Conservation Northwest

Keeping the Northwest wild Winter/Spring 2016 11 Washington wolves update Chase Gunnell Communications Manager, chase@conservationnw.org Population up, poaching concerns WASHINGTON'S WOLVES UPDATE Wolves are important native preda- tors and vital pieces of our wildlife heri- tage. We're pleased by the March news from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) that Wash- ington is now home to at least 90 wolves, 18 packs, and eight breeding pairs. However, the wolf 's comeback re- mains limited beyond our state's north- east corner. Eight years aer wolves were first confirmed back in the North Cascades, there are only three packs in that recovery area. ere remain no con - firmed wolf packs in the Cascades south of I-90 or in Western Washington. In or- der to meet recovery goals agreed upon under Washington's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan (Wolf Plan), and for the long term viability of the species in our state, it's important that wolves recolonize the high-quality habitat in the Washington's South Cascades and Olympic Peninsula. It's not unexpected that wolf recov - ery would take longer in these areas compared to the northeast and south- east corners of our state. But nearly a de- cade into wolf recovery, and with unoc- cupied habitat widely available and deer, elk and other prey populations healthy, we are concerned that the illegal kill- ing of wolves is delaying their recovery. We're advocating for stronger penalties to deter wolf poaching. Wolves are protected by both state and federal endangered species laws in Washington. Yet wolf poaching has oc - curred with tragic frequency in recent years. Several members of the Methow Valley's Lookout Pack were poached in 2010. A wolf from the Smackout Pack was poached in late 2013. e 2014 poaching of a Kittitas County breeding female wolf is still unprosecuted. In Sep - tember 2015, shamefully minimal fines were announced for a Whitman County wolf poacher. Also in 2015, investiga- tors announced that a lone wolf killed by a vehicle on I-90 west of Snoqualmie Pass had previously been shot. Numer- ous other unconfirmed rumors of wolf poaching reach us each year, and some are most certainly true. It doesn't matter whether it's a bull elk or a wolf; poaching is never accept - able. It's an abuse of the shared natural heritage that belongs to all of us. And many stakeholders in Washington are working hard to responsibly coexist with native predators, including partnering on proactive measures to reduce or pre - vent depredations on livestock. Various stakeholders are supporting research to monitor the impact of the wolf 's return on deer, elk and other ungulate popu - lations, animals cherished by wildlife watchers and hunters alike. We applaud efforts by WDFW, live- stock producers, hunters, wildlife watch- ers and other stakeholders to collaborate on decision-making related to wolves. e greater inclusion and genuine lis- tening demonstrated in 2015 by the A wolf from Washington's Lookout Pack travels on an old forest road. Photo: WDFW WDFW wolf pack map 2015. Map: WDFW Conservation Northwest offers up to $7,500 as a reward for information help- ing to convict anyone who has illegally killed a wolf in Washington. conservationnw.org/poaching Wolf Advisory Group, of which we are a member, is leading to a transformation of the conflict that all too oen shrouds predator recovery. is is laudable prog - ress that we believe will lead to better outcomes for everyone. And we hope that the benefits of this collaboration will include increased social tolerance for predators and less wolf killing. Yet, indications remain that illegal wolf killing is delaying progress towards recovery. Our state's elected leaders, jus - tice system and WDFW should imple- ment stiffer penalties and increased en- forcement to safeguard the comeback of Washington's wolves. Doing so will ben- efit wolf recovery, wildlife stakeholders, and a wild future in our state for all of us. Editor's Note: An Op-Ed version of this article was published by e Seattle Times in April.

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