6 Winter 2015 conservationnw.org
Wolves: Lookout Pack update
Aer an amazing comeback from a series of poaching inci-
dents in 2009, the Methow Valley's Lookout Wolf Pack was
hit by another tragedy this year: the Carlton Complex Fire. In
early 2014, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW ) reported as many as five adult wolves traveling
together in Lookout Pack territory, with a litter of several
pups born in the spring. However, the fires that reshaped the
central Washington landscape also took their toll on the pack.
As of late 2014, WDFW and wolf researchers from Washing-
ton State University were reporting that only one pup from the
most recent litter survived the fire. "e fire burned over what
we thought was the original den or rendezvous site," said Scott
Fitkin, a wildlife biologist with WDFW. At the burned site, re-
searchers found the remains of at least one dead wolf pup.
Based on photos from wildlife cameras, the Lookout Pack
is now believed to include four adult wolves and one surviving
pup from this year. We are saddened by the loss of pups. But with
plenty of quality habitat surviving the fire, and an abundance
of mule deer and other natural prey in the area, we expect that
Washington's first and most resilient wolf pack will bounce back
once again, just like they did in 2009. –Alison Huyett, conservation
associate
Canada lynx: Dependent on fire
Forest fires and brush fires play a pivotal role in the health of
Canada lynx populations by influencing the habitat of their
primary food: snowshoe hares. Wildfire is a necessary and inevi-
table rejuvenating process for the forest, thinning dense stands
of smaller trees and brush, eliminating dry grasses and other
dead ground cover, activating pinecones and releasing seeds,
FIrE AND WIlDlIFE
Though the Lookout Pack suffered losses during the Carlton fire,
much of their quality habitat in the Methow Valley was not affected
and remains rich with natural prey. Photo: Chase Gunnell
Wolf pups from the Lookout Pack's first confirmed litter photo-
graphed in 2008 by a Conservation Northwest volunteer. With luck,
the pack will bounce back once again in 2015. Photo: CWMP
Close-up of a Canada lynx. Photo: WDFW
impact of fires on
northwest wildlife
F
ire can be destructive for wildlife and wildlands,
with flames taking their toll on creatures great
and small. But wildfire is also a natural process
that's vital for healthy ecosystems—it can reinvigo-
rate habitat conditions and trigger bounties of food.
As you'll see below, the intersection of wildlife and
wildfire can have some surprising results.
6 Winter 2015 conservationnw.org
Wildfires and wildlife
