First Washington Wolf Goes West: The first gray wolf known to travel west of
the Cascade Crest in Washington State was confirmed this
week after local officials found it killed by collision with a vehicle on
Interstate 90 between North Bend and Snoqualmie. Despite this wolf’s unfortunate
death, we see its dispersal this far west as an encouraging sign of progress in
wolf restoration. There is ample suitable habitat for wolves in western
Washington including throughout the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest and
Olympic National Park, but there has been no confirmed wolf activity there since
the population was largely eliminated by the early 1900s. At the end of 2014,
Washington reported a
minimum number of 68 wolves and 5 breeding pairs in the state.
Congress’ Third Attempt to Remove Federal Protections for Wolves
Since January: Since Congress convened in January, elected officials
have proposed three different bills to remove federal protections for wolves in
select states. The third bill was proposed last week by Rep. Dan Newhouse
(R-WA), Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) which, if passed,
would federally delist wolves in Washington, Oregon and Utah. Not only would
this bill strip federal Endangered Species
Act protections for wolves in these three states, it would prohibit
the states from offering wolves certain vital protections…even if they wanted
to! We feel strongly that science, not politics, should guide listing decisions.
And, we oppose all congressional attempts to interfere with the species listing
process. You can help us by also telling
Congress it must keep politics out of wolf recovery!Wolf Advocates Show Their Support in Oregon: As you may recall, last week the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission was briefed by wildlife officials about the status of Oregon’s wolves. Based on the information presented, the commission will evaluate several policy options, including whether state Endangered Species Act protections are still warranted for the species. In addition to being briefed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the commission also welcomed testimony from Oregon’s residents. We were thrilled – and grateful — to see the number of wolf advocates that came to testify in support of continued protections for wolves! In fact, wolf supporters overwhelmingly outnumbered opponents, 35-5. Suzanne Stone, Defenders’ senior Northwest representative, was also there to provide testimony. She told the commission that continued protections for wolves are needed to maintain a healthy population in eastern Oregon, and in order to increase the likelihood that wolves will continue to disperse from east to west and establish packs in western Oregon. While the commission is not expected to make a final decision until August, the support from those who attended and testified is critical as the commission evaluates the policy options on the table for wolves. 
A Third Lone Male Makes His Way to Central Oregon: Almost
all of Oregon’s wolf population lives in the eastern part of the state. However,
bachelor “OR-25” is making
headlines this week for his arrival in central Oregon, confirmed by
data transmitted from his satellite tracking-collar. This is great news because
it suggests wolves are continuing to spread to suitable habitat throughout the
state…and ever closer to California!How did wolves become dogs? Dogs are direct descendants from gray wolves; in fact dogs and wolves share 99.9 percent of their DNA. But, to this day, researchers are still in disagreement over where and when wolves evolved to become human’s most loyal companion. Anyone who wants to dig a little deeper into the current theories should look no further than a new feature published in Science this April. This question has been on the forefront of research for decades; the more we can learn about how dogs became associated with people, the more we can learn about the origins of civilization. Researchers are now using technology to compare ancient dog and wolf skeletons to determine when differences started to appear. Another team of researchers from Japan is studying how dogs and humans form connections. They’ve found that when humans and dogs look at each other, each experience a rise in a hormone called “oxytocin,” the same hormone produced when mothers and infants stare at each other and linked to maternal bonding. All in all, this field is exploding with new discoveries, and this article is well worth the read! The post Wolf Weekly Wrap-Up appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog. |
After nearly becoming extinct, the gray wolf is on the verge of making a comeback. Population numbers are finally rising in the northern Rocky Mountains and the western Great Lakes states, but there is still much more work to be done for these important apex predators.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing
to remove federal Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves across the entire lower-48 states. This would be an enormous setback to the species' recovery.
We can't allow this decision to go through. Write today and insist that gray wolves continue to get the federal protections they rightfully deserve!
Stop the USDA's Wildlife Services from Senselessly Slaughtering Our Wildlife
author: Jessica Ramos
target: Tom Vilsack, Secretary, USDA; Kevin Shea, Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS)
signatures: 66,040 - Help out by signing Here!
2014 was a very bad year for wildlife. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, new data shows that the USDA's Wildlife Services admitted to killing over 2.7 million animals in 2014. Here's a disturbing breakdown of the lives lost:
-- 322 gray wolves
-- 61,702 coyotes
-- 580 black bears
-- 305 mountain lions
-- 796 bobcats
-- 454 river otters
-- 2,930 foxes
-- 3 bald eagles
-- 5 golden eagles
-- 22,496 beavers
-- 15,698 black-tailed prairie dogs
-- 16 pet dogs (unintentional fatalities)
These innocent animals, who also play key ecological functions, were taken down with snipers, deadly poisons and traps. Amy Attwood, a senior attorney for The Center for Biological Diversity, explains that since 1996, "Wildlife Services has shot, poisoned and strangled by snare more than 2.7 million native animals" because agriculture, livestock and special interests groups consider them "pests."
Do you want your tax dollars to fund this cruel and enormous death toll? Because this is the current reality. But it's not the only possibility, e.g. Wildlife Services could invest in public education, better fences, etc. Even though Wildlife Services has "no interest in cleaning up its act," you can sign and share this petition demanding that it stops the senseless extermination of our precious wildlife.
Help out by signing Here!
What the return of the wolf can mean to the West
It was a cold, snowy day in January of 1995 when, lining the street near the Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone National Park, local school children, environmentalists, biologists, ranchers, outfitters, tourists, and state and federal officials watched crates containing eight gray wolves carried into Yellowstone. Many in the crowd celebrated a great victory. Others looked on in dismay, fearful of what reintroducing wolves would mean for the future of their ranching and hunting heritage.This renewed presence of the wolf in the West sometimes clashes with the multi-generational ranching operations that fill the landscape. The debate about wolves challenges relationships between friends and neighbors and between county, state, federal and tribal governments. Now, 20 years later, some ranchers have weathered the debate realizing that wolves are here to stay and are building operations that reflect the presence of this dynamic and cunning predator. Here is the story of one such ranch, the J Bar L Ranch, in the words of the owners and operators.
The J Bar L Ranch
The J Bar L Ranch sits in one of the most remote corners of Southwest Montana. We raise all-natural, grass-finished beef and sell it through our beef company, Yellowstone Grassfed Beef. Our cattle graze year-round in multiple locations surrounding Yellowstone National Park in an effort to have the right age of cattle, in the right places, and at the right times of year. We graze our cattle in a way that maintains wildlife habitat and diverse, healthy ecosystems. Our goal is healthy, productive rangeland, thriving wildlife populations and healthy, happy cattle.
With some of our herds grazing less than three miles from the Yellowstone, we know the challenges of ranching on a landscape shared with wolves and grizzly bears. Over the past few years, we have begun participating in community-based programs to combine grazing practices that improve range condition with methods to help minimize conflicts between livestock and predators.
Range
riders keep the herd together, and keep a lookout for predators.
For centuries past, bison roamed much of North America in the presence of large predators and human influence. The predators and people kept the enormous herds bunched together (since there is safety in numbers) and constantly moving. Our goal on the J Bar L is to have our cattle mimic these historic grazing patterns as closely as possible. The bison planted seeds with their hooves, pushed ‘mulch’ down onto the soil surface to minimize erosion, and fertilized the land with their dung and urine. By working together as a herd, bison stand their ground and defend each other from predators. None of this would be accomplished if they functioned as a scattered herd of individuals. Our goal on the J Bar L is to follow the ways of the bison. Doing this has given us greatly improved range conditions and few conflicts with predators.
One tool we use to accomplish this is low stress stockmanship. For six years, this practice has helped rekindle the herd instinct in our cattle, encouraging them to behave similar to bison by moving around more as a herd, and by sticking together in case predators are near. This differs from the traditional handling methods that encourage cattle to scatter out across the range.
A
trail camera captures a shot of a wolf in the area. Images like this are a nice
reminder that the methods the ranch uses allows the area’s wolves to remain safe
in their own habitat.
By employing range riders, we have had the opportunity to be out with our cattle more often, and can remove sick or injured animals so they do not become a target for predation. It also means that when the livestock encounter wolves, we are more likely to be there to haze predators from the area. Hazing is a non-lethal technique that has been effective at discouraging wolves from targeting cattle, and keeps both wolves and cattle alive.
We also use portable electric fencing to keep cattle bunched together. This is another tool that encourages cattle to stay together as a herd, reducing the risk of attacks from predators. In 2014 we had an active wolf den near the pasture area, but using the electric fencing kept the herd together and the wolves away. All wolves and pups survived, and so did all the cattle – and with exceptional weight gain. Despite the consistent presence of wolves, we have not lost any cattle in areas where we are grazing cattle with temporary electric fence.
A Legacy of Conservation
To date, no wolves or bears have been killed on or off of the ranch as a result of our ranching business. We are proud of this legacy of conservation, stewardship, and love for the landscape we call home. If you appreciate our efforts, one simple way to advance this kind of ranching is to purchase our beef online at www.yellowstonegrassfedbeef.com. We ship the frozen beef conveniently to any location in the US.
We would like to thank Defenders of Wildlife for their support and encouragement as we try to redefine the ranching model to one that includes coexisting with predators and takes a holistic approach to management. Wildlife, cattle and communities can all thrive together. The post Living (and Making a Living) Alongside Wolves appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog.
