Conservation Northwest

From discovery to recovery Cascades Wolves Dave Werntz Science and conservation director, dwerntz@conservationnw.org Are Northwest wolves distinct? As Ray Robertson eased his jeep to a stop near the boot trail, he wasn���t sure what he���d find at the camera station. There were reports of wolves in the hills above the Methow River in western Okanogan County, but experts thought these were mostly misidentified coyotes or large dogs. During his tenure as a volunteer with Conservation Northwest���s Distinct and unique A Distinct Population Segment of endangered wolves is a pop- ulation with the following characteristics: (1) discreteness or separation between the population and others, (2) significance, and (3) at-risk status. A population may be considered ���discrete��� if it is markedly separated from other populations because of physical, physiological, ecological, or behavioral factors. It may be ���significant��� if, among other factors, (a) its loss would create a big gap in the range, (b) it lives in a unique ecological setting, or (c) it has different genetic characteristics than other populations. The current Pacific Northwest wolf population is discrete from other wolf populations in the Rockies and farther east. The extensive arid and agricultural lands of the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau form a geographic habitat break between the northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. Wolves have crossed and will likely cross this area and will likely serve as a partial source of wolves recolonizing the Cascades and Sierra Nevada. But, as wolf packs establish, they will likely avoid denning in this broad expanse of unsuitable habitat. Significantly, loss of Pacific Northwest wolves constitutes a big gap in the range of gray wolves, which once extended from the Canadian border south into California. The scale of Pacific Northwest wolf habitat is significant. There is more than 20 million acres of wolf habitat in the Cascades and coastal mountains and Sierra Nevada (roughly 15% of wolf habitat in the American West). The habitat is well connected, and capable of supporting more than 600 wolves. The Pacific Northwest���s dense coniferous forests, abundant precipitation both as rain and snow, and mild temperatures provide a unique ecological setting for wolves. It also provides a distinct prey base for wolves made up of black-tailed deer, mule deer, Roosevelt elk, and salmon. Lastly, there is evidence indicating that wolves in the Pacific Northwest have distinct genetic characteristics. Preliminary genetic analysis of the breeding pair from the Lookout and Teanaway packs in Washington���s Cascades show they are related to British Columbia���s coastal wolves, who exhibit strong genetic differentiation from other wolves. It is likely that wolves from the British Columbia coast will continue to be a source of wolves moving into the Cascades and south. Lookout wolves traveling pair, 2012. USFS remote camera Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Program, a cooperative effort with state and federal researchers, Ray had seen many pictures of coyote, deer, snowshoe hare, and wild turkey but never a wolf. He looked over the fresh photos, and then sat down and looked again. What was that? The image taken at the camera station was clearly Canis���a wolf or coyote. Its broad head and snout didn���t resemble coyote, and its body was high on long legs. Yet, it didn���t look as big as the wolves in the Rockies, and its snout, ears, flanks, and legs were tinted a beautiful deep auburn. It looked like a wolf, but not exactly. Was it really? At first, the word from the Rockies was clear. The biologists who reviewed the photos uniformly agreed. It���s not a wolf��� too small and wrong coloring. Probably a big coyote. Being a diligent scientist, Scott Fitkin of Washington���s Department of Fish and Wildlife continued to gather input from experts including colleagues who study coastal wolves in British Colombia. It wasn���t long before he got a response. This wolf is very similar to coastal BC wolves. The researchers attached photos of coastal wolves showing their stature and reddish hues. A match. Our wolf might have relatives on the British Columbia coast. The initial confusion should be no surprise. Wolves from western British Columbia have been living largely separate from inland Rocky Mountain wolves for many generations. Over time they gradually adapted to local climatic and habitat conditions, developing specialized behaviors, such as hunting and eating salmon, and forming distinct genetic profiles obvious in their DNA. These wolves now appeared to be spearheading recolonization of the wolf ���s Pacific Northwest range in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and coastal mountains.

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