Environmentalists concerned after protected Mexican wolf dies in Arizona

From APNews:

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A federally protected female Mexican wolf was found dead in an area near the northern Arizona city of Flagstaff, alarming environmentalists who worry someone may have deliberately killed the animal.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department announced in a joint statement Friday that the animal known to biologists as Mexican wolf F2979 was found dead on Nov. 7. It was located outside the boundaries established along the Arizona-New Mexico border for managing the rarest subspecies of gray wolf in North America.

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Rio Blanco County won’t see wolves in next release as CPW commissioners petitioned to pause reintroduction

From The Colorado Sun:

Two days after announcing it chose four counties for the next wave of wolf reintroduction set to begin in December, Colorado Parks and Wildlife pulled Rio Blanco County from the list, citing the high number of sheep in the area, along with concerns about winter elk habitat and proximity to the Utah and Wyoming borders.

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California’s gray wolf population grows: Two new packs detected in state bringing total to 71

From newsbreak.com:

California’s gray wolf population has grown, with a new report from state wildlife officials revealing the presence of a previously unidentified pack. The “Diamond Pack,” which includes at least two wolves, has been confirmed in eastern Plumas and southern Lassen counties. Additionally, another unclassified pack is roaming the shared boundaries of Shasta, Lassen, Tehama, and Plumas counties. This brings the state’s total to at least 71 wolves across nine packs and four smaller groups.

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Petition to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to delay next wolf introduction could take months

From Colorado Politics:

The petition to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to delay the next round of wolf introductions isn’t going anywhere — not anytime soon.

The agency’s process allows staffers to make a recommendation on whether the rules changes sought in the petition should go forward.

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State wildlife commission approves new wolf trapping regulations

From Montana Public Radio:

In Ravalli County, trappers no longer have to set their snares and traps a certain distance away from roads that are closed during the winter — except for four roads identified as major recreation areas, including Skalkaho Pass Road.

Region 2 Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jeff Burrows, proposed the changes. In Tuesday’s commission meeting, he said trappers in the Bitterroot needed more opportunities to set traps to make up for the now shorter season.

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Wildlife, Including Wolf, Cause Challenges for Colorado Ranchers

From dtnpf.com:

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) — Awareness has elevated at Silver Spur Ranch Kiowa Creek division, as a wolf caught by a licensed trapper on their ranch this spring makes them even more aware of what lurks in the woods.

This wolf, of the Great Lakes population, has different genetics than those which were released in late 2023 in north-central Colorado following the passage of Proposition 114 in November 2020.

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CPW names counties it is considering for this winter’s gray wolf reintroduction and meets with county leaders

From denver7.com:

UPDATE | Nov. 14 — Colorado Parks and Wildlife updated its list of potential counties to release wolves this winter as part of the voter-mandated reintroduction process. The counties currently being considered are Garfield County, Eagle County, and Pitkin County.

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Petition requests hiatus in $5M wolf release program

From thefencepost.com:

Middle Park Stockgrowers Association president Tim Ritschard is on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission agenda on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 11:10 a.m. with a request for citizen petition for rulemaking. The petition is signed by 26 of the state’s agriculture organizations, including Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Club 20, and Colorado Wool Growers Association as well as several local livestock and stockgrowers associations. The petition seeks to delay any further introductions of gray wolves into the state until Colorado’s wolf management program can adequately address the conflicts between wolves and livestock producers. CPW has announced its intention to introduce wolves this coming winter in the same northwest Colorado location as the December 2023 introduction.

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A dog on Prince of Wales Island is helping to conserve wolves by tracking their poop

From krbd.org:

Barley’s professional title is “canine conservationist.” This summer, the former shelter Border Collie was searching the woods on the outskirts of Craig, Alaska, for wolf poop.

“Biologists love poop. It’s a huge part of our job,” said Barley’s owner, Kayla Fratt.

Fratt is a dog trainer and Ph.D. student at Oregon State University. She trains dogs, like Barley, to help solve mysteries – less like Scooby Doo and more like conservation mysteries. Fratt said that before they came up to Alaska, she and Barley had hunted jaguar scat in Guatemala and, more recently, tracked down bird and bat carcasses on wind farms in the Midwest.

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Montana’s wolf trapping season measures draw protests from both sides

From missoulian.com:

Trappers and anti-trappers were displeased with the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission’s decisions on Tuesday as they approved three measures.
Under an order issued last November by a federal court judge, the commission had to set its wolf trapping seasons in the western half of the state — the designated grizzly bear recovery zone — to Jan. 1 through Feb. 15 in 2025.