Conservation Northwest

Predators and prey "How wolves and deer," continued Still, expect some misinformed hunters to make outrageous claims about wolves, similar to this gem of a comment that was submitted during last year's public comment period for Washington's Draft Wolf Conservation and Management Plan: "Keep the damn wolves out of our State! They are decimating the Montana Elk and Moose populations and from what I am told are doing the same thing to Idaho! We killed them off for a reason, we don't need them!" However, not all hunters oppose wolves. In fact, in a 2008 survey commissioned by WDFW, hunters in Washington were asked if they support or oppose having the Department manage wolves to be a selfsustaining population. Support exceeded opposition among every type of hunter except sheep, moose, and goat hunters. One of many comments made to the WDFW on the draft wolf management plan ran like this: "I am an avid elk hunter and a wolf advocate. I am in the minority in that I can go out elk hunting and find it interesting when I see wolves and elk. I respect all predators and feel there is much to be learned from them." This is an important year for the future of wolves in our state. In April, a federal budget rider stripped Endangered Species Act protections for the Rocky Mountain wolf populations, which includes the eastern third of Washington, where both the Salmo and Diamond packs live. These packs are now the responsibility of Washington State and managed under state law. This makes having a viable state wolf conservation and management plan even more critical. In the western two-thirds of the state, which includes our pioneer Lookout Pack, responsibility still lies with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act, a federal law; although the state is under contract for most of the fieldwork and monitoring. USFWS recently announced it is conducting a status review of wolves in the Pacific Northwest (which includes the western two-thirds of Washington) that will determine whether the wolf has recovered to the extent that it can be delisted or reclassified, or if it remains endangered. They are taking public comment until July 5, 2011. To learn how you can submit comments, visit conservationnw.org. Also this summer, WDFW is finalizing its Wolf Conservation and Management Plan which has been in the works for over three years. Washington's wolves need a sound recovery plan, now more than ever. When first documented in 2008, the Lookout wolf pack had six wolf pups, a subadult male, and an alpha pair, female and male. As of 2011, only two animals have been documented in the pack: the alpha male and a younger animal. The severe reduction of this pack is thought to be the work of poachers. Nonetheless, wolves are on their way back, with packs returning to other parts of the state, such as the Diamond pack in Pend Oreille County. Photo Conservation Northwest remote camera This August, the agency will present a final draft of the plan to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, and the commission will vote to adopt the plan sometime before 2012. We expect extreme anti-wolf voices to organize against this collaboratively developed plan, and we need to show that the majority of Washington's residents want wolves back in their native home. So please stay tuned for opportunities to get involved. We need your continued voice to ensure a healthy future for wolves in Washington. Burke's Wolves and Wild Lands exhibit Opening in June at the Burke Museum in Seattle is "Wolves and Wild Lands in the 21st Century," a timely new exhibit examining human and wolf interactions in light of recent history and the economic and cultural factors that are shaping wolves' future. Conservation Northwest has been an advisor to this exhibit, where you can see mounted specimens of wolves and coyotes accompanied by images and interpretive text and augmented Keeping the Northwest wild with educational activities and a small companion display, "Wolves in Washington State." You can also try hands-on activities and hear wolf audio. The exhibit runs alongside "The Owl & the Woodpecker," featuring photos by Conservation Northwest's Paul Bannick, through August 7. "Wolves and Wild Lands in the 21st Century" ends September 5. Wolf Plan Timeline June 8-9, 2011: Agency meets with the Wolf Working Group to review public and peer review comments and changes to the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and preferred alternative plan June-July 2011: WDFW prepares final EIS & plan August 2011: Recommended final EIS and plan presented to Washington's wildlife commission for consideration Oct-Dec 2011: Commission review and decision Spring/Summer 2011 13

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