highly praised, several scientists and wolf advocates urged the state to get in- volved. Killing rather than saving Nez Perce Tribal Executive Com- mittee member Jamie Pinkham said state and tribal officials need to be working toward delisting the wolves business Statesman file pnom This wolf was released January 1995 near the River of No Return Wilderness. as an endangered species, when fed- eral control of the wolf would return to both governments. "The last thing we want to do is put elk and deer populations at risk," he :said. "We depend on them for suste- nance." Fish and Game Commissioner John Burns said the existing state law is appropriate until federal offi- cials work out who will pay for wolf management. He said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should immedi- ately allow Idaho to issue four or five hunting permits for wolves to show they are serious about allowing con- trol. Conservationist Hank Fischer of the Defenders of Wildlife disagreed. "That's the perception problem many people have with this state," he said. "That it's more interested in killing wolves than saving them." Where wolves are The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rounded up 166 wolves in Canada and re- leased them in central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. Some lone wolves also wan- dered in from Montana and have bred with the reintro- duced wolves. There's still a chance federal officials will have to remove all of the wolves brought in from Canada. That's because U.S. District Judge William Downes ordered their removal in 1997, saying the federal government illegally mixed the reintroduced wolves with existing wolves that were supposed to be given stricter protections. The case is under appeal. I `I C' �Gi��ZOG�7C'SI�7QYj //I f�f Less - protected wolves thrive in Idaho The Associated Press WEST GLACIER, Mont. — Wolves in Yellowstone National Park and Central Idaho may not have the protection accorded those in Northwest Montana, sci- entists said, but they are the strongerpopulations nonetheless. Despite a status that allows them to be killed under certain conditions, the transplanted Cen- tral Idaho and Yellowstone wolves are multiplying at a time when fully protected, naturally occurring wolves in Northwest Montana seem to be in decline. "In Yellowstone and Central Idaho, the wolves are living in fairly large wilderness areas," said Diane Boyd- Heger, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "No one lives there — no livestock, no pets, no private property. It's a huge road - less expanse. "But where wolves have come back; on their own in Northwest Montana, they are in conflict everywhere they go. Every time they turn around, there's a road or a pasture or a fence or a property line. Wolves like ungulate winter range, but that winter range is down low. People and cows are down low, too." The Yellowstone and Idaho populations that began with Canadian wolves relocated in 1995 and 1996 are classified as "experimental, non - essential" and can be killed if they prey on stock. The wolves in Northwest Montana have full protection un- der the Endangered Species Act and cannot legally be harmed. The nine breeding pairs that developed from a single wolf lop- ing into Glacier National Park from Canada to meet another a few years ago have dropped to five pairs. The Yellowstone and Idaho populations have advanced to a total of more than 200. Three more wolves flown back to Idaho after livestock deaths Ram of biologists hope to capture last pup near den The Associated Press STEVENSVILLE, Mont. — Federal and tribal wildlife biolo- gists captured two more wolf pups, members of a pack sus- pected of killing cattle in the Bit- terroot Valley, and flew them to Idaho with their mother, who was captured Sunday. "We've now got all but one pup in hand," said Isaac Bab- cock, Nez Perce tribal biologist. Officials began removing the wolves from the valley after a rancher reported one dead calf and two others missing. Wildlife officials confirmed that a wolf had killed the calf. Since officials removed most of the pack, there have been no more reports of wolves preying on livestock. The pups captured in the Bit- terroot Mountains on Monday were a male and female, just 10 weeks old. They and their moth- er were flown to a one -acre holding facility in McCall where five other pups and the father of the Bass Creek pack are con- tained. The adult wolves were part of an Idaho experimental popula- tion until they migrated into the Bitterroot area. The Nez Perce are involved in management and recovery efforts of wolves in Idaho. Dave Nelson of the Depart- ment of Agriculture's wildlife services said he is optimistic a team will capture the remaining offspring Tuesday or Wednes- day. "Those pups are pretty homed in on that site," Nelson said. "He'll be pretty lonesome by himself." After wildlife officials cap- tured the adult male and five pups near the den site on June 19, the female moved her re- maining brood about a mile up a mountainside to what biologists call a rendezvous site. Wolf pups usually remain in such an area while the parents hunt, said Curt Mack, a wildlife biologist with the Nez Perce program. The site typically will border a meadow and be near dense timber and where water and shade are available. "Without the female around, the pups don't have anywhere to go other than the rendezvous site," Mack said. "You'd expect it to stay in and around that site." The pack will remain at the Idaho holding facility at least until late summer to give the 10- to 15 -pound pups a chance to grow. When the adults and pups are released back into the wilder- ness, Mack said, officials need to be sure the pups can keep up with their parents. 7 Gr Wolf dies after being moved to McCall The Associated Press An adult male gray wolf was acci- dentally killed after being trapped and moved along with the rest of the 10- member Bass Creek pack to an Idaho enclosure from southwestern Mon- tana's Bitterroot Valley. .U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offi- cials, however, said the first attempt to move an entire wolf pack within the Central Idaho recovery area was suc- cessful overall, and necessary be- cause the wolves had been implicated in attacks on cattle. "An alternative could have meant the loss of most of the pack. "We have to keep in mind the re- covery objectives and public concerns on all sides of the wolf recovery issue, and focus our thinking at a wolf -popu- lation level," Roy Heberger, the Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery coordinator for Idaho, said Wednes- day. "We've lost individual wolves be- fore, and we'll likely lose more. That's unfortunate, but overall we're making good headway toward recovery of the species." The Bass Creek pack included the lead or "alpha" male that died, an adult female and eight pups. The wolves were captured in late June and moved to a 1 -acre holding facility near McCall. Heberger said the alpha male ap- pare tly was hurt when it was trappd in Montana, and continued limping after being moved to the = ho pen. Handlers worried about infec- tion used a catch -pole to immobilize the wolf so it could be checked, but the loop at the end of the pole malft}c- tioned and could not be loosened from around the predator's neck, he said: - The wolf gasped and stoppid breathing. Efforts to resuscitate The animal continued for about 15 rrdn- utes after the loop finally was cut off, Heberger said, but it was too late. - - TA Idaho officials aim to remove wolves from endangered list Revising criteria for delisting could speed process The Associated Press LEWISTON — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials are optimistic that wolves could be taken off the Endangered Species List in as few as three years. Canadian wolves transplant- ed in central Idaho wilderness and the Yellowstone National Park area in 1995 and 1996 have done well. Naturally oc- curring wolves in northwestern Montana have lagged behind. Delisting is currently sched- uled to begin when populations reach 10 breeding pairs for three consecutive years in each of the recovery areas. There are now 12 breeding pairs in cen- tral Idaho and 10 in Yellow- stone but just seven in north- western Montana. If the Mon- tana wolves reach the thresh- old of 10 next year, the count- down to delisting would begin. If all goes well, the wolves could lose their protected status as early as 2002. Idaho officials are consider- ing trying to convince the feder- al government to revise the delisting criteria to focus on the number of breeding pairs in the entire Northern Rockies rather than in each of the three specif- ic recovery zones. They believe that could hasten delisting. Roy Heberger, assistant field supervisor of the service's Snake River Basin office, said the wolves that leave recovery areas still will be subject to con- trol methods if they prey on livestock. A young male recently was shot and killed in Idaho's Stan- ley Basin for repeated attacks on livestock. It was the first wolf to be killed by federal agents in the state since reintro- duction. To help allay the fears of ranchers in Oregon, where at least one wolf has migrated, the Defenders of Wildlife has be- gun to form a group composed of state and federal agencies, conservationists and ranchers. Suzanne Laverty, the conser- vation group's Idaho field rep- resentative, said lessons learned in Idaho and Montana will be used to deal with wolves in Oregon and Washington. "Idaho is getting the chance to be the model for other places. We got to be the guinea pig here and Oregon and Washing- ton can learn from what we did right and what we did wrong." Defenders of Wildlife con- centrates on educating people about wolves and their needs. It also pays ranchers market val- ue for livestock lost to wolves. 3—hr, i -ya ka 1_*ahp5WI6�n , �q/j /YY Wolf reintroduction program has cyst Idaho $L6 million The Associated Press IDAHO FALLS — More than $1.6 million has been spent by the federal govern- ment on wolf reintroduction in Idaho since fiscal year 1994, with an extra $587,000 for moving the animals from Canada, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials say. The money goes to monitor- ing the wolves, compiling an- nual reports, education and outreach efforts, relocating problem wolves and collaring pups and adults to track them, said Roy Heberger, who runs the wolf recovery program in Idaho. The breakdown over the fis- cal years: 1994, $50,000; 1995, $306,000; 1996, $257,000; 1997, $257,000; 1998, $400,000; 1999, $400,000. Since Idaho legislators in 1995 refused to allow the state to become involved in the wolf process, the Nez Perce Tribe contracted for that service and has received those federal dol- lars. The extra $587,000 was ex- pended to trap the Canadian wolves and move them for re- lease in the Salmon River country in 1995 and 1996, Heberger said. He provided the figures after Walter Gay of Blackfoot asked the Post Register in Idaho Falls for information on wolf reloca- tion in the Salmon area. Heberger said there is no way to break down costs just for the Salmon locale, but he said it is likely more is spent per wolf in that area than in others. That's because wolves and livestock overlap around Salmon, Challis and Stanley so there is a heightened need to monitor the wolves to try and keep conflicts to a mini- mum. This is not the first time Heberger has been asked for an accounting. He had just tal- lied the price for the U.S. Dis- trict Court in Boise on a case of a man charged with killing a wolf. The man paid about $15,000 in fines and restitution, which is about the cost per wolf spent in Idaho so far. That cost -per- wolf figure likely will decrease as wolf numbers rise and then eventually level off. Idaho currently has at least 115 wolves and 12 breeding pairs. The Yellowstone recov- ery area also has 10 breeding pairs, but there are only about seven breeding pairs in north- western Montana. After all three recovery zones have a minimum of 10 breeding pairs for three straight years, the Fish and Wildlife Service could propose the wolves be removed from protection under the Endan- gered Species Act. 1�P 47110 /� o C�,c, f�sf '7 7 a olf reintrodueflon is changing minds Nez Perce efforts are reaping success, gaming public favor By Bob Mottram Scripps- McClatchy Western Service LAPWAI — In this land of soaring Douglas fir trees, rushing rivers and a sometimes near - vertical land- scape, a ghost of America's frontier past is returning to its old haunts. It is the gray wolf, known by some as the timber wolf, an embodiment of the wilderness with which North Central Idaho is so amply endowed. Its thrilling, melancholy howl echoes once again over the meadows and across the canyons after an ab- sence of decades. And the credit — or the blame, depending on your point of view —goes to the Nez Perce Indi- an Tribe. The tribe stepped in to become lead agency in re- establishing the wolf after the issue became too hot, politically, for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to handle. The tribe's action was unique. "There is no other example in the nation where a tribe is leading the re- covery of an endangered species statewide," said Keith Lawrence, tribal wildlife program supervisor. "We're proud of the effort we have put forth and the success we have had in the four - and -a -half years we have been leading the effort." Traditionally, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service develops a re- covery plan for a threatened or en- dangered species, it asks the state to head the operation. "In this case, the state said it would rather not participate in the recov- ery," Lawrence said. The Nez Perce already had been involved with the state and the Fish and Wildlife Service in preparing a wolf Environmental Impact State- ment, however, so the tribe decided to take over. In 1995, it released 15 Canadian- caught gray wolves in Idaho, and in 1996 it released 20 more. "Everything in the state south of Interstate 90 is deemed to be the re- covery area," Lawrence said. 'With- in that is a core area where the wolves are — a network of Forest - Service- administered lands and wilderness lands that form the bulk of Central Idaho." A count last year revealed that the 35 -wolf release had grown to 115 an- imals, including 10 pairs with pups. The Nez Perce effort is one part of a larger wolf recovery program that covers the northern Rockies, Lawrence said. A second part in- volves northwestern Montana, which wolves are recolonizing on their own, from Canada. A third part involves Yellowstone National Park where — as in Idaho — captive ani- mals were released. The Yellowstone dispersal was termed a "soft" release, Lawrence said. Entire Canadian packs were transported into the park, held in pens there long enough to potentially acclimatize to the area, then released as family groups. In Idaho, managers practiced "hard" release. It allowed no time for acclimatization. "The idea was to recruit animals of the same age," Lawrence said, "younger animals about the age where they would normally dis- perse, and we would bring them into Idaho and turn them loose out of their transport cages." Managers hoped that young males and females would find each other, pair off and start their own packs. "Both strategies have worked," Lawrence said, although Idaho has been the first to reach 10 breeding pairs. "The recovery goal for the Fish and Wildlife Service to start to delist is 10 breeding pairs for three succes- sive years in Idaho, Montana and Yellowstone," he said. The imported wolves were outfit- ted with radio collars, enabling biolo- gists to track their movements and to monitor their behavior. Each spring, tribal biologists trek into wolf coun- try to count the new year's offspring. Wolf behavior lends itself to this annual census, Lawrence said. In each pack, only the dominant male and the dominant female mate, re- sulting in a single litter of pups for each pack. Mating takes place in the winter, and pups are born in the spring. The mother keeps the pups with her inside a den for the first several weeks of their lives, Lawrence said. Then, the pack leaders select a gath- ering place not too far from the den, often in or near a meadow. The mother leaves her pups there in the care of an adolescent member of the pack while she and the rest of the pack go off to hunt. Biologists try to locate a pack's gathering place and, using a spotting scope or binoculars, count the j ups that are in the babysitter's care. Wolf recovery puts something of a strain on the tribal wildlife program, however, which is small. , "We've only got five people work- ing on a variety of projects," Lawrence said. "But we've got a crew of five employed temporarily through the summertime working specifically on wolf recovery. So that makes a crew of seven working on wolf recovery." Spring through early summer, the focus is on finding the dens and counting the pups. "We're really fixed on determin- ing which packs have pups -and which haven't," Lawrence said. Tribal staff members also trap and relocate wolves that prey upon Jive - stock. It was the potential for live- stock killing by wolves that made their reintroduction into Idaho so controversial, especially among cat- tle and sheep growers. Now, nearly five years into the effort, Lawrence thinks public opinion is changing. "When we first started, people were concerned it was something the federal government had forced on them," he said, "and they were con- cerned about whether somebody would be there if they had a problem. "We worked hard to get out and let them know there would be people to help them if they had concerns;" he said, "and to work out protocols for handling those concerns." Park neighbors cope with wolves Yellowstone -area residents work on coexistence The Associated Press CODY, Wyo. — Awandering wolf has joined a pair that had denned in northwest Wyoming's Sunlight Basin and produced a litter this spring, offi- cials said. "We have pretty good evi- dence about a third adult that's been seen with the black pair," said Mike Jiminez, project leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's wolf recovery program in Wyoming. The appearance of the third wolf comes one month after a confirmed kill of a domestic calf by a wolf. After the attack, the wolves were monitored around the clock for two weeks, Jiminez said. They moved west and no oth- er conflicts have occurred. "You'd think they'd stay and eat cattle," he said. The appearance of the wolves in the basin 20 miles east of Yel- lowstone National Park has elicited mixed reaction from ru- ral residents. 1 have no control over govern- ment programs," said Dick Ruhlman, who managesthe Sun- light and Crandall ranches for Utah industrialist Earl Holding. Wolves were eradicated from the Yellowstone area early this century, but federal officials reintroduced them to the park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996. The recent calf killing is something Ruhlman has accept- ed as inevitable. "We need to cope and live to- gether," he said. Ward Dominick, who man- ages the Seven D Ranch, said he doubts wolf predation on live- stock can be prevented and pre- dicted some wolves will have to be removed. He said he is keep- ing an open mind but admits he would likely take a negative view if a wolf killed any of his livestock. "I like to hear them howl, but I sure don't want to see my crit- ters attacked by wolves," he said. But Tish Winsor at the Han- cock Ranch said her initial reac- tion was lukewarm because Yellowstone faced so many oth- er important issues. "Now, I'm delighted they're here," she said, applauding the effort to restore the environ- ment to its state before people and ranches moved in. "It's our responsibility to co- exist," she said. Last of wandering wolf pack to be released in wilderness The Associated Press KALISPELL, Mont. — A wolf pack that has been held in Idaho since its capture in the Bitterroot Valley this summer after apparently killing cattle will be released next month near Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness. The release, based on methods used in Idaho, will rely on the long delay be- tween capture and release to break the wolves' connection with their for- mer haunts. Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordina- tor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice, said the pack was founded by a 110 - pound male that wandered into the Bitterroot Valley from Idaho a year ago. It was among those reintroduced into the central Idaho wilderness in 1995 and 1996, and it surprised recov- ery managers when it was caught in a coyote trap on a Montana ranch miles from its home range. Not long after reaching the valley, the wolf was joined by a lone female that had moved down from the north. Their eight -pup litter was the region's first since the 1920s. But after quickly being suspected of killing cattle, the entire pack was trapped last June and moved to a holding facility in McCall in central Idaho. In the intervening months, the male died in a handling accident and three of the pups succumbed to parvo virus, a relatively common killer of dog pup- pies. The female and remaining pups will be released on the northern side of the Bob Marshall after taking a week to calm down from the move there. Bangs said that holding wolves in McCall for some months before re- lease has been successful in keeping Idaho transplants from returning to old range to prey on livestock. Calving season will be past, and hunting season will just be over, leav- ing the wolves scattered remains of big game. The week interlude, Bangs said, should help them acclimate and re- duce chances they will panic and bolt when they finally are released back into the wild. In the past, adults have been known to run hard after a re- lease, losing their pups in the process. Bangs believes the months of cap- tivity in McCall have strengthened the bond between mother and pups, help- ing to keep the pack together. State's interest in wolves doubted Idaho tribe says it should keep lead management role The Associated Press LEWISTON — The Nez Perce Tribe is reacting with cau- tion and skepticism to overtures from officials who have indicat- ed the state should play a greater role in managing wolves. Samuel Penney, chairman of the tribe's executive committee, said the tribe intends to continue its leadership role in managing the wolves after they are taken off the endangered species list. "While we would welcome the state as a new partner in wolf management, it is impor- tant that any state involvement be coordinated among all the partners currently managing wolves in Idaho," he said. A legislative Wolf Oversight Committee has been meeting to determine how the wolves should be managed if they are taken off the endangered species list sooner than expected. Wolf populations have multi- plied beyond the best expecta- tions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An introduction plan calls for delisting to occur after wolves in each of the three recovery zones — central Idaho, northwestern Montana and Yellowstone Na- tional Park —reach 10 breeding pairs for three consecutive years. The 10 breeding pairs thresh- old may be met for the first time next year, meaning delisting could occur as soon as 2002. And given the success of popu- lations in the rugged central Ida- ho wilderness, some entities have pushed for an accelerated delisting. When the wolves were intro- duced in 1995 and 1996, Idaho officials prohibited the Fish and Game Department from partici- pating in their management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice handed management to the tribe. Penney said the tribe has not been given a meaningful role in developing a post- endangered species list management plan. "Given the undeniable suc- cess of the tribe's gray wolf re- covery program, the five years of on- the - ground experience we have in this area, it is crucial that we continue our leadership role," he said. "It just doesn't make economic or scientific sense not to use our expertise." The tribe has been given an ad hoc membership on the over- sight committee, but Penney said anything short of a voting membership will not provide for meaningful input. And he called consideration of a post - delisting management plan premature until the roles the state and tribe will play are resolved. Nov h, l 9dy Sfdte-g rp►aP. Idaho wolves headed to Montana The Associated Press A wolf pack that had a run -in with livestock has been rounded up in its McCall-area enclosure and is headed to Montana. They were the first pack to es- tablish a home range in the Bit - terroot Valley in many decades. But the lead alpha wolves start- ed to kill livestock to feed their new pups. Biologists from the tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service captured and relocated the pack in the McCall enclosure. The alpha male was acciden- tally killed, and an outbreak of parvo virus killed three pups. The remaining female and five pups were captured Monday for relocation. "Of course, we would rather see the wolves returning to our monitoring area in central Ida- ho, but relocating them to north- west Montana will contribute more to regional wolf recovery in the northern Rocky Moun- tains," said Wilfred Scott, vice chairman of the Nez Perce Tnb- al Executive Committee. "This will move us closer to the point where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will delist them." The tribe has worked with the federal government for the last five years to manage the wolves released in Idaho. The population has expanded to more than 115 wolves in 12 packs, spread across 13 million acres in Idaho. "Hopefully, this is the last time members of this pack will be captured and handled for many years," said Curt Mack, tribal wolf recovery coordina- tor. "Yesterday the pups' health was reviewed again, and they were outfitted with radio collars by the capture crew before be- ing transported to Montana for release." The wolves are being set free in an unoccupied habitat after big -game herds have moved to winter range. It is hoped the predators will feed on deer and elk. /y Wolves spell trouble for rancher Pack kills call happens," Hurless said. " The animals have spread out as far proportion," out of ro P p said Suzanne resurrects fears away as Oregon, with sightings south Laverty of the Defenders of Wildlife. "The as far as Hagerman and even in the reaction is not based on the real- in Central Idaho Boise Foothills. ity of what's happened with wolves in The latest round of controversy the area." started in the fall when Hurless's cows First, she said people have lived Rocky Barker were trailing down the mountains g around wolves for years with only iso- Th The Idaho Statesman through Kinnickinnick Creek near lated cases of attacks on humans. And Clayton. Wolves wouldn't allow the wo g lves are living around cattle The late -night escapades of cattle to naturally migrate down the throughout the region with far fewer the Twin Peaks wolf pack have canyon, requiring Hurless to drive depredations than expected. touched off a wave of anger and them down another canyon. `There is certainly a lot more dan- frustration that has reached all In January, he began calving 375 ger from people than wolves," she the way to Washington, D.C. cows. It was a mild winter, so he ex- said. The wolves have been mak- petted that it would be easy. "What John McCarthy, conservation di- ing regular visits since January could have been a cakewalk turned rector of the Idaho Conservation to the Spur Cattle Ranch along into pure hell," Hurless said. League, doesn't like the outcome nor the Salmon River near Clayton After the Twin Peaks pack killed a the lack of a meaningful dialogue be- in Central Idaho. The wolves calf Jan. 24, federal officials killed tween wolf advocates, political lead - lead- killed one newborn calf, prompting federal agents to kill three of the animals. A few days later, the pack returned and threatened ers and ranchers. ° W understand the ranchers' fnas "but four wolves of the 10 to 12 wolf Hurless's horses. A fourth wolf was pled traWe McCarthy said, it really pack. seems the wolves are taking the brunt But the wolves have not given The wolves kept coming back, and o f the punishment." up their visits — and that has Hurless asked for political help. Beyond the depredation issue, state leaders calling for their re- Idaho's congressional delegation Gillette, the outfitter, worries about moval. and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne have writ- what wolves are doing to elk and deer deer Word of rancher Curt Hur- ten U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Di- h populations. With the population less' frustration with the contin- rector Jamie Rappoport Clark urging in unchecked, fears hunting o g g p- wing threat to his calving cows her to move the wolves or allow local portunities will drop and tourism will spread throughout the commu- officials to authorize the killing of decline. "They are absolutely slaughtering nities of Challis, Stanley and problem wolves. our big game," he said. Salmon this winter. The news Meanwhile, people from through- Despite their strong feelings, resurrected the fear and hatred of wolves that developed when out the Challis area have offered to help him guard his cattle. Parents are Gillette's group does not advocate the endangered species were worried about children who wait at killingthe wolves. That is illegal under reintroduced to Idaho under lonely bus stops because of the the Endangered Species Act. special rules in 1995. wolves' apparent lack of fear of hu- If wolves are removed from the En- ."We're sick and tired of being mans. dangered Species list, management is pushed around by federal offi- "It was a classic communications is- returned to the state, which can ap- cials on this," said Ron Gillette, a sue," said Roy Heberger, the U.S. Fish prove more flexible rules. But before Stanley outfitter and guest cab- and Wildlife Service biologist who the wolves can be delisted, Idaho, in owner. was in charge of the on- the - ground Montana and Wyoming must each Gillette and his neighbors decisions. "I think its settling down." have a wolf- management plan in have formed the Central Idaho An electronic device to frighten the place. Wolf Coalition. Its goal is get- wolves was installed in Hurless's The Idaho Wolf Management ting the wolves out of Idaho. The field.. Oversight Committee is putting the coalition plans an anti-wolf rally The device has prevented further finishing touches on a plan. Another today at the confluence of the depredation of cattle, Hurless said. bill would allow the Idaho Depart- East Fork of the Salmon River But the wolves continue to come ment of Fish and Game to again get and the Main Salmon. around, showing less and less fear of involved in wolf management. Cur - After a federal appeals court the frightener. rently, the Nez Perce Tribe is in threw out a lower court decision Eventually, the wolves may kill charge of wolf recovery in the state, to remove the wolves, most Ida- again, Heberger said. If they do, he under the oversight of the U.S. Fish ho ranchers — including Hur- said he will use an incremental ap- and Wildlife Service. less — have become resigned to proach: First, trying to move them if Hurless said he would like the the fact that wolves are here to possible. If they return again, consid- agencies to loosen restrictions so stay. ering killing the alpha pair he says ranchers can kill wolves when they The wolf population has risen was responsible for the first calf threaten their private property. De- to more than 160 in 13 packs killing. fenders of Wildlife paid him $1,000 for since 35 animals were brought Wolf advocates are almost as frus- the loss of the high -value calf; and into the state from Canada in trated as Gillette and Hurless, but not with calving almost over, he's satis- 1995 and 1996. The wolves are at the wolves and the federal govern- fied for now. protected under the federal En- ment. But he would prefer the wolves dangered Species Act as an "ex- "We feel like it's been blown way were moved and his ordeal ended. " I perimental, non - essential" pop- shouldn't have to go through this to ulation. get this set of cows calved" "We're going to have to live with wolves no matter what Wolf activists c Biologist calls for l new tactics in • • wolf mteractlons for end to STANLEY— Idaho's wolf re k1111111111sp covery monitor maintains cre- ative new approaches must be Federal biologist taken to handle increasing con- flicts between reintroduced Says lethal Control wolves and humans if the cam- paign to restore the endangered W 111 be last resort predator is to be successful. "We can't blindly go forward the way it is,' Curt Mack said. "If By Rocky Barker the end result of problem The Idaho statesman wolves keeps becoming the STANLEY —The killings of elimination of packs, it's going two packs of Central Idaho to be really difficult to recover wolves have prompted a call wolves." from environmentalists for a Mack said the wolf program cease -fire. is foundering now because of But Weiser rancher Mar - general frustration with the garet Soulen Hinson said end - rules that govern endangered ing the shooting of livestotk- gray wolf management. Envi- killing wolves would breach ronmentalists are grousing over their trust with wildlife officials wolves being killed after attack- ' just as the program was show- ing livestock, while ranchers are ing signs of success. tired of trying to protect their Nine wolves, four in the stock from the transplanted Twin Peaks pack that ranged wolves and their offspring. north of Clayton and five in the The Fish and Wildlife Service White Clouds pack that lived and Nez Perce Tribe, which oversees the Idaho recovery ef- fort, have been trying to recon- cile the two groups while press- ing ahead with the recovery program. "No one's happy," Mack said. "The wolves are dead, and we spent a lot of money." The overlapping territories of wolves and ranchers will al- ways lead to livestock depreda- tions, reinforcing the need for creative and cooperative solu- tions, he said. Wolf managers should con- sider using negative reinforce- ment like electronic scare de- vices, shock collars or tainted meat that induces nausea to control wolves in areas where conflicts with humans or stock are likely, he said. Ranchers could also be com- pensated up front for anticipat- ed livestock lossea, or alternate grazing areas could be found. "We just haven't really put those practices to use," Mack said. "There are so many ways of skinning the cat. It's hard to know up front what will work." just to the south, have been killed after repeated attacks on livestock this year. Environ- mentalists, meeting at Redfish Lake Lodge for the Idaho Con- servation League's annual Wild Idaho Conference, want the agency to ensure the same fate doesn't await the Stanley pack, 10 wolves that live in the Sawtooth Valley south of Stan- ley. Last year, one of the Stanley pack was killed after it repeat- edly attacked livestock. But there were no problems after it was removed. "We don't think we have problem wolves, we have prob- lem ranchers and a proh:em agency," said Lynne Stone, ex- ecutive director of the Boulder - White Clouds Council. Roy Heberger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist in charge of Idaho's wolves, said he could not rule out killing members of the Stanley pack if they kill cattle or sheep. But he said it would be a last resort. He's looking for alternative meas- ures for stopping livestock depreda- tion, such as arming ranchers with shotguns with non - lethal rubber buckshot to shoot at wolves when they get into their livestock. Ranchers themselves have added guard dogs and altered their opera- tions to reduce wolf attacks, said Hin- son, whose family has lost 98 sheep to wolves the last three years. She wor- ries ranchers will lose the ability to control their losses if federal agents can't kill attacking wolves. "For the environmentalists to elimi- nate lethal control builds mistrust for these programs," Hinson said. The trust has come from the work of the Nez Perce Tribe, which moni- tors the wolves on the ground, she said. Jamie Pinkham, Nez Perce tribal treasurer, said the wolf program is the first in the nation where management of an endangered species was turned over to an Indian tribe. "I think the tribe has stepped for- ward and proven itself," Pinkham said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced 35 wolves into Idaho in 1995 and 1996. The wolves, protected under the Endangered Species Act, we're designated as "experimenta nonessential," which allowed more flexible rules for killing them when they attacked livestock. "Now that killing has begun there's blood on our hands for putting these critters in this situation," said Mindy Harms, an environmental attorney from Boise. There were 150 wolves in 12 packs that included 10 breeding pairs at the beginning of the year. Their numbers grew at a rate of 60 to 70 percent an- nually until last year when the rate dropped to 40 percent. Now that the wolves are nearly re- covered, figuring out how they will be controlled under state management is the pivotal issue. Environmentalists hate seeing wolves killed. But ranch- ers, hunters and outfitters don't want to see their numbers to grow uncon- trolled. I see this as the single largest hur- dle to wolf recovery," Heberger said. Z/ -,v �ZnoU ts track wolves in Idaho Photos by Willy Cook / Idaho Mountain Express Radio telemetry equipment, visible at left, mounted on a wing strut of a plane, is used to track the movement of wolves near Stanley during a Nez Perce wolf- monitoring flight in May. Through Idaho's dense timber stands and rugged alpine terrain, tracking far - wandering gray wolves from the ground would be a formidable task. But from 12,000 feet altitude with radio telemetry equipment tucked neatly beneath the wings, finding an elusive wolf is easy. Ground at the hands of Stanley pilot cess keeping track of them," he Mack explained, an d alI-three crews Bob Danner, while Idaho's Nez said. "It always amazes me were found inside about a sev- will follow Perce wolf recovery leader, when you get up in the air and is en -mile radius south of Stanley. Mack up Curt Mack, explained the pur- see how much country there The Stanley wolves, to check activities pose o the tribe's routine mon- — and that you can find them." And finding them the said, different from most g amid packs. The intent is three -fold, he mountains and rolling hills of While many packs act as a By Greg Stahl said through a crackling inter- timber didn't take long. cohesive unit, usually found to- Idaho Mountain F,xpress com: to keep track of general As Danner flew over a tree- gether, these wolves otter are wolf pack territories and move- enshrouded moraine, the separated by miles. STANLEY — Through Ida- ments; to keep an eye on plane's headsets transmitted a `beep They'll be closely monitored ho's dense timber stands and wolves leaving their packs; and slow, soft beep beep." this summer, he said, to watch . rugged alpine terrain, tracking to plan on where to send on- The plane's occupants grew for pack members that may be- far- wandering gray wolves the - ground, summer field silent. "Off the right wing, Mack come habituated to preying on from the ground would be a for -, midable task. a creme's At this time of year, Mack, a said. livestock. Among the wolves Mack But from 12,000 feet with ra- biologist, is quite a flyboy. Danner circled and descend- searched for was the missing dio telemetry equipment He's in the air once a week, ed, picking up speed — a stom- alpha female from the defunct tucked neatly, beneath the flying out of Stanley, McCall or ach- churning maneuver. White Cloud pack. wings, it's easy to find an elu- Montana. In a few weeks, field The beeps grew stronger, She probably gave birth in sive wolf. crews will begin tracking and Mack jotted down a few co- mid- April, but her signal hasn't As one of the Nez Perce Tribe's wolf - monitoring flights wolves on foot for 10 days at a time, documenting specific ordinates. The sounds were signals sent been detected since she was re- located early in April from the climbed toward patchy spring pack activities and the success- from the radio collar of the East Fork of the Salmon River clouds, the Stanley Basin's gla- es of new pup litters. Stanley wolf pack's alpha male. drainage to the SelwayBitter- cial moraines diminished be- Without the flight data to He was completely hidden in a root Wilderness. low, and jagged mountains guide them, their efforts would stand of timber. Her mate was shot in lethal stretched to the horizon. be futile, Mack said. Three of the pack's approxi- control actions on the East Fork The little Cessna 140 climbed "We've had really good suc- mately 20 wolves are collared, late in April, and the fate of her ebo pups is uncertain without the as their own territory, which other "mystery areas," Mack aloha male to bring food. they usually do at 1 or 2 years of said, including the zone around ,Biologists believe the female age. the Thompson Creek Mine may have wandered back to Wolves are fiercely territori- west of Challis. the area, but her signal didn't al, and packs commonly kill Other than picking up radio turn up in the White Cloud, Pio- lone wolves or even rival packs signals and viewing the vast - neer or Salmon River moun- that invade their space. ness of central Idaho's wilder - tains or in the valleys between. Pack territories average 360 ness, the flight served as an effi- Mack said he'll continue to square miles, Mack said. dent course in wolf biology. search. Mack acknowledged that Wolves spend the majority of Throughout the afternoon of there could be a pack forming their time in creek bottoms and flying, Mack detected four ra- in the Copper Basin area, but prefer open country, Mack dio collar signals — three Stan- said he didn't know for sure be- said. That's because of the way ley pack wolves and one in cause the dispersed Stanley they hunt. Copper Basin on the east slope wolf is the only collared animal Wolves are called coursing of the Pioneer Mountains. there. hunters, as opposed to stalking, The Copper Basin wolf is a This summer, after known which is common to mountain "dispersed member" of the pack activity is catalogued by lions. Stanley pack, Mack said. on- the - ground crews, efforts Coursing means wolves run Dispersing wolves can travel may be made to investigate the down their prey, requiring up to 500 miles, Mack ex- Copper Basin area and several open terrain. plained. Their long, lanky bodies are perfectly suited for traveling distances, he said. In part, dispersing wolves travel great distances in search of somewhere they can claim "When a wolf makes a kill, its obvious," Mack said, com- paring them with cougars. "There's blood everywhere. There are body parts every- where. Cats cover up their prey's body." Mack said that's probably one of the reasons Idahoans are so concerned about the effects of wolves on deer and elk popu- lations — because wolf kills ap- pear as carnage. in reality, he said, wolves kill about the same number of deer and elk as the big cats do. "It's highly unlikely that wolves will decimate elk popu- lations across the state, but they certainly will have an effect," Mack said. Pilot Bob Danner, left, and Nez Perce wolf recovery leader Curt Mack monitor signals re- ceived from a wolf's radio, as they fly in a plane near Stanley during a Nez Perce Tribe wolf - monitoring flight. Idaho Statesman file photc On the heels of a legal battle to affirm the legality of wolf rein- troduction, federal biologists say they think that wolves first released in Idaho near the Salmon River in 1995 — or their offspring — have been sighted on the Boise Front. Appeals court upholds wolf reintroduction Biologists say wolves sighted in Boise area By Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman A federal appeals court up- held Thursday the legality of a reintroduction program that has returned wolves to the out- skirts of Boise. Federal biologists an- nounced Thursday they have had numerous sightings of wolves across the Boise Front since Christmas. The reports come as the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver rejected a lower court decision that wolf reintroduction into Yel- lowstone National Park and Central Idaho in 1995 and 1996 was illegal. The ruling, if it stands, saves federal biologists the nearly impossible task of removing the wolves from the wild. It al- so allows Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to create wolf -man- agement plans in preparation for taking the wolves off of the Endangered Species list. Ranchers and Idaho leaders have opposed the reintroduc- tion since its start five years ago. But wildlife enthusiasts are hailingthe decision that restores a major predator to wild Idaho. "It's a great day for wolves and Ida- ho," said Rick Johnson, Idaho Conser- vation League executive director. "We put back a few of the frayed threads of the ecosystem and it looks like they're going to stay here." Biologists for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service aren't ready to con- firm the Boise -area sightings were wolves. But several of the observations were made by biologists or people who have worked with wolves elsewhere. "My best professional judgment is we've got wolves, but we have not confirmed wolves," said Roy Heberg- er, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as- sistant field supervisor in Boise. The Nez Perce Tribe, which is in charge of wolf recovery programs in Idaho, is planning to fly over the re- gion during the next few weeks to see if they can locate the signal of a radio - collared wolf. But Heberger said many Idaho wolves are uncollared and may not be detected. The first wolves were reported be- tween Christmas and New Year's Day on the Barber Flat where the Har- ris Ranch development is beginning construction. An Idaho City man, who used to work with wolves in Wiscon- sin, reported seeing a wolf near the in- tersection of Warm Springs Avenue and Eckert Road, Heberger said. Two biologists also observed two wolves chasing deer eight miles up Bogus Basin Road during the same week. A family returning from skiing in McCall reported two wolves along Idaho 55 near the Horseshoe Bend Summit on Jan. 3 Scattered reports also have cropped up across the Snake River Plain from Hagerman to Mountain Home, Swan Falls and Kuna, Heberger said. "Maybe they'll run the coyotes out," S aid Emmett rancher Brad Little, who runs sheep across the Boise Front. "It was only a matter of time until they showed up here." He had a guard dog injured during what Heberger ruled as a wolf attack in the fall near Mores Creek Summit east of Idaho City. Wolves can range as much as 200 miles in one day. The wide - ranging reports corre- spond with the seasonal dispersal young wolves make as they leave their packs and seek a mate. Thou- sands of deer and elk winter in the Boise Foothills, offering a ready food source for the wolves. Heberger and wolf experts like Suzanne Laverty, a biologist with the Defenders of Wildlife, say there is no need for people to fear the wolves. But they should take precautions to pro- tect their pets. "Wolves, like mountain lions, bears, coyotes and foxes all consider domestic pets a threat," said Laverty of Boise. "Owners should not allow their pets to roam unmanaged in range of any wild predators." The fear that wolves would kill large numbers of livestock prompted the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995 to try to stop the rein- Locations of Idaho wolf packs 19 Wolves may be 2e dispersing out 39 of Central Idaho as far south as 4® Boise 11e McCall ®12 5® -salmon 7®60 869 'Challis 10 ® Boise 1. Snow Peak 7. Twin Peaks 2. Kelly Creek 8. Slate Creek 3. Big Hole 9. Stanley Basin 4. Sekvay 10 White Clouds S. Jureano Mountain 11. Chamberlain Basin 6. Moyer Basin 12. Thunder Mountain troduction of wolves from Canada. Their early efforts failed and in two years, 66 wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone and Idaho. Meanwhile, several environmental groups represented by Earthjustice, an environmental legal foundation, sued the service because they said the reintroduction tnreatenea existing wolves in Idaho. They opposed the re- laxed habitat restrictions that were enacted when the transplanted wolves were brought in as an experi- mental population under the Endan- gered Species Act. In 1997, U.S. District Judge William Downes ruled in favor of both the Farm Bureau and Earthjustice, order- ing the reintroduced wolves removed. He stayed his ruling pending the de- cision by the federal appeals court. Other environmental groups, includ- ing the National Wildlife Federation and the Defenders of Wildlife, joined the government in defense of the rein- troduction. The three -judge appeals court pan- el rejected both the Farm Bureau and Earthjustice arguments, ruling the reintroduction was legal. Idaho Farm Bureau spokesman Dan Vorcoecnea saia ne naa not seen the ruling yet. "If it's true, we're disappointed," he said. "It's never been a deal with doing away with wolves. It had to do with the federal government following the law as it was written." Attorney Doug Honnold of Earth- justice said he was glad the wolves are not going to be removed. "We are concerned it may open the door for diminished protections for endangered species," he said. "We're going to be watching so that doesn't happen." Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt called the decision a "ringing en- dorsement." Today's decision is a welcome vin- dication of our efforts to preserve this magnificent species," he said. And Mark Van Putten of the National Wildlife Federation said the decision shows the "flexible, common - sense" ap- plication of the Endangered Species Act can work for both wildlife and people. For wolves to be removed from the Endangered Species list, 10 breeding pairs will be needed in Idaho, Yellow- stone and Northern Montana for three consecutive years running. The service also is working on a plan to consolidate all three populations into one and al- low delisting when 30 breeding pairs are reached across all three states. That could happen as early as 2001. But before they can be removed from the list, the three states must have management plans in place approved by their legislatures and the service. A management plan could go to Idaho's Legislature this year, said Sen. Laird Noh, a Kimberly Republi- can who is chairman of the Senate Re- sources and Environment Committee and a sheep rancher. The plan would make it easier for ranchers to kill ma- rauding wolves and also would open up a hunting season to control ex- panding wolf numbers. "This decision will move us more rapidly down the road to delisting," Noh said. Grizzlies & I challen Ii Legislature begins 9AH0 GR17J effort to take over management of protected predators 1yl c 2_ Grizzly bears, a threatened speci under the Endangered Species A are expanding out of Yellowstone Idaho's forested mountains. ma below that ean urt M ac., Selkirks gray wolfrecovery coordinator Cabinet- for the Nez Perce Tribe, have Yaak Augusta seen countless times before. • • Montana Coeur d'Alene Bob Marshall "The wolves test them for M'sso4la Wilderness weakness," Mack said. Washington Sensing the wolves'presence, °i Gn I recovery the elk bunch into a defensive area (see detail) cluster but continue to graze Oregon Idaho along the edge of the snow line. National io As the wolves come into view, B an old cow leads the herd ag- Wyoming gressively toward the wolves. "She's telling them there'll be no easy meal here," Mack says. Dorris has been flying bi- •d'�AI ologists on monitoring trips over wolves since Grail they were re- introduced tQ the state in 1995. At first, many elk were easy pick- — ings, because they by federal law. hadn't seen wolves '_ The animals'successhas before. made federal officials consider But as wolf num- removing them from the threat- 8 bers expanded, the ened and endangered species elk learned to live list. But first, the states of Idaho, and die with the Montana and Wyoming must wolves. prove they will keep these of- So, too, have Ida- ten- troublesome creatures ho's leaders. from disappearing again. At first, they tried to runaway Beginning today, the Idaho from the issue, telling the feder- Legislature will hold hearings on al government that controlled plans for managingwolves and the predators to go away. But grizzlies once they are removed now they are talking about man- from the endangered species aging the beasts themselves. list. It's a challenge of the philos- It's happening because wolf ophy that unites Idaho's Repub- numbers in central Idaho are ex- licans — states' rights. ploding, causing growing con- only a year ago, the Legisla- flicts with livestock growers ture passed a resolution de- and competition with hunters manding the federal govern- for deer and elk. ment remove the wolves. Law - At the same time, grizzly makers such as Rep. Lenore Bar - bears are expanding out ofYel- rett, R- Challis, scoff at the idea lowstone National Park into people in other states or nations eastern Idaho, fully protected have any right to decide what ani- s • CENTENNIAL MOUNTAINS BISHOP • '^ Yellowstone MQJJVTAIN ♦ • '' National Park .,3 Dubois Ashton 5� • , 44 St. Antho Ir`. Grand Teton t ` Driggs o �S BIG HOLE (33.) MOUNTAIW � 3' National Park p, Verified grizzly Idaho 8, bear sightings F8118 �oG • • Unverified grizzly • �9� bear sightings �s IDAHO WOLVES > In 2001, 82 pu estimated fall popL 261 wolves. Sixtel in 2001. were produced and the ion numbered approximately wolf packs produced pups > If current trends continue, the population should reach recovery goals of 30 breeding pairs for three successive years in the Northern Rocky Mountains Restoration Region by the end of 2002. > Confirmed livestock losses during the period from 1999 -2001 averaged 50 sheep (150 total) e and 13.7 cattle (41 total) per year. During that time period 21 wolves were lethally controlled. mals live in Idaho, even on federal enticed to state control by the lands. promise of eased restrictions. "I don't accept that at all," Bar- "I hope we can come up with an rett said. "Idaho lays claim to its Idaho grizzly plan we can live resources." with," said Rep. Cameron Wheel - Supporters of the plans say along er, R- Ririe, chairman of the House with the rights goes the responsi- Resources and Conservation Com- bility to show the state can protect mittee. We owe it to our con - animals as well as or better than con- stituents to find solutions." the federal government can. The wolf plan will begin its run "I think the sooner Idaho can re- through the Legislature in the Sen- assert those responsibilities, the ate Resources and Environment better off we'll be in the short run Committee that Noh chairs. and committee has the griz- and the long run," Sen. Laird Noh, zly plan. R- Kimberly, said. Both plans lay out procedures charge of manaaging ging wolves in the The Nez Tribe is in for handling animals that attack livestock or get into trouble with state because the Legislature cat- humans They allow hunting in the antricall in 1995,1 despite tNoh's bjec- future and allow the predators to tion. But now more lawmakers are expand to suitable habitat as long Where grizzlies live By Rocky Barker W The Idaho Statesman I Idaho has three ecosystems supporting grizzly bears: The Selkirks and Cabinet - MCCALL— Twowolvestrot Y Yaaks in North Idaho andYellowstone in the below the summit of a ridge e east.The proposed plan only would pertain along the Salmon River, hidden t to Yellowstone bears in Idaho. from the elk they stalk on the W Where grizzlies live now other side. Pilot Pat Dorris banks his B British plane around the unfolding dra- C Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan ac., Selkirks gray wolfrecovery coordinator Cabinet- for the Nez Perce Tribe, have Yaak Augusta seen countless times before. • • Montana Coeur d'Alene Bob Marshall "The wolves test them for M'sso4la Wilderness weakness," Mack said. Washington Sensing the wolves'presence, °i Gn I recovery the elk bunch into a defensive area (see detail) cluster but continue to graze Oregon Idaho along the edge of the snow line. National io As the wolves come into view, B an old cow leads the herd ag- Wyoming gressively toward the wolves. "She's telling them there'll be no easy meal here," Mack says. Dorris has been flying bi- •d'�AI ologists on monitoring trips over wolves since Grail they were re- introduced tQ the state in 1995. At first, many elk were easy pick- — ings, because they by federal law. hadn't seen wolves '_ The animals'successhas before. made federal officials consider But as wolf num- removing them from the threat- 8 bers expanded, the ened and endangered species elk learned to live list. But first, the states of Idaho, and die with the Montana and Wyoming must wolves. prove they will keep these of- So, too, have Ida- ten- troublesome creatures ho's leaders. from disappearing again. At first, they tried to runaway Beginning today, the Idaho from the issue, telling the feder- Legislature will hold hearings on al government that controlled plans for managingwolves and the predators to go away. But grizzlies once they are removed now they are talking about man- from the endangered species aging the beasts themselves. list. It's a challenge of the philos- It's happening because wolf ophy that unites Idaho's Repub- numbers in central Idaho are ex- licans — states' rights. ploding, causing growing con- only a year ago, the Legisla- flicts with livestock growers ture passed a resolution de- and competition with hunters manding the federal govern- for deer and elk. ment remove the wolves. Law - At the same time, grizzly makers such as Rep. Lenore Bar - bears are expanding out ofYel- rett, R- Challis, scoff at the idea lowstone National Park into people in other states or nations eastern Idaho, fully protected have any right to decide what ani- s • CENTENNIAL MOUNTAINS BISHOP • '^ Yellowstone MQJJVTAIN ♦ • '' National Park .,3 Dubois Ashton 5� • , 44 St. Antho Ir`. Grand Teton t ` Driggs o �S BIG HOLE (33.) MOUNTAIW � 3' National Park p, Verified grizzly Idaho 8, bear sightings F8118 �oG • • Unverified grizzly • �9� bear sightings �s IDAHO WOLVES > In 2001, 82 pu estimated fall popL 261 wolves. Sixtel in 2001. were produced and the ion numbered approximately wolf packs produced pups > If current trends continue, the population should reach recovery goals of 30 breeding pairs for three successive years in the Northern Rocky Mountains Restoration Region by the end of 2002. > Confirmed livestock losses during the period from 1999 -2001 averaged 50 sheep (150 total) e and 13.7 cattle (41 total) per year. During that time period 21 wolves were lethally controlled. mals live in Idaho, even on federal enticed to state control by the lands. promise of eased restrictions. "I don't accept that at all," Bar- "I hope we can come up with an rett said. "Idaho lays claim to its Idaho grizzly plan we can live resources." with," said Rep. Cameron Wheel - Supporters of the plans say along er, R- Ririe, chairman of the House with the rights goes the responsi- Resources and Conservation Com- bility to show the state can protect mittee. We owe it to our con - animals as well as or better than con- stituents to find solutions." the federal government can. The wolf plan will begin its run "I think the sooner Idaho can re- through the Legislature in the Sen- assert those responsibilities, the ate Resources and Environment better off we'll be in the short run Committee that Noh chairs. and committee has the griz- and the long run," Sen. Laird Noh, zly plan. R- Kimberly, said. Both plans lay out procedures charge of manaaging ging wolves in the The Nez Tribe is in for handling animals that attack livestock or get into trouble with state because the Legislature cat- humans They allow hunting in the antricall in 1995,1 despite tNoh's bjec- future and allow the predators to tion. But now more lawmakers are expand to suitable habitat as long gressively toward the wolves. "She's telling them there'll be no easy meal here," Mack says. Dorris has been flying bi- •d'�AI ologists on monitoring trips over wolves since Grail they were re- introduced tQ the state in 1995. At first, many elk were easy pick- — ings, because they by federal law. hadn't seen wolves '_ The animals'successhas before. made federal officials consider But as wolf num- removing them from the threat- 8 bers expanded, the ened and endangered species elk learned to live list. But first, the states of Idaho, and die with the Montana and Wyoming must wolves. prove they will keep these of- So, too, have Ida- ten- troublesome creatures ho's leaders. from disappearing again. At first, they tried to runaway Beginning today, the Idaho from the issue, telling the feder- Legislature will hold hearings on al government that controlled plans for managingwolves and the predators to go away. But grizzlies once they are removed now they are talking about man- from the endangered species aging the beasts themselves. list. It's a challenge of the philos- It's happening because wolf ophy that unites Idaho's Repub- numbers in central Idaho are ex- licans — states' rights. ploding, causing growing con- only a year ago, the Legisla- flicts with livestock growers ture passed a resolution de- and competition with hunters manding the federal govern- for deer and elk. ment remove the wolves. Law - At the same time, grizzly makers such as Rep. Lenore Bar - bears are expanding out ofYel- rett, R- Challis, scoff at the idea lowstone National Park into people in other states or nations eastern Idaho, fully protected have any right to decide what ani- s • CENTENNIAL MOUNTAINS BISHOP • '^ Yellowstone MQJJVTAIN ♦ • '' National Park .,3 Dubois Ashton 5� • , 44 St. Antho Ir`. Grand Teton t ` Driggs o �S BIG HOLE (33.) MOUNTAIW � 3' National Park p, Verified grizzly Idaho 8, bear sightings F8118 �oG • • Unverified grizzly • �9� bear sightings �s IDAHO WOLVES > In 2001, 82 pu estimated fall popL 261 wolves. Sixtel in 2001. were produced and the ion numbered approximately wolf packs produced pups > If current trends continue, the population should reach recovery goals of 30 breeding pairs for three successive years in the Northern Rocky Mountains Restoration Region by the end of 2002. > Confirmed livestock losses during the period from 1999 -2001 averaged 50 sheep (150 total) e and 13.7 cattle (41 total) per year. During that time period 21 wolves were lethally controlled. mals live in Idaho, even on federal enticed to state control by the lands. promise of eased restrictions. "I don't accept that at all," Bar- "I hope we can come up with an rett said. "Idaho lays claim to its Idaho grizzly plan we can live resources." with," said Rep. Cameron Wheel - Supporters of the plans say along er, R- Ririe, chairman of the House with the rights goes the responsi- Resources and Conservation Com- bility to show the state can protect mittee. We owe it to our con - animals as well as or better than con- stituents to find solutions." the federal government can. The wolf plan will begin its run "I think the sooner Idaho can re- through the Legislature in the Sen- assert those responsibilities, the ate Resources and Environment better off we'll be in the short run Committee that Noh chairs. and committee has the griz- and the long run," Sen. Laird Noh, zly plan. R- Kimberly, said. Both plans lay out procedures charge of manaaging ging wolves in the The Nez Tribe is in for handling animals that attack livestock or get into trouble with state because the Legislature cat- humans They allow hunting in the antricall in 1995,1 despite tNoh's bjec- future and allow the predators to tion. But now more lawmakers are expand to suitable habitat as long s • CENTENNIAL MOUNTAINS BISHOP • '^ Yellowstone MQJJVTAIN ♦ • '' National Park .,3 Dubois Ashton 5� • , 44 St. Antho Ir`. Grand Teton t ` Driggs o �S BIG HOLE (33.) MOUNTAIW � 3' National Park p, Verified grizzly Idaho 8, bear sightings F8118 �oG • • Unverified grizzly • �9� bear sightings �s IDAHO WOLVES > In 2001, 82 pu estimated fall popL 261 wolves. Sixtel in 2001. were produced and the ion numbered approximately wolf packs produced pups > If current trends continue, the population should reach recovery goals of 30 breeding pairs for three successive years in the Northern Rocky Mountains Restoration Region by the end of 2002. > Confirmed livestock losses during the period from 1999 -2001 averaged 50 sheep (150 total) e and 13.7 cattle (41 total) per year. During that time period 21 wolves were lethally controlled. mals live in Idaho, even on federal enticed to state control by the lands. promise of eased restrictions. "I don't accept that at all," Bar- "I hope we can come up with an rett said. "Idaho lays claim to its Idaho grizzly plan we can live resources." with," said Rep. Cameron Wheel - Supporters of the plans say along er, R- Ririe, chairman of the House with the rights goes the responsi- Resources and Conservation Com- bility to show the state can protect mittee. We owe it to our con - animals as well as or better than con- stituents to find solutions." the federal government can. The wolf plan will begin its run "I think the sooner Idaho can re- through the Legislature in the Sen- assert those responsibilities, the ate Resources and Environment better off we'll be in the short run Committee that Noh chairs. and committee has the griz- and the long run," Sen. Laird Noh, zly plan. R- Kimberly, said. Both plans lay out procedures charge of manaaging ging wolves in the The Nez Tribe is in for handling animals that attack livestock or get into trouble with state because the Legislature cat- humans They allow hunting in the antricall in 1995,1 despite tNoh's bjec- future and allow the predators to tion. But now more lawmakers are expand to suitable habitat as long Sfa,tOS m a ,� Judge: Balance wolves IN 9%^ Wolves From page I "Neither trumps the oth- Neit 'Neither trumps er," Winmill said of the wolf "we don't think it's in the best interest of the Forest Service, live - theother, rules and the law. "Both must be examined by the stock owners or wolves to repeat Forest Service." what happened last year, said Winmill says The Idaho Conservation John McCarthy, Idaho Conserva- League and the Western tion League conservation director. By Rocky Barker Watersheds Project sued We think this court ruling will The Idaho statesman the Forest Service in 2001, encourage, if not force, the gov- when two members of the ernment to act in a different way Federal officials can't au- Whitehawk Pack of wolves than it did last year." tomatically move or kill w ere killed after preying on About 4,470 sheep and 2,500 cat - wolves when they clash livestock in June 2001. Since tle are permitted to graze on 28 with livestock in the Saw- then, federal wildlife man- Forest Service allotments in the SNRA. tooth National Recreation agers have killed the entire Area, a federal judge ruled Sheep ranchers are in the g pack, prompting aworld- process of moving sheep into the Thursday. wide uproar. mountains this week. The 1972 law that creat- In the past 33 months, 27 Forest Service officials have not ed central Idaho's premie � wolves have been killed or decided how to react to the deci- recreation spot gives wolves - moved out of the White Sion, said Dan Jiron Intermountain precedence over livestock Cloud Peaks and the East Region director of communications. grazing, U.S. District Court Fork of the Salmon River in Stan Boyd, executive director of judge Lynn Winmill said. or adjacent to the SNRA. the Idaho Woolgrowers Associa- That law must be balanced gee Wolves on page 6 tion and chairman of the Idaho with the rules established Wolf Oversight Committee, said when wolves were reintro- he was disappointed with the de- duced into Idaho in 1995. cision. Those rules require the "That's totally wrong," he said. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- "When they brought the wolves vice to move and eventual- in, the rules were all spelled out, ly kill wolves that prey on and those was the guidelines we livestock on public lands, were to follow. he said. "There were a lot of people in 6 /iv 1-2-00 2 livestock who weren't happy with that, but those were the rules," he said. Boyd said he hopes the Forest Service appeals. "That's something we'll have to look at carefully," he said. Winmill's decision also requires the Forest Service to complete en- vironmental reviews and grazing plans for all 28 allotments. In those reviews, the needs of the wolf must be considered. Some ranchers have worked with environmentalists to accom- modate the wolves by voluntarily moving their sheep. Now the Forest Service could force ranchers to move their sheep when wolves move into an area. "The cowboys have to give up some of the unbridled manage- ment discretion they've had on these federal lands," said Laird Lu- cas, the attorney who represent- ed the environmental groups. Boyd worries the decision will polarize the wolf issue even fur- ther. "With this, it's even more im- portant to get the wolf delisted," he said. z WRITERS ON THE RANGE Idaho can follow Wisconsin, and cash in on wolf recovery Driving through Wis- consin, you're likely to see a state license plate embla- zoned with the Green Bay Packers logo. But there's a better chance you'll spot another special plate that bears the profile of the tim- ber wolf, also a Wisconsin icon. That's right, the wolf. As recently as 1957, Wisconsin paid a $20 bounty for killing a predator that state law of- ficially deemed a menace. Now 25,000 or so motorists pay $25 a year for plates that celebrate the wolfs return. The wolf outsells the Packers two -to -one and earns Wisconsin $600,000 a year for preserving endangered wildlife. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho put the cowboy, bison skull, and potato on license plates, but they're not likely to add a preda- tor. Even so, they've got a chance to emulate Wisconsin by taking responsibility for the wolves that have reoccupied their territory. The U.S. government is ready to take Northern Rocky Mountain wolves off the federal endangered species list and turn them over to state wildlife agencies. Eight years after biologists transplant- ed them into central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park, wolves already have formed the 30 breeding pairs experts figure should ensure their survival in the region. The wolves are ready to prosper on their own, and the En- dangered Species Act assumes that state governments by now have learned they've got a duty to keep replenished wildlife flour- ishing. But before "delisting" can pro- ceed, wildlife agencies in all three states need to come up with thought -out plans to show they're ready to meet that obligation. In Montana, former Gov. Marc Raci- cot appointed a citizens committee that's drafted a reasonably balanced strat- egy that allows wolf packs to keep expanding. But the Idaho Legisla- ture approved a mean- spirited law to keep popu- TOM lations to a minimum. ARRANDAL E Wyoming county commis- sions chimed in with ordi- nances declaring their ju- risdictions off limits to . both grizzlies and wolves and or- dered sheriffs to shoot them. If the grandstanding keeps up, it's a safe bet that environmental groups will be bound for court to keep wolves under federal pro- tection. And whether politicians in Boise, Helena and Cheyenne accept it or not, there's a con- stituency developing in the West that sees wolves as natural assets — not enemies. There's no doubt some ranch- ers suffer financial losses when wolves kill livestock, but econo- mists think the wolf's return al- ready has generated millions. In Gardiner, Mont., just north ofYellowstone, the Super 8 motel put up a sign this spring proclaim- ing: "Wolf Watchers Welcome." Environmental groups have capi- talized on the wolf's appeal by selling books, calendars and T- shirts. Instead ofblustering about state sovereignty, state officials might better balance benefits and costs and figure out how to fit wolves into reasonable — and profitable — wildlife policies. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michi- gan, and Alaska have managed wolves for years and dealt effec- tively with wolves that prey on livestock. Wisconsin's packs have climbed close to the state's 350 - wolf goal, setting the stage for re- moving them from the federally protected list. On average, the state has been paying $35,000 a I I >/_;0 0-2— year to compensate ranchers and homeowners for livestock and hunting dogs that wolves have killed. But by themselves, license plate sales in Wisconsin more than make up for the $78,000 the state is spending each year to bring wolves back from the brink. Officials think the wolfs success is keeping state tax check -off con- tributions rolling in every year to non -game wildlife programs. Montana's plan estimates the state will spend $700,000 every year managing wolves, and the three Northern Rockies game agencies are asking Congress to create a federally funded trust to cover wolf and grizzly expenses. But the West shouldn't shy away from looking closer to home for fi- nancial backing. For a century, game agencies have charged hunters license fees and ammunition taxes to cover the cost of bringing back elk and deer, restoring the prey that wolves now are living off. With hook - and -bullet revenues start- ing to fall off, wildlife managers need the rest of the public to chip in to help preserve the full panoply ofplants and animals. Equipment manufacturers killed a backpack and binoculars tax a few years back. But there must be other ways wolf fans in Boise, Bozeman, Missoula and Cody can put their money where their mouths are. The wolf is back to stay, and liv- ing with it never will be without costs. But like Wisconsin, maybe the West is ready to put grudges and rhetoric aside and profit from the wolf s resurgence. Tom Arrandale is a contributor to Writers on the Range, aservice of High Country News inPaonia, Col- orado (hcn.org). He writes ongov- ernment and the environment in L iv- ingston, Moni. SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2004 �7ti ""Y`1 �r P-, qql6y Lx.F -nom � al 16 U.S. Fish and Wildlife photo B2 sprints toward freedom in the Frank Chu rch - Riverof No Return WiIdernessJan. 14, 1995. This wolf changed Idaho Indians and children celebrated him. Rural residents resented him. Cattlemen resisted him. In the end, none could ignore his legacy. By Rocky Barker • The Idaho Statesman iologists called him Wolf B2. The Nez Perce named him Chat Chaaht. Admirers knew him as The Old Man. He was the second wolf released in Idaho in 1995 and, at 14, one of the oldest wolves ever recorded in the wild. B2 was found dead three weeks ago. He was preceded in death by his first mate, B66, killed in 2002 by an elk. He is survived by a mate and four to 11 offspring. His death, like much of his life, was documented by science, giv- ing biologists and citizens a rare opportunity to understand a cen- tral character in the controversial program to return wolves to the Rocky Mountains. B2 began his life as a Canadian, destined to be killed to line the hood of a winter coat. Instead, the trapper who snared him near By Rocky Barker • The Idaho Statesman Chapter 1 George Kelly, the trapper `He's still got lots of relatives up here' Idaho's most famous wolf was born in Alberta, Canada, in 1990 or 1991. His pack lived off the elk, deer and moose in the thickly timbered hills of the Hay River Valley, 30 miles east of Jasper Nation- al Park. Two trappers lay claim to being the man who helped make B2 one of the fathers of a new pop- ulation of wolves in Idaho and Yellowstone Na- tional Park. Wade Berry, a 30 -year trapper who lives 26 miles north of Hinton, Alberta, started trapping as a teen, using road kill for bait. He usually sells hides for $150. In December 1994, U.S. Fish and Wildlife au- thorities contacted outfitter- trapper George Kel- ly of Hinton and offered to pay $2,000 for every wolf caught and radio - collared. Working separately, Berry and Kelly snared three members of the Hay Pack so American bi- ologists could tranquilize them for transport to the United States. Berry thinks that B2 was one of those three. Kelly thinks he's the one who trapped B2. "He was a gray male, I remember," Kelly said one night last week after a day of guiding bear hunters. "He's still got lots of relatives up here. The pack remains strong." B2 weighed 76 pounds, a medium -sized wolf for the Rocky Mountains. U.S. wildlife officials flew him to Hinton, where veterinarians examined, measured and readied him for shipping. They crammed B2 and 11 others into small packing crates and onto a plane Jan. 11, 1995, ready to begin what would later be called one of the greatest environmental success stories of the 20th century. Events in the United States would make the trip one of the most harrowing of his life. �Tl6 _S_4;60� 01P Jasper National Park in Alberta sold him alive to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for $2,000. He was packed onto a plane with II other wolves and sent to the United States for relocation in Idaho and Yellowstone National Park as part of a federal program to replace wolves exterminated earlier in the century. He left his mark on Idaho from the time he entered that cage. B2 helped Idaho's Nez Perce Tribe reconnect with its spiritual past, ate a cow owned by the president of the Idaho Cattle Asso- ciation and inspired wolf supporters around the world. Like thousands of newcomers who came to Idaho in the 1990s, B2 and the other wolves helped ignite a debate over changing West- ern values. You may find meaning in B2's mournful search for his dead mate. You may find hope in his remarkable survival. You may see in his story one more example of an arrogant federal government forc- ing its will on Westerners. Or you may wish he and the 34 other Canadians who augment- ed Idaho's struggling native wolf population would have gone back to where they came from. Today, officials estimate the Idaho wolf population at 375. B2 died next to a young bull elk, his final kill. Some conservationists are talking about erecting a statue of B2 to commemorate the return of wolves to Idaho. Chapter 2 Horace Axtell, the tribal elder `I personally welcomed him back... as a brother' While 112's plane was airborne, a federal appeals court in Denver issued an emergency order halt- ing the reintroduction. The legal challenge came from the American Farm Bureau, representing Western ranchers. They had successfully delayed reintroduction for more than 10 years until Bill Clinton was elected presi- dent, which changed the political leadership of the federal agencies in charge of wolves. The federal courts were the opponents' last hope. The wolves' fate was still in doubt when the plane landed in Great Falls, Mont. The court lifted its order the next day. Eight wolves were moved to Yellowstone and placed in large kennels. The court's decision came too late to move the four wolves bound for Idaho; they spent the night cooped up in their crates in Mon- tana. The next day, the Idaho wolves flew to Mis- soula, where a delegation from the Nez Perce Tribe met them. Elder Horace Axtell is the leader of Seven Drum, the Nez Perce religion that sees wolves and peo- ple tied together in the circle of life. That spiritu- al connection was broken when wolves were ex- terminated. In Missoula, Axtell kneeled down, his long gray braids hanging below his cheeks. He looked into the eyes of B2. "I personally welcomed him back to our land as a brother," said Axtell. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game had chosen airstrips in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness for the releases. But overcast skies Jan. 14 made the mountains too dangerous for helicopters. Ed Bangs, coordinator of wolf recovery in the Rocky Mountains for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, decided to truck the wolves to the Corn Creek boat launch at the end of the icy Salmon River Road. A caravan of reporters, wolf advo- cates and residents accompanied the wolves on the bumpy, four -hour drive. Bangs still recoils at the trauma for the humans and the animals. "What a horror show," he said. "The road was solid glazed ice, the river was raging, the canyon was steep and high." Despite his 74 -hour ordeal, B2 bolted out of his cage and loped west into the wilderness. Chapter 3 Brett Barsalou, the lawman `We're going to have some problems' Among those watching B2's release was Lemhi County Sheriff Brett Barsalou, who opposed the reintroduction. He thought the wolves would bring trouble for themselves and the residents of a coun- ty where sentiment ran heavily against reintro- duction. "I knew at the time it was going to begin a new chapter in my law enforcement career," Barsalou said. "I can remember thinking we're going to have some problems evolve out of this." Within days, another wolf would be killed on a Lemhi County ranch while eating a dead calf. Barsa- lou stood between residents who saw federal wildlife agents as "jack- booted thugs" and feder- al authorities who wanted answers about the ille- gal killing of an endangered species. Within months, an unrelated court decision threatened to stop logging, mining and grazing — and wolf reintroduction — on federal lands. Vio- lence nearly broke out among residents of Lemhi County. The cool -yet- defiant leadership of Barsa- lou and other local officials helped quiet the situ- ation and lay the groundwork for a decade of tense but peaceful debate over wolves in Idaho. "I knew we were going to have some problems with depredation to cattle herds, and that it would hurt our elk and deer herds, but you felt we had tried to stop it and now we were going to have to live with it," Barsalou said. "We were going to have to move forward." Chanter 4 Larry Judd, the teacher `A couple of kids... chose that name' 112's first two years in Idaho were peaceful, even boring, for the people watching him most closely. He spent most of 1995 in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, a wild refuge filled with elk, deer and moose like his home in Canada's Hay River Valley. Nez Perce tribal biologists monitored his move- ments under contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. sip /o The tribe got the job when the Idaho Legislature refused to allow state officials any role in manag- ing wolves legislators didn't want in the state. The tribe lobbied hard to get the wolf program, which would become the nucleus of its ambitious effort to share management of wildlife on its traditional lands. Tribal leaders made sure a fish and wildlife class at Lapwai High School was part of a "Track a Wolf' program tied to the reintroduction. The Nez Perce students named B2 Chat Chaaht, which means "older brother" in the Nez Perce lan- guage. They painted red and black on the glorified dog collar that carried Chat Chaaht's radio trans- mitter. They followed his movements. "There were a couple of kids who chose that name," said teacher Larry Judd, "but I can't for the life of me remember who they were." As the novelty wore off and the wolf didn't move, around much, the reports became rather boring, Judd remembered. One of the few highlights: Biol- ogists watched Chat Chaaht bully a mountain lion off an elk kill. Chat Chaaht remained in the Frank Church -Riv- er of No Return Wilderness. By the end of 1996, he seemed to drop off the Earth: For more than a year and a half, biologists recorded no sightings. Scientists thought maybe the radio collar had failed early. Biologists got one bit of hope: Repeated reports placed a wolf wearing a red and black collar in the Elk River area in north - central Idaho in 1997. Chapter 5 Carter Niemeyer, the wolf point man `There were people who said we should have left them where theywere' Suddenly, in 1998, B2 seemed to be everywhere. He showed up more than 50 miles south of his wilderness haunts in the East Fork of the Salmon River on the east side of the White Cloud Moun- tains. He moved around Ketchum and Sun Valley, creeping through the back yards of Idaho's wealthy wilderness lovers. B2 had another surprise for his watchers: He'd found a mate. She was B66, a young member of the Stanley Basin Pack. In 1999, B2 was seen in the Trail Creek area that connects Sun Valley to the towering Pioneer Moun- tains to the south. By the spring of 2000, he and B66 had set up housekeeping in 300,000 -acre Cop- per Basin, a stunning high - mountain valley south- east of Sun Valley. The pair had a litter of two pups and formed the Wildhorse Pack, named for the Lost River tribu- tary. In 2001, they had five more pups. Copper Basin was the back yard of Rick Williamson, a federal trapper with U.S. Wildlife Services, the agency that had to control wolves — and kill them, if necessary. Williamson lived in Arco, east of Copper Basin, killing coyotes and other predators that ate ranchers' cattle and sheep. U.S. Fish and Wildlife photo In January 1995, Nez PercetribaI elder Horace Axtel 1, left, leader of the Nez Perce's Seven Drum religion, sings a blessing at the Missoula, Mont., airport for the four wolves soon to be released into Idaho. Williamson tracked the Wildhorse Pack and de- veloped a close relationship with B2 and his fam- ily. I was fond of him," Williamson said. "There was a lot of mystery in 132's life and that's what in- trigued me about that wolf." Williamson stepped in when a U.S. forest ranger planned a controlled burn in the drainage where the pack denned. "I told him if he wanted to make front -page news, go start that fire," Williamson said. Carter Niemeyer worked for the same agency. He had killed hundreds, maybe thousands, of preda- tors in his career, including wolves. By 2001, he'd become the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's point man on wolves in Idaho. Niemeyer was the man who decided whether a wolf would live or die. In 1995, he had worked with the two Canadian trappers capturing the wolves. He admired B2 for his survival skills. "`There were people who said we should have left them where they were," said Niemeyer. "If we had done that, B2 would have been made into the lining of a winter coat." In the winter of 2001, B2 needed a new collar. Niemeyer chased him from a helicopter and shot him with a tranquilizer. "He just kind of ran down the hill, then reversed himself and made it an easy shot," Niemeyer re- membered. B2 was now at least 10 — old for a wild wolf. Niemeyer could see cataracts in his eyes. "He looked like one of those old farm dogs that comes up to you with the droopy eyes," he said. Yet, said Niemeyer, the old wolf was still lean and strong. Chapter 6 Dave Nelson, the rancher `Everybody wanted to coddle the old boy' Every rancher -wolf conflict after the reintro- duction was inherently political. Ranchers would go all the way to Washington, D.C., if necessary to pressure Niemeyer and his superior, Bangs, to act. Dave Nelson was no ordinary rancher. He was president of the Idaho Cattle Association. He didn't have to call his congressman to exercise his clout. When Nelson told Niemeyer in 2001 that he sus- pected he was losing cattle to wolves, he wanted something done. Immediately. Niemeyer and Nelson went toe to toe, in a respectful sort of way. "I told him we'll kill the wolves around him," Niemeyer said, "but I won't kill B2." Like almost every other rancher in Idaho, Nelson had opposed wolf Dave reintroduction. In 2001, he and his Nelson association opposed anything but complete removal of wolves. But that view was evolving. The Farm Bureau's challenge to reintroduction was resolved. Two federal appeals courts had ruled the wolf program leeal. B2 showed his age when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Idaho wolf program manager Carter Niemeyer tranqui I ized and recollared him in 200x1. The old wolf wasatbf least 10, living with his mate in scenic Copper Basin surrounded by the 11,000- foot -high Pioneer Mountains. His emergence as leader of the WiIdhorse Pack captured the imagination of wolf managers in Idaho and wolf advocates around the world. as � T B2 showed his age when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Idaho wolf program manager Carter Niemeyer tranqui I ized and recollared him in 200x1. The old wolf wasatbf least 10, living with his mate in scenic Copper Basin surrounded by the 11,000- foot -high Pioneer Mountains. His emergence as leader of the WiIdhorse Pack captured the imagination of wolf managers in Idaho and wolf advocates around the world. as � B2 showed his age when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Idaho wolf program manager Carter Niemeyer tranqui I ized and recollared him in 200x1. The old wolf wasatbf least 10, living with his mate in scenic Copper Basin surrounded by the 11,000- foot -high Pioneer Mountains. His emergence as leader of the WiIdhorse Pack captured the imagination of wolf managers in Idaho and wolf advocates around the world. Williamson, the federal trapper, helicoptered up Fox Creek where B2 and B66 had their den, and saw the pack had just killed one of Nelson's calves. B2 had one of the calf s legs in his mouth as he scurried away. Williamson was 20 feet away with dart gun in hand. Niemeyer was on the radio. "I told Rick I didn't want him shot," Niemeyer said. Trappers caught one of B2's female offspring and relocated her to Montana. The cattle killings apparently stopped. "Everybody wanted to coddle the old boy, and I said I could accept that," Nelson said. The next year, the Cattle Association reversed its position, becoming a major supporter of Ida- ho's wolf management plan, which gave ranchers more power to kill wolves that killed their live- stock. Nelson wrote newspaper columns calling on other wolf opponents to sign on. "We can live with the wolves if we can manage the wolves," he said. "And we need to keep them wild so they are afraid of us." When Nelson brought in his cattle from the range after the 2001 grazing season, he came up 21 head short. He lost four cattle in a normal year. He's convinced the Wildhorse Pack cost him thou- sands of dollars that year. "We don't hate wolves," Nelson said. "We just don't want them in our private lives." Chapter 7 Ralph Maughan, the environmentalist 'They were howling... above my tent' Ralph Maughan has welcomed wolves into his life. The political science professor at Idaho State University is one of Idaho's most prominent en- vironmentalists. A former national Sierra Club board member, he is one of the founders of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a leading nation- al voice for wolf reintroduction. His Web site pro- vided regular updates on the wolves and the bat- tles swirling in their wake. He's skeptical that B2's kids deserve the blame for all of Nelson's extra losses. The year Nelson lost the cattle, Maughan said, he found four calves trapped behind a fence in the area and reported them to federal range managers. Ranchers lose livestock to more than wolves. Maughan developed his own bond with B2. In July 2000, he hiked up the East Fork of Fall Creek in the Pioneer Mountains. He found hun- dreds of antelope, elk, deer and moose in a small, wet canyon largely unaffected by the drought. The moon lit the valley, shining off the backs of animals. Suddenly, B2 and the Wildhorse Pack came within several hundred yards of Maughan's lonely camp. "They were howling on a cliff above my tent," he said. "It went on for about five minutes. It was wonderful." � �r i Chapter 8 1366, the mate `He never quit looking' Tragedy visited B2 in the winter of 2001 -2002. He and B66 had moved south out of Copper Basin up Muldoon Creek east of Carey, just north of Craters of the Moon National Monument. Williamson was flying another darting campaign to radio - collar more of the pack when he picked up B66's signal. It was in "mortality mode," a signal triggered by the wolfs lack of movement. A federal investigator later concluded B66 had been killed by an elk, Williamson said. The Wildhorse Pack broke up. B2 began ran g- ing far from his home, heading back to the places where he'd first met B66, the Stanley Basin and the East Fork of the Salmon River. "When that female got killed, he was in search of where she went," Williamson said. "He never quit looking." B2 still displayed remarkable stamina. One day Williamson found him in Copper Basin. The next day, Bangs found him in Muldoon Creek. B2 had covered more than 15 miles and climbed over a 10,000 -foot mountain range. Bangs was accompanied by ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and a video crew. The crew want - ed to keep shooting, but Bangs ordered the heli- copter to move on. If I was an old fart," he said, "I wouldn't want anyone numing me up and down the hills too long." Near the end of 2002, B2 had moved back to the East Fork of the Salmon River. That was the same area where Niemeyer and Williamson had killed an entire wolf pack, the Whitehawk Pack, because of repeated livestock losses to wolves. The act triggered protests from all over the world. Jennings' special on Idaho's wolf battles and the controversy over the Whitehawk Pack's killing helped bring Idaho's wolves out from the shadow of the Yellowstone wolves, which had dominated media coverage and government funding. Idaho's wolf population was 300 and growing. B2 and his counterparts were proving that Idaho — despite ranchers, hunters and other threats — was the safest place for wolves in the West. "All along, Yellowstone politics has overshad- owed everything," Bangs said. "I've always said Idaho habitat is the best place for reintroduction." In December, B2 showed up in the corrals of an East Fork rancher. He left the livestock alone and remained the great survivor. The incred'i journey aAYV I nvv A n Boise i �4 CRATERS 9 Carey OF THE MOON I i 3z U.S. Fish and Wildlife Photo Ed Bangs, right, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Rocky Mountain wolf- recovery coordinator, di- rects ateam unloading fourwolvesfrom trucks priortotheir release Jan. 14, 1995. Alc Hinton, Alberta 1990 or'91: B2, also known as Chat Chaaht and The Old Man, is born near Obed Lake, Alberta, Canada. He lives in a wild pack until December 1994, when trappers snare and sell him to U.S. wildlife officials. Missoula, Mont. Jan. 12, 1995: B2 isflown to Missoula. Nez Perce Indians bless him and otherwolves preparingfor a new life in the United States. Wolves are transferred from trai lers to packing crates. Salmon, Idaho Jan. 13, 1995: Fourwolves wait in cages in a BLM garage fora judge's deci- sion on whether to al low the release. + Corn Creek Jan 14, 1995: After 74 hours in a tight packing cage, B2 is allowed to run free into Idaho's Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness. Middle Fork Salmon Winter 1995: B2 moves into the Middle Fork of the Salmon River drainage, where he stays for much of the year. One day, researchers see him chase a moun- tain lion off an elk kill. Later that year, he moves about 20 miles east to near Jureano Mountain south of Salmon, which has si nce become key wolf habitat. Cold Meadows ...! 1996: B2 is seen several times in the Frank Church -River of No Return Wilderness near Cold Meadows. Elk River 1997: Reports put B2 as far north as Elk River, but that's not in tribal records. For the next year and a half, B2 drops off the radar screen. Sun Valley 1998: B2 shows up again in the East Fork of the Salmon River and around Trail Creek east of Sun Valley. By 1999, he's picked up a mate from the Stanley Basin Pack. Aft Copper Basin 2000: The pair moves into Cop- per Basin and forms the Wildhorse Pack near the river of the same name. They have a litter of two pups. In 2001, they have five more pups. The pack gets into trouble once, killing calf owned by the president of the Idaho Cattle Association. Carey 2002: B2 and others in the pack are drugged, captured and re- collared. 132's eyes are full of cataracts, and his age is obvious. But he has enough spunk to run 15 miles over the 10,000 -foot Pioneer Mountains to Muldoon Creek east of Carey, near Craters of the Moon. By the end of summer, he has ranged al I the way north to the East Fork of the Salmon River. White Clouds 2003: B2 finds another mate and they have four pups, beginning the Castle Peak Pack. They live on the dangerous ground where the 10- member Whitehawk Pack was killed in 2002 by federal offi- cials for eating cattle and sheep. B2 and his pack stay out of trouble. JHerd Creek February 2004: 62's lack of movement triggers "mortality mode" from hisradiocollar; biologists assume he's dead. They find his body April 16 next to the remains of a fork -horn elk, his last kill. _41q /0 Jon Trapp / Nez Perce Tribe Curt Mack looks at the the body of B2 (light patch, in brush at top) in its final resting place in a grove of aspen trees near the headwaters of Herd Creek southwest of Challis. In the foreground is the skull of the fork -horn elk killed by 62's Castle Peak Pack. Chapter 9 Curt Mack, the biologist `We affectionately referred to him as The Old Man' Incredibly, in 2003 B2 found another mate and that spring had four more pups — his second lit- ter since Niemeyer had decided to let him live. 132's new Castle Peak Pack lived in the White Clouds, part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area where a federal judge had ordered — after the Whitehawk Pack's destruction — special pro- tection for wolves. Curt Mack, the biologist who leads the Nez Perce wolf program, saw B2 several times in his frequent flights over the area. "We affectionately referred to him as The Old Man," Mack said. "We were very careful not to run him. We didn't want to stress him out." In February of this year, USA To- day called B2 "a Methuselah among wolves" in a story about the death Curt of the last original Yellowstone wolf. Mack At 14, 132 had outlived all but per- haps one of the four Idaho wolves that spent their first 74 hours in the United States boxed up waiting for a judge to set them free. Chapter 10 Rick Williamson, the wolf manager `He lived the way a wolf ought to live' This past February, tribal biologists were work- ing in the headwater of Herd Creek, east of the East Fork, an area under consideration for wilder- ness protection by Republican Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson. The biologists got bad news: 132's collar was sending a mortality signal. In April, Williamson tried to hike into Herd Creek to determine 132's fate. He came within a half mile when a snow and hail storm forced him to return the five miles to his car. On the way back, he picked up a tick bite that sent him to the hos- /a e( /6 11P pital for five days. For Williamson, B2 remained a mystery. "He lived the way a wolf ought to live, I guess," he said. On April 16, Mack and Jon Trapp, a graduate student working with the tribe, hiked six miles through the rolling hills of Herd Creek. They found B2 in a grove of aspen. The old wolf lay beside the remains of his last kill, a young fork -horn elk that the Castle Peak Pack had picked clean. B2 had either been injured in the hunt or, as Mack suggested, just decided he would stay and pick at the carcass until he died. "He was laying there just like he was taking a nap," Trapp said. "I wouldn't have been surprised if he had got up and walked away." Reporter Rocky Barker covered the reintroduction of wolves in Idaho and B2's release on Jan.14,1995. s Federal agents kill wolf pack north of McCall Since June 1, nine wolves had killed 100 sheep By Pete Zimowsky The Idaho Statesman Federal authorities killed an entire pack of nine wolves Tuesday after the wolves killed about 100 sheep this summer in an area less than 20 miles north of McCall. Two other wolf packs are roaming the area and some of the pack members may be killed if they continue targeting livestock. The area is prime wolf habitat and grazing land. About 16,000 sheep share public land with 23 wolves. Before Tuesday, 32 wolves roamed the area. More than 100 sheep have been killed this year in the vicinity of Granite Lake, a recreation area. The killings are blamed mostly on the Cook pack. The area is recovering after forest fires years ago, and new grasses and shrubs tempt elk into the region and the elk tempt the wolves. "This is the worst situa- tion in the state by far," said Curt Mack, gray wolf re- covery coordinator for the Nez Perce tribe. "It's good sheep country and wolf country." The deaths of the sheep and wolves signify the col- lision between grazing and wolf reintroduction efforts in Idaho. The wolves in the Cook pack killed 90 sheep last summer in the same area. Ranchers are reim- bursed for the sheep. The Cook pack killing of- fers immediate relief to the livestock owners with ani- mals in the area, but it is not Wolf packs in the McCall area Riggins o HAZARD PACK PARTRIDGE PACK � Buigdorf oc Loon mob Lake e Enos Lake Goose 9 COOK Lake / PACK Sheep L killed ' Payette New Meadows 55 j Lake. Lower,d o Payette McCall Lake Wolves killed I The Idaho Statesman THECOOKPACKwas made up of nine wolves, all of which are now dead. Its territory included Upper Payette Lake, centered around the upper Secesh River drainage and down the North Fork of the Payette River, north of McCall. THE HAZARD PACK has six ad u Its and f ive pu ps. Its territory includes Hazard Lake, Goose Lake, north of McCall, and west tothe Little Salmon River, and from Rigginsto New Meadows. THE PARTRIDGE PACK has eight adults and four pups. Itsterritory includes Little French Creek, Elkhorn Creek, and from Partridge Creek down into the Main Salmon River, east of Riggins. a long -term solution, Mack said Thursday from his of- fice in McCall. "Even if we take out all three wolf packs, other wolves will find the area. The frustration is that we are looking at a cycle of losing livestock and re- moving wolves." Guard dogs, cracker shells, sirens, lights and live fire from shotguns did not deter the Cook pack. The sheep killings start- ed this year on June i and continued through Satur- day. The sheep were killed on state land and national .S ✓tee ��v Big Hazard Lake T Hazard Lake Upper Payett Lake Granite saw•, Lake oc Loon mob Lake e Enos Lake Goose 9 COOK Lake / PACK Sheep L killed ' Payette New Meadows 55 j Lake. Lower,d o Payette McCall Lake Wolves killed I The Idaho Statesman THECOOKPACKwas made up of nine wolves, all of which are now dead. Its territory included Upper Payette Lake, centered around the upper Secesh River drainage and down the North Fork of the Payette River, north of McCall. THE HAZARD PACK has six ad u Its and f ive pu ps. Its territory includes Hazard Lake, Goose Lake, north of McCall, and west tothe Little Salmon River, and from Rigginsto New Meadows. THE PARTRIDGE PACK has eight adults and four pups. Itsterritory includes Little French Creek, Elkhorn Creek, and from Partridge Creek down into the Main Salmon River, east of Riggins. a long -term solution, Mack said Thursday from his of- fice in McCall. "Even if we take out all three wolf packs, other wolves will find the area. The frustration is that we are looking at a cycle of losing livestock and re- moving wolves." Guard dogs, cracker shells, sirens, lights and live fire from shotguns did not deter the Cook pack. The sheep killings start- ed this year on June i and continued through Satur- day. The sheep were killed on state land and national .S ✓tee ��v forest land. About 70 were killed in one night on June 29, said Carter Nien- meyer, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- vice, who authorized the elimina- tion of the pack. "We had to be very aggressive in dealing with it. We won't toler- ate wolves that are confirmed to be chronically killing livestock." On Tuesday, authorities with the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture's Wildlife Services agency killed all nine members of the pack from a helicopter near Brush Creek and Pearl Lake. A 10 -gauge shot- gun loaded with 3 %z -inch magnum shells with BBs or buckshot is used to killed wolves. No pups were spotted with the pack. Federal agencies would not con- firm the names of the ranchers in- volved. Two other wolf packs, the Haz- ard and Partridge packs, roam the area from McCall to Riggins and the Salmon River and from the Lit- tle Salmon River east deep into the Salmon River Mountains. If they turn out to be chronic sheep killers, they will be removed, Nienmeyer said. "The other two packs haven't demonstrated the severe killing yet." "If they are serious sheep killers, we will take out one or a few at a time. If they persist, it is possible to remove the entire pack." The uncollared animals will go History of wolves in Idaho The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced 15 wolves into Idaho in 1995. In 1996, an additional 20 wolves were reintroduced. Since then, the number of wolves in the state has in- creased to about 362. There are estimates that with this year's crop of pups, Idaho's population could reach 500. Wolves breed once a year in January and February. A breeding pair will have an av- erage of five pups, usually born in mid - April. Some pre- liminary estimates put the numberof pups in Idaho this year at 75. first, he said. Biologists use the col- lared wolves to track the packs. The Idaho Conservation League, a group that works to protect Ida- ho's water and wildlife, said in a news release, "Although this is an unfortunate incident for all con- cerned, this action demonstrates that the wolf management pro- gram is working as intended." The organization's statement said the fact that the rancher, Nez Perce Tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had tried other options first and used lethal mea- sures only as a last resort proves that the wolf management pro- gram is a success. "The ranchers and their fami- lies were sleeping with the bands of sheep. They did all kinds of stuff to keep them (wolves) away," said Mark Collinge, state director of USDA Wildlife Services. The Nez Perce tribe will con- tinue to look for nonlethal meth- ods of keeping wolves away from livestock. Guard dogs, more of a human presence around bands of sheep, electric night fences around bedded -down sheep, rubber bul- lets, and cracker shells shot from shotguns at wolves are some of the methods being used. Defenders of Wildlife, a group dedicated to protecting native wild animals, will reimburse the live- stock company for its lost sheep. Ranchers are paid full fall market value for sheep. Last summer, a livestock company was paid $8,000 for 72 sheep killed by wolves in the Riggins area, said Nina Fas- cione, vice president of field con- servation programs for Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C. The Nez Perce Tribe has not re- covered the carcasses of the dead wolves. If wolves are killed in win- ter, tribe members recover the pelts because pelts are in good condition. The tribe uses the pelts and skulls for educational presentations. Pelts are not in good condition in the summer, Mack said, but he speculated that the skulls of the animals may be collected. -7/r>3 /" ,;�_ ,rf 2--. Fells kill wolf near McCall, hunt others The Associated Press Federal wildlife officials killed one gray wolf Friday and may take up to two more animals from the Haz- ard Lake pack in the back - country north of McCall. They trapped and killed the male adult a week after authorities exterminated the largest wolf pack in Ida- ho a few miles to the west. The Hazard Lake pack, which had seven wolves but now has six, is believed to be responsible for the killing of several domestic sheep and leaving dozens of oth- ers injured or missing. A guard dog also was in- jured and another is miss- ing from the attack Thurs- day morning, said Jeff Foss, field supervisor for the Snake River Fish and Wildlife Office. The animals were in the same Granite Lake region Wolf killed About a week after the entire Cook Pack of wolves was killed for destroying more than 100 sheep, members of the Hazard Lake pack were found to have wandered into the grazing area south of Granite Lake and killed several more. Federal officials killed one member of the Hazard Lake pack Friday and authorized the taking of two more. Wolves From page I as the earlier wolf kills, and they belonged to the same rancher who lost more than 100 sheep during previous weeks to the Cook pack All nine wolves of that pack also were killed. Though Granite Lake may have been outside the Hazard Lake pack's original territory, that area may have expanded after the Cold pack was wiped out. "Despite our use of non - lethal measures, the wolves have not been deterred" from attacking the sheep, Foss said from his Boise office Friday. The agency may kill two more members of the Hazard pack, five of which wear radio collars. Government trackers already have placed traps in the area, Foss said. However, if the pack's top fe- male wolf is caught, she will be re- leased to take care of potential young offspring, "We are taking an incremental approach to additional control ac- tions. If it's not effective, we could authorize additional" kills, he said. The Cook and Hazard Lake packs in the McCall area are among nine of the estimated 37 wolf packs in Idaho blamed for the loss of 118 sheep, 13 calves and six guard dogs last year. Thirty -five Canadian wolves were released in the central Ida- ho wilderness in 1995 and 1996 as part of the program to reintroduce wolves in the Northern Rockies. The population has grown to an estimated 400, a large enough number to justify removing them from protection under the En- dangered Species Act. To do that, however, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming must all develop feder- ally acceptable state wolf man- agement plans. While the Idaho and Montana plans have been ap- proved, the government has re- jected the Wyoming plan, and that state has gone to federal court to override the administrative ruling. 6lf:,l AT MARSHALL MOUNIALN Curt Mack calls to them in the wild. He has seen their footprints in the dirt Now he wants to see the elusive wolves he's been tracking near McCall. Story by Gregory Hahn Photos by Joe Jaszewski The Idaho Statesman ome say the howls come late smis,ty at night, piercing through the burnt -out pine forests and echoing over the green mead- ows. Others say they've caught glimpses of wolves slipping into the woods from the road or creep- ing along the edges of the sheep herds. And then there was the Incident of the Severed Elk Head. "Right in my road," says Jane Turner, a Forest Service ranger who keeps a fire - season vigil from the top of Carey Dome Lookout in southern Idaho County. Has a new wolf pack formed, un- detected and untagged, and staked out this craggy countryside as its own? Have more crossed the Salmon River from the vast wilder- ness of Gospel Hump and River of No Return, to eke a living closer to man, among the grazing herds of sheep and cattle that wander the northern reaches of the Payette Na- tional Forest? These questions plague Nez Perce tribal biologist Curt Mack as he pulls himself into his midnight blue, gov- ernment -issue Dodge pickup. Mack has managed the wolf re- covery program since the first 15 animals bounded from their cages ow j in the winter of 1995. Now there are more than 400 wolves in Ida- , ho, most of them still north of the Salmon in the largest chunk of ; wilderness in the lower 48 states. The recovery has been a huge Act success by Endangered Species standards. But the vast wilderness areas are "wolf- breeding factories," Mack says. And those young wolves are wandering. Marshall Mountain rises 8,443 feet above sea level some 10 miles north of Burgdorf. It isn't all that a far from where wolf managers had to kill an entire pack recently for devouring around 100 grazing live in sheep. Three other packs around McCall, and the woods around 16,000 sheep. If another pair of wolves has r started a pack at Marshall Moun See Wolves on page 4 Nez Perce biologist Curt Mack performs a howl ing survey in the Payette National Forest near Marshall Mountain. Mack howls, then listens for re- sponses from wolves. Over the course of two days and numerous surveys, not one wolf responded to his howls. F", 0 �'a6b 1�S Large canine printsap pea raIong Road 548 in the Payette National Forest, prints that Mackthinksare probably from wolves. "I don't thinkthis isadomestic critter," Mack said. tain, that just intensifies the in- evitable conflict between two species that share a family -ori- ented social structure, an ability to adapt to any environment and a tendency to rise to the top of any food chain. The last time wolves and man shared Idaho's sprawling lands, though, just one of them survived. Like every good mystery, this one has a detective Curt Mack studied biology, anatomy and behavior. Later, he researched river otters. He doesn't look the detective. He wears conservation - themed T- shirts tucked into Carhartt jeans. His gumshoes are hiking boots. His trench coat is a fleece jacket. On the ground, when he can get out of his office, he interviews wit - nesses and looks for clues — "wolf- sign." Usually that means paw prints along backcountry roads or scat that is discernible from domestic dogs by its larger size and the coarse hair and bones it contains. Every once in a while, when he crests a hill over a valley or comes upon a meadow, he jumps out of the pickup and howls. His eerie lonely call sounds, to the human ear, extremely, well, wolf -like. It works like a subma- rine sonar's ping. If any are in earshot, real wolves, protective of their territory, always howl back. Of course, Mack roots for the wolves — he is gratified and hap- py they have recovered so strong- ly. But he understands where the ranchers are coming from. He's a hunter, too, and knows why they're concerned that wolves could harm elk and deer herds (though he doesn't think the sci- ence proves that yet). "Our culture, our perspectives, they change the way we see things and interpret them," Mack says. Mack remembers one of the first groups of wild gray wolves from Canada that were released in Idaho. A blizzard filled the night sky; the landscape rolled softly under deep snow. They towed the caged wolves behind snowmobiles, deep into a forest that had burned not long be- fore, and the charred pines thrust upward, sharp against the blurred background, the thick falling snow melding earth and sky. "Everything was black and white," Mack says. "The trees were black. The wolves were black or gray." He watched as the animals fad- ed into the falling snow. To thrive in Idaho, wolves need food and tolerance In the nine years since man in- _ vited wolves back into Idaho, this strained relationship has been rarely so straightforward as that night in the forest. It has rarely been black and white. With all his biology background and understanding, Mack knows animal science won't determine how many wolf packs ultimately live in Idaho. Political and social science will. For a biologist, Idaho's "carry- ing capacity" should mean the state can hold as many wolves as there is food for them to eat. But wolves and white Westerners have a long, adversarial history. The tolerance of man will affect the future of wolves more than nature itself, Mack says. With wolves firmly re -en- trenched here, the lives of many Idahoans have changed. Sheep and cattle ranchers have to anticipate a new predator and deal with a new cost of doing busi- ness. Herders are learning how to use the same radio trackers as the bi- ologists and how to fire rubber bullets and "cracker shells" — es- sentially firecrackers fired by shot- guns — to keep the wolves away. Many hunters say they are see- ing elk and deer herds shrink or move in reaction to the wolf packs. Some, like Central Idaho Anti -Wolf Coalition leader Ron Gillett, are still trying to eradicate the wolves. But Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and many legislative Republicans are finally coming to terms with the fact that the animals are here to stay — and they've drawn up a plan to manage the wolves when they're dropped from the endan- gered species list. Curt Mack reviews a map of the Payette National Forest with Jane Turner, who staffs the fire lookout on Carey Dome. Turner said she saw a wolf and a pup in June; and found the head of an elk that she thought might be the work of wolves. That plan will change the way Idahoans deal with new packs like the one that could be roaming Marshall Mountain. For one, it would let ranchers kill wolves that are harassing their livestock. Flourishing after big fires, the forest attracts enemies The summer before the first wolves were released in Idaho, two fires flared in the Payette Na- tional Forest. They eventually con- verged and burned 175,000 acres. After a decade, the snags still stand, but new trees have taken hold, and shrubs, grasses and wild - flgwers like the rosy bottle-brush- es of fireweed cover the moun- tainsides. For miles around, the charred and open forests are perfect habi- tat for elk and deer. The meadows offer calving grounds; the lack of a canopy of trees means the sun can reach the leafy plants on the ground. Perfect for big game. Perfect for sheep. Perfect for wolves. The easiest way to track wolves is from the air Glenn Gemelli pilots a 50 -year- old Cessna C -170 up and over the plowed fields just south of Mc- Call. The plane is Airstream -sil- ver, with blue velvet seats, no- ticeably older than the others at the airstrip. Radio antennas are strapped under the wings. Gemelli flew in Vietnam and Laos, but he's lived here for a dozen years now. He's one of the experienced pilots Mack trusts to fly low over the mountains when he's pinpointing the location of the region's collared wolves. The electronic pulses sound like faint beeps in Mack's headphones, but they're enough to give him pre- cise locations of the packs — even though the wolves themselves can rarely be seen from the air. Rain beads off the windshield, and barely 10 minutes from take- off, the first signals pulse from the Gold Creek pack. Mack once picked up a collar 80 miles away, but that was unusual; it's gener- ally more like eight to 10 miles. With the rocky topography around central Idaho, it can be tricky. Gemelli banks the Cessna and circles a dirt road that runs to a few farm structures. For a minute, he thinks he can see the wolves, but it's just some cows grazing along the road, perhaps unaware of what was lurking so closely. "The wolves were right in amongst the cattle," Mack says a few minutes later, after marking the location in his notebook. "It doesn't mean they'll kill one, but it's not a good sign." The sheep that graze here, though, are a couple of ridges away from the wolves, so Mack is happy for that. Most amazing may be how close the wolf pack is to the farms and fields of Valley County. Wolves can live just about anywhere — they're a lot like people in that way. In just a couple of hours, Mack locates the Gold Fork pack, the Partridge pack and the Hazard Lake pack — the three known packs still in the McCall area. When he picks up the last group of wolves, they are just past the tree line next to Highway 95. From the air, though, none of the packs seem to have shifted ter- ritory to Marshall Mountain. Mack still thinks, there could be wolves here, though. He gives the possi- bility some odds: ' "Maybe 70 -30," he says. The suspects: a wandering loner and a wolf celebrity Biologists have been watching the wolf called "B -157" for a while now. They think he's still a lone wolf, though it's possible he's found a mate and is looking for territory. For some time, B -157 seemed to keep along the outskirts of the Cook pack, sometimes following them at •a distance. Biologists would locate his collar's radio sig- nal in spots the Cook pack had been just days before. The Cook pack got into the sheep a lot earlier than biologists expected. The wolves basically followed the herd from Brundage Mountain up into the wilderness, killing scores of the animals, and finally, in a green, hilly spot close to Granite Lake with little cover from the charred trees from those 1994 fires, they were killed them- selves. Perhaps B -157 came upon them a day or two later. If he did, he was probably scared at first — after all, he had been encroaching on their territory all this time, and wolf packs will kill any loners that wander too close. Mack suspects B -157 may have roamed to Marshall Mountain and could be leaving the tracks and barking the howls that have been reported. He may have just gone north," Mack says. "We'll see if we can pick him up." . Flying over the Payette National Forest north of McCall in a 1955 Cessna 170, Nez Perce biologist Curt Mack monitors UHF signals from the radio collars of wolves. Searching, the plane banks above the main canyon of the Salmon River with the Gospel Hump wilderness looming to the north. Gemelli flies a tight pattern around Marshall Mountain, but Mack's earphones remain silent. There's another possibility, a long -shot fueled as much by ro- manticism as anything else. A wolf called B -45 used to rule this whole region with her mate. She was a true Idaho native — the offspring of two reintroduced wolves, and when she got her nat- ural wanderlust, she roamed as far away as Oregon, firing up envi- ronmentalists who want the wolves there too, when she was trapped and brought home. In a contest, an Oregon eighth - grader named her "Freedom." About two years ago, she just disappeared, and that's when the other packs started moving in. Mack doesn't know what hap- pened to her. "We're starting from scratch," Mack says. "We'll go up and pound the ground and search for signs." The future is uncertain, but livestock and wolves will die Just four years ago, Idaho had around 10 breeding pairs of wolves, and a pack of five wolves near the East Fork of the Salmon River was preying repeatedly on livestock. Federal officials killed the wolves, and four others nearby, and it caused an outcry among en- vironmental groups around the world. "We don't have problem wolves," one Ketchum resident said during the angry fall-out. "We have problem ranchers." But last month when the Cook pack was eliminated, the Idaho Conservation League said "This action demonstrates that the wolf management program is working as intended." Mack says these killings will• only continue as wolves try to es- tablish themselves in more popu- lated and grazing -heavy areas. The Idaho Wolf Management Plan would declare that just 15 packs in the state could make up a sustainable population — that means more than half of the wolves living here now could be killed before the federal govern- ment steps back in. At the moment, Washington, D.C., hasn't approved Wyoming's management plan, and that's put the whole region on hold. But the feds have already given Idaho's proposal a thumbs up. Though wolves and sheep share these mountains for just a few months a year, that could be enough to kill more of the region's wolves, Mack says. He'll be surprised if any packs survive very long south of the Salmon. Federal Wildlife Services offi- cials have already approved the killing of two more members of the Hazard Lake pack, and if the Partridge wolves are feeding on sheep as one rancher suspects, they could be eliminated, too. Two bands of sheep wander Marshall Mountain. And Mack knows it's possible that he and the other biologists could be working to find and collar these new wolves just to give Wildlife Ser- vices an easier way to track them down and kill them. Mack hits the ground to search for more clues It's surprising how many peo- ple you run into on remote moun- tain roads. On the way to Marshall Moun- tain, Mack runs into a supervisor who oversees several sheep herds in the area. He's concerned that the Partridge pack has started feeding on some of his animals. Mack talks with Turner, the For- est Service look -out, in her historic cabin' at the top of Carey Dome. She says she saw a wolf pup scrambling back into the woods from the road a month or two ago — a strong sign that more than just a few lone wolves have wan- dered by. A year ago, she saw a wolf trotting by itself along the road. It was just a few weeks ago, though, when she saw the elk head, rudely severed from its body, and dragged into the dirt path she calls her "two -mile dri- veway." That, she tells Mack, seemed like a clue. Later, Mack speaks with three contractors who are working on the road up the mountain. They are building a house way in the backcountry, and the Forest Ser- vice is allowing them to haul some 300 loads along the old logging road if they maintain it. They've seen and heard the wolves near Marshall Lake in re- cent weeks. But Mack needs more. "It's really hard to verify what people see," he says. He drives the midnight -blue Dodge slowly, looking for paw prints in the dust, but he knows that a couple of days of rain would have washed away just about any- thing that wasn't fresh. On a road numbered 548, though, he finds his first proof: two sets of prints coming down the road and one heading up it. "There has to be multiple wolves to make up all these tracks right here," he says. Later, following the tracks, which he figures are a few weeks old but survived the rain, he finds hair- and bone -laden scat. He'll find more scat on road- sides around Marshall Mountain, including one just feet from its very peak. "It's kind of like a mystery," he say's, heading the truck back to his spartan office in McCall But after two days of searching, it's yet to be solved. After a few more days, the surprising news comes If Mack were a Humphrey Bog- art character in a black- and -white movie, the hard- boiled detective would have shipped off a telegram. "Suspect caught STOP" Was not whom we suspected STOP" In real life, it was an e-mail. In the days that followed Mack's own two -day hunt for the Marshall Mountain wolves, fellow tribal bi- ologist Jinn Holyan heads back up the Willow Creek and Lake Creek drainages. "He has since confirmed the presence of at least 3 wolves in that area," Mack wrote. "He is cur- rently trapping in an attempt to radio - collar members of this new wolf group." Around the same time, Wildlife Services were setting traps to see which wolves may have been feed- ing on sheep in the area. They caught B -45. "This was quite a discovery, Mack wrote. Mack suspects she's tied in with the new pack, which includes a male from Wyoming. It's another big step for a wolf who once made national news. These discoveries solve the mystery, but the bigger question remains: What happens now? Time, biology; societal views and politics will tell. �.s�fs I \ I I \ \ I drove Jim Holyan and myself back into our pickup one early morning last June had tapered off. Holyan, a wildlife biologist with the Nez Perce Tribe's wolf recovery project, eased out of the truck and began sweeping the damp air of the forested ridge in Idaho's Clearwater National Forest with the antenna of his radio receiver, searching for signals from any ra- dio- collared wolves in the vicinity. A steady beep began emanating from the receiver, its frequency identifying the animal as B -210, the suspected r alpha male of the Hemlock Ridge pack. He was not far away. A U.S. Forest Service work crew had reported seeing signs that might indicate the presence of a previously unknown rendezvous site —a wolf pack's "hangout" where they stash their pups, and rest and regroup after hunting forays. We were there to locate that site and check on the pack. The radio signal beckoning us toward the small canyon below, drained by an unnamed stream, hinted that we just might hit pay dirt. Covered head -to- toe in raingear, we plunged into the forest toward the canyon bottom. The wolves that we hoped to find were part of the legacy of one of the most remarkable, successful and con- troversial wildlife recovery projects in American history —the return of the gray wolf to the Northern Rockies. The massive federal effort to extermi- nate wolves in the area, at the behest of livestock interests, had succeeded by the 1930s, but by the 1980s, the idea of restoring wolves to Yellow- stone National Park had gained mo- mentum. It culminated with a plan by the U.S. Department of the Interior to restore gray wolf populations not just to the park but also to the remote country of central Idaho. Although planning for the recovery began in the mid- 1970s, the actual reintroduction was implemented two decades later, when wolves were captured in the Canadian Rockies in cooperation with the Canadian gov- ernment and trucked to Idaho, Mon- tana and Wyoming. Between January and March of 1995, federal wildlife biologists released fourteen wolves into Yellowstone National Park and fifteen into central Idaho. Another twenty were released in central Idaho the following January. Wolf reintroduction had great support throughout the country, but many residents of the three states where the wolves were released were not pleased. Politically powerful inter- est groups —in particular, ranchers and hunters who feared the loss of livestock and decimation of big game herds by wolves —and people who believed wolves were a danger to humans made their feelings known to their elected officials, and in angry U 0 E confrontations during public meetings. But the push to return wolves to the region was unstoppable. To make the project more palatable, in 1995 the federal government designated the reintroduced wolves as an experi- mental, nonessential population un- der section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act, which allowed for more management options, including lethal control. It has occasionally been po- litically necessary to eliminate animals or packs that took to killing livestock on a regular basis. The special desig- nation also assured the timber, mining and other extractive industries that the recovery effort would not af- fect their operations. The minimum recovery goal for the three -state area was set at thirty breeding pairs and a total population of at least 300 wolves for three years in a row. Wolves, much more prolific and adaptable than many people realize, reached that goal in 2002. The Yellowstone wolves have got- ten most of the press over the years, but it is central Idaho that has really excelled as wolf country. The Central Idaho Experimental Area encompass- es about 77,782 square miles located roughly between Interstate 90 and the state's southern boundary. There are fourteen national forests within the recovery area, and virtu- ally all known wolf pack territories are within national forest lands. Its core zone is made up of three wilderness areas — Gospel Hump, Selway- Bitterroot and the Frank Church – River of No Return —a total of nearly 4 million acres and the largest chunk of contiguous wilderness in the lower forty-eight states. This huge block of wild land and healthy prey populations of elk and deer combine to make the region not just a wolf stronghold, but also a wolf factory. The Forest Service manages the habitat on those forests while the state manages the wildlife. "The habitat on the forests is prey habitat," says Dan Davis, forest wildlife biologist for the Clearwater National Forest. The Forest Service's role in wolf recovery has focused on ensuring that planned management projects don't have a negative impact on forest wolf packs. Ten years after the last wolves were released into Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the animals are considered fully recovered. The official tally used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, from 2004 statistics, puts Idaho's wolf population at 512 wolves, fifty -nine packs and thirty-six breeding pairs — more than enough to meet the entire ��d 9 " �,rte" 1 . r4ie , 3 f��irl�� (titst.�� t f y t i; %e"'gits 4 M& +��(, q= f three -state recovery goal on its own. Idaho's wolves now occupy essen- tially all suitable habitats in the state and are widely expected to provide the seed for new wolf populations in other parts of the country. Now begins the years -long process of transition from a recovery to a management mode and from federal control to management by the states, which also requires removal of the wolves from protection under the En- dangeredSpecies Act. It's a delicate transition, and as new a territory for Idaho's wildlife managers as Idaho was for those first thirty -five wolves when the doors to their pens were opened. The question is: Will wolves prosper as well under state manage- ment as they did during the federally overseen recovery period? The Nez Perce Tribe has been interested in wolf recovery since the early 1990s, when the Fish and Wildlife Service was writing a wolf-reintroduc- tion Environmental Impact Statement. "The tribe wanted to be involved in wolf recovery because of its spiritual and traditional reverence for wolves," explains Curt Mack, who heads up the Nez Perce Tribe's McCall -based Wolf Recovery Project. In the Nez Perce language the word for wolf translates as "big brother," and they see paral- lels between wolves and themselves  mistreated by white people, driven from their homeland and killed. "Everyone assumed the state would be the manager for the recov- ery," continues Mack. "To everyone's surprise, the legislature passed a law prohibiting the state from being the manager. This left the door open for the tribe." The tribe approached the Fish and Wildlife Service with a proposal that it be the recovery manager in Idaho, and developed a recovery manage- ment plan. The federal government signed off on the plan and transferred wolf recovery management to the tribe in 1995. Under the agreement, the federal government retained responsibility for policy, law enforcement and control, while the tribe was responsible for the field and biology work. That included capturing and radio- collaring wolves, monitoring packs, looking for new packs as they formed, keeping tabs on the overall population levels and count- ing pup and breeding adult numbers. By 2002, when the official recov- ery goal for the Northern Rockies experimental wolf population was met, the dynamics and direction of the program began to shift toward turn- ing over all wolf management to the states and removing the wolves from the Endangered Species list. Before the federal government would relinquish its authority, each state had to write wolf management plans acceptable to the Fish and Wildlife Service. "The only reason wolves became extinct in the lower forty-eight states was because people killed too many of them," says Ed Bangs, Fish and Wildlife Service wolf recovery co- ordinator, whose office is located in Helena, Montana. "The only reason they came back is that the [Endan- gered Species Act] kept people from killing them oti" To pass muster with the federal government, the states had to come up with a plan that demonstrated they would manage wolf mortality to ensure that their numbers did not fall below recovery levels, which is defined as at least fifteen packs in each state. Idaho and Montana developed plans that did that. But Wyoming rebelled, producing a plan that classified their wolves as predatory animals, which, under that state's law, may be shot at any time by anyone without limits. This caused a problem, because the wolves had to be federally delisted before the states could take charge, and that could not happen until all three had a federally approved plan. Neither Idaho nor Montana cared to be held hostage by Wyoming, so they approached the federal government to have the 10(j) rule liberalized to allow them to take more management action while the "Equality State" worked things out. In February 2005 that rule was modified to give Idaho and Montana the flexibility to use lethal methods to control wolves. Previously, only Wild- life Services, a federal bureau under the Department of Agriculture, could kill wolves that were causing a problem to livestock and other property. The states' only management tool was to relocate wolves that were causing problems. That was a major handicap from the perspective of state wildlife manag- ers. "We get asked why we can't just relocate wolves," says Idaho Depart- ment of Fish and Game State Wolf Coordinator Steve Nadeau. "We tell them that all the wolf habitat in Idaho is full and no other state wants them." The liberalized 10(j) rule allows landowners to shoot wolves that are harassing livestock, including on federal grazing allotments. It also allows the state to kill wolves as part of an elk or deer management program, although as long as the wolves remain federally listed the Fish and Wildlife Service must review and approve such plans. Endangered Species delisting is the other component that would mark the end of the gray wolf recov- ery phase, wrapping up the federal government's role altogether. On February 2, 2006, Fish and Wildlife announced that it intended to remove the Rocky Mountain population of gray wolves from the Endangered Species list, but it doesn't seem likely that Wyoming will come up with a plan that allows that to happen. The boundaries of that population include all of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, the eastern third of Oregon and Washington, and part of north -cen- tral Utah. That boundary defines the wolves within it as a distinct popula- tion segment. To determine those boundaries, Fish and Wildlife drew a line around the current population, then added eighty to 160 miles where the wolves might expand before encountering unsuitable habitat. Wolves within those boundaries would be consid- ered part of the same population segment. If and when a delisting oc- curred, those wolves would no longer be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Any wolves that colo- nized beyond that zone would be designated a different population seg- ment and receive Endangered Species protection. Two current populations of wolves —one in northwest Mon- tana and another in Idaho north of Interstate 90 that colonized on their own from Canada —would remain classified as endangered. "The bottom line is that wolf re- covery is completed within the recovery L .. l� 4u'�1`���M. .. `i.sC� *�$i�a`.43Ti'e •�. $•'��� ...w.:M area and they should be delisted," says Bangs. Delisting is critical from the states' perspective, not only because it com- pletes their full takeover of wolf man- agement but also because they can establish regulated hunting seasons for wolves, which the state wildlife agencies are eventually likely to do. The states would still be required to monitor their wolf populations and report to Fish and Wildlife for five years after delisting, as well as adhere to their wolf management plans. One concern over Idaho's takeover of wolf management — especially in light of the state's militant opposi- tion to the recovery program from the beginning —is that it might begin deliberately reducing wolf numbers in the name of wildlife management. Idaho Fish and Game handed a little extra credibility to that viewpoint when it announced that it plans to kill 75 percent of the wolves in a 1.5- million -acre portion of the Clearwater region to boost elk populations. That announcement occurred shortly after Idaho officially assumed day -to -day wolf management from the federal government in an agreement signed by Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Governor Dirk Kempthorne on Janu- ary 5, 2006. That translates to forty- three wolves killed the first year and lower numbers in subsequent years. Elk make up about 80 percent of an Idaho wolf's diet, and elk popula- tions in two Idaho game management units— numbers ten and twelve in the Lolo area —have been declining substantially in recent years. Idaho Fish and Game believes that wolves are partly responsible for that de- cline —along with habitat loss and predation by black bears and moun- tain lions —and wants to kill wolves in the area on an ongoing basis to keep their numbers down. The state claims that wolves are prolific enough to withstand a 30 to 40 percent an- nual mortality rate. The 10(j) Wile agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service made lethal control of wolves as part of elk management legal. The proposal generated a storm of national and international pro- test. Idaho Fish and Game received more than 40,000 e -mail comments, although most of them came from a campaign organized by Defenders of Wildlife. Nevertheless, a two -to -one majority of the independently written comments also opposed the plan. The Nez Perce Tribe, which also came out against the control pro- posal, doesn't believe the state has collected enough data to indict the Lolo wolves. The tribe wants to avoid the scenario of removing wolves only to discover that the elk herds don't increase in response because the wolves weren't the limiting factor. "The tribe is not opposed to kill- ing wolves," says Mack. "We've said from the beginning of the recovery program that wolves will have to be managed. But they need to be man- aged on sound science." The tribe would also like to see the delisting process completed before such controversial control proposals are introduced. "Lethally controlling wolves for the benefit of elk might be easier for the public to accept when they have been delisted," says Mack. "We'll take a look at the plan," says Bangs. "If it's science -based and doesn't cause the wolf population to fall below recovery levels, the federal government will approve it." If the plan moves ahead, lawsuits by conser- vation organizations are likely. Science aside, there are plenty of people in Idaho who would be happy to see the state's wolves eradicated. Bumper stickers that read, "Canadian Wolves, Smoke a Pack allay" abound on trucks and cars in rural areas. One website claims wolves are killing large numbers of pregnant cow elk, making Idaho "America's largest abortion clinic," lending a culture -war aspect to the debate. In 2001, the Idaho leg- islature called for the elimination of all wolves in Idaho. That institutional hostility toward wolves makes some nervous about how Idaho will man- age them over the long term. Right now a group named the Ida- ho Anti -Wolf Coalition is collecting signatures fi>r an initiative that calls for removing all of Idaho's wolves "by any means possible." But the danger to the wolves from this campaign is not likely to be great According to Bangs, the federal government would reissue an emergency Endangered Species listing and take back control if Idaho allowed its wolf population to drop below the recovery levels outlined in its management plan —or if it attempted to eradicate its entire wolf population. Nadeau believes that much of the hostility toward wolves will dissipate when the state has taken full manage- ment responsibility from the federal government. "A rising frustration among many in Idaho is that they feel the bu- reaucracy let them down and that the [Endangered Species] delisting has not occurred when it was said it would," he says. "Once we are allowed to control and rnanagc the wolf population, there will be more acceptance." In the long run, acceptance is likely to be the best strategy for Idaho's human populations, because wolves are in the state to stay. "The biggest challenge to make that transition from recovery to management is to increase tolerance for wolves," says Mack. "My hope is that we will be able to sit down with groups that have issues and find some common ground so we can all live with wolves." In 2005 the Nez Perce Tribe signed an agreement with the State of Idaho to oversee wolf management in the Clearwater region and McCall subregion. If and when wolves are delisted, the Wolf Recovery Project's federal funding— which runs around $350,000 per year —will likely go away. It remains to be seen what the tribe's role will be at that point. In the meantime, Mack and his bi- ologists will continue their work on behalf of Idaho's wolves, as they have for the past decade. IRV the Hane, Jim, WdAyan an I reached the bottom of the brushy canyon we were soaking wet. As we approached the small stream, well - worn trails became evident in the tall brush. Then wolf scats. Then wolf tracks. Holyan silently pointed these signs out as we crept along, putting a finger to his lips. We crossed the stream onto a mud- dy open bench, which was covered with wolf tracks and scat. We were now in the rendezvous site we had hoped to find. "There's been a lot of activity here," said Holyan in a low voice. "Right now there are probably wolves bedded down all around us." We ducked into the dark tim- ber. Holyan whispered that the area looked like a perfect place for wolves to lie down for a nap. Almost on cue, roused from its daybed, a gray wolf appeared not twenty yards away, peer- ing at us through the tree branches. Then the wolf vanished so suddenly that I was left wondering if it was ever really there at all.l open house Tuesday to review wolf management plan 3Y MICHAEL WELLS i he Star -News An open house meeting on the Idaho Department of Fish & Game's draft wolf population man- agement plan is set for Tuesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Super 8 Motel in McCall. The plan covers how F &G would monitor and manage wolves to meet the requirements of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, the Idaho Legislature and the governor's office if wolves are removed from the federal endangered species list. Wolves are currently listed as threatened in Idaho. The plan would only take effect when wolves are taken off the en- dangered species list by the federal government. The draft plan covers 2008 through 2012. Tuesday's meeting will allow citizens to ask questions about the plan, regional wildlife manager Jeff Rohlman said. Representa- tives from F &G will be on hand to answer questions and to point out elements of the plan. The plan includes a survey that shows support for hunting wolves in the future. "The vast majority of folks re- spondingto the survey believethat it is acceptable to use hunting as a tool to manage wolf populations," Rohlman said. The plan breaks the state into 14 hunting regions. There are 72 known wolf packs in Idaho. A population estimate last year counted 673 wolves in the state. Wolves were reintroduced into Idaho in the mid 1990s. The plan calls for a 30 to 40 percent harvest of wolves each year to stabilize the population, Rohlman said. While the plan does not have An open house meeting on the Idaho Department of Fish & Game's draft wolf popula- tion manage- ment plan is set for lhes- day from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Super 8 Motel in McCall. Photo courtesy Nez Perce Tribe specific seasons for hunting wolves, most likely, wolves would be hunted in Idaho between Aug. 30 and March 31. The seasons would give hunters the best opportunity to kill a wolf while it had its best trophy pelt. It would also allow wolves the op- portunity to breed and rear their young in the spring and summer. There are nine documented wolf packs in the McCall- Weiser Zone and six documented packs it the Middle Fork Zone. A pack consists of at least two wolves traveling together. See WOLF, Page A -8 1�—/ �/o (Continued from Page A -7) Various wolf conflicts are designated in the plan. In the McCall- Weiser Zone, wolves are in high conflict with livestock and have the potential to continue to harass local livestock in the fu- ture. Conflicts with elk and deer in the McCall- Weiser Zone were categorized as low. The opposite is true for the Middle Fork Zone in regards to livestock. Wolves also cause moderate conflicts with elk and deer in the zone. The plan attempts to: • Reduce the effects of illegal wolf killings. • Reduce the number of other big game animals killed by wolves. • Maintain a wolf population that can sustain annual hunt- ing. • Maintain a self - sustaining, well - distributed, wolf popula- tion. • Manage the wolf population to reduce exposure to humans, livestock and wildlife to wolf - borne diseases and parasites. • Provide a variety of hunting and trapping for wolves. • Allow hunters to shoot prob- lem wolves. • Identify wolf viewing ar- eas. • Maintain the existing level of access to private lands for wolf hunts. • Reduce killing of cattle and sheep by wolves. The plan is available at the F &G Web site or at the McCall F &G office at 555 Deinhard Lane. Written comments will be ac- cepted through Dec. 31 by mail to Idaho Fish and Game, Wolf Plan Comments, P.O. Box 25, Boise ID 83707 or by fax to (208) 334 -2148 or (208) 334 -2114, attention Wolf Plan Comments.