From BonnersFerryHerald.com:
The Montana House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee spent nearly five hours Jan. 21 considering a trio of bills related to Montana’s population of roughly 1,100 resident wolves — far too many, according to two legislators seeking to cut the population nearly in half.
Two bills, both brought by freshman legislators, aim to reduce the population of wolves in Montana closer to 450, a number established by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that would sustain the population without risking the animals returning to the Endangered Species List.
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CDFW Captures and Collars 12 Gray Wolves in Northern California
From California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has announced the recent capture, collar and release of 12 gray wolves in northern California.
There are now more satellite-collared wolves in California than ever before, which is expected to improve understanding and management of the species in the state. “The captures exceeded our expectations and will enhance our ability to monitor our wolf population both for conservation and recovery and also to help mitigate conflict with livestock,” said Axel Hunnicutt, CDFW’s Statewide Gray Wolf Coordinator.
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Bills look to extend wolf seasons in Montana
From BonnersFerryHerald.com:
The Montana House Fish, Wildlife and Parks committee spent nearly five hours Jan. 21 considering a trio of bills related to Montana’s population of roughly 1,100 resident wolves — far too many, according to two legislators seeking to cut the population nearly in half.
Two bills, both brought by freshman legislators, aim to reduce the population of wolves in Montana closer to 450, a number established by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks that would sustain the population without risking the animals returning to the Endangered Species List.
Click here for the full story.
9 range riders accept offers to work on ranches to prevent depredations in northwest Colorado
From Denver7.com:
Nine people who have applied to become a range rider in Colorado — a task that involves long days and nights understanding livestock and protecting them from predators, like wolves — have accepted offers from the state.
Officials announced last year that the Colorado Range Rider program would launch in early 2025 and would contract 12 qualified people to work in the northwest region of the state. One of their roles is to keep gray wolves, which were reintroduced in December 2023, away from the livestock.
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Colorado wildlife officials confirm a new wolf discovered in the state
From Coloradoan.com:
Colorado wildlife officials confirmed Friday the state is home to a wolf not released as part of its reintroduction plan, the first such confirmation since 2021.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife said it recently confirmed that a scat sample from the northwest corner of Moffat County tested positive for wolf DNA, “meaning there is at least one uncollared wolf on the landscape in our population estimate that was not part of the agency’s reintroduction efforts.”
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Nash bill would increase money to livestock producers hurt by wolves [Oregon]
From ElkHornMediaGroup.com:
SALEM – Sen. Todd Nash (R-Wallowa) has introduced a bill that he says would make compensation fairer for livestock producers hurt by wolf depredation. He said the legislation has a lucky number. It’s Senate Bill 777.
The measure provides that compensation for injury to livestock or working dogs under the wolf compensation and financial assistance grant program must be based on fair market value as well as other factors. Ward said that many livestock producers have stopped filing for some compensation because of a system they see to be flawed.
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CPW staff went to Canada before commission vote that could have paused wolf reintroductions
From 9News.com:
DENVER — When Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioners voted in January on whether or not to pause further wolf reintroductions, CPW already had staff in Canada prepared to start capturing wolves, a CPW spokesperson confirmed to 9NEWS.
“The agency had to be ready to start capture operations if the petition to pause reintroduction was denied as the contracts with capture helicopters and other logistical arrangements were in place,” CPW spokesperson Rachael Gonzales told 9NEWS.
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Wildlife regulators are looking for timber wolves in Lower Michigan
From MLive.com:
TRAVERSE CITY, MI – State wildlife officials are again looking for wolves in Lower Michigan.
Scientists with the state Department of Natural Resources want residents of the northern Lower Peninsula to keep their eyes open for gray wolves, also called timber wolves. The official survey period will run from next week on Feb. 17 through March 10.
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New model shows dogs could have domesticated themselves
From NationalGeographic.com:
Maybe dogs didn’t need us at all to domesticate themselves. They may have been drawn to the discarded remains from ancient human meals, and a new model shows tame wolves could have become dogs in as little as 8,000 years.
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Michigan DNR plans wolf survey in the Lower Peninsula; here’s how you can help
From WKYZ.com:
(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking for the public’s help to conduct a community-based wolf survey in the Lower Peninsula.According to the DNR, they are surveying to detect any potential presence of gray wolves.
It will take place from Feb. 17 through March 10, and the survey will rely on reports of public wolf sightings and other potential evidence.
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7th District Legislators Pine for Local Control of Wolf Management [Washington]
From KPQ.com:
There is broad agreement among Washington’s 7th district legislators, at least insofar as gray wolves are concerned.
East of Highway 97, there reputedly lives a healthy, fast-stabilizing and sometimes disruptive (or worse) wolf population. Legislators here want state law to reflect the attitude of federal watchdogs, who insist gray wolves are in much less trouble than before existentially. Here is a guide – a partial guide, anyway – to wolf-related bills percolating in Olympia. All of them strive to establish “local control of wolf management in the state’s northeastern counties.”
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