Conservation Northwest

Conservation Northwest updates Erin Moore Publications, emoore@conservationnw.org entire West Coast? And I think where we landed with the film is if they can make it here, they can return; it's a question of whether we humans will let them. EM: The return of wolves seems to be happening fast. The first pack was recorded by Conservation Northwest remote cameras in 2008 and now in 2012 we are up to 10 possible packs in the state. Will wolves be recovered in Washington soon? JM: Partly this is because we are better at finding and documenting wolves. Part of it is that wolves are resilient animals. They are fecund. Unlike grizzly bears, which might have one cub every few years, wolves have 5 to 8 pups a year. Though not all the pups will survive, wolves will recover more quickly than a lot of other large carnivores—if we let them. But will we let them? Our state is set up now to facilitate wolf recovery in a productive way. We have a thoughtful and thorough wolf recovery plan, that many of our supporters helped pass late last year, one with a lot of support from the public, which is critical. The plan has the tools needed to address potential conflicts and rules to help speed recovery in case we come across roadblocks. A problem is that the Oregon plan is not as robust as our state's, and California doesn't even have a plan—though they do have a wolf dipping its toes there. I think recovery of wolves along the whole West Coast is inevitable. Jasmine, Hana, and Dave Werntz BBC wolf film base camp in the Methow Valley, early spring, 2011 EM: What is the major obstacle to wolf recovery? JM: People. I'm often asked, "Jasmine, why are you so crazy about wolves?" My own family asks me that. Yes, I think wolves are amazing animals. They are smart, beautiful, and bad ass. They have a sense of humor. But those are not the reasons I work on wolf conservation. I do it because to me wolves are a test to humanity, a test whether we can accept some wildness in our hearts and in our landscape. Can we be compassionate about other wild animals? I think wolves, of all species, test us the hardest. I want us to succeed. I want us to say, yes, we can live with wolves—we can save our wild places. So as we have wolves successfully returning to the West Coast then I feel we will have answered that question in a positive way. We can have both. EM: What is your bigger vision for wolves, other wildlife, and wilderness? JM: Just the fact that wildlife are coming back shows there is hope. A wolverine was just documented south of Stevens Pass in the Cascades for the first time. We've got two confirmed wolf packs in Cascades, with up to 10 in the state. Fishers are returned to the Olympics. It definitely feels like this landscape is wilder than it was even 10 years ago. Will we continue on that path? Twenty years from now is there still going to be room for wildlife? I think that in Washington we value our wildlife and wild spaces enough that we'll make room for them. Some people say wilderness locks people out but, honestly, people are everywhere. There are few places left in the state that are truly roadless. And these places are so precious they deserve to be protected as wilderness. I look at Hana, my daughter, and ask what kind of world is she going to grow up in? When she goes backpacking is she going to have that kind of experience I had when I could hit the trail and not see anyone for days? With wilderness, I know that there's a chance she will have that experience. EM: So how does it feel to be famous? JM: Oh, I'm not famous—maybe infamous! What I love most is the reaction after the film aired in Britain from people who wrote to say how much they enjoyed it. It made me feel good that our story, the story of Conservation Northwest and Washington State, and all the people supporting wildlife recovery is now being told across the world! Wildness is not lost—there are still places on the earth that are wild with wild creatures living there. These areas are precious and the public recognizes that. I've gotten several letters from several young people who say they want to become wildlife biologists. That is inspiring and it gives me a lot of hope for the future. Read more about the film from Jasmine online at conservationnw.org/bbc-film. We'll let you know when the film is airing on Discovery Channel this summer! Keeping the Northwest wild Spring-Summer 2012 19

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