California Department of Fish and Game News Release
December 29, 2011
Media Contacts: Mark Stopher, DFG Executive Office, (530) 225-2275
Jordan Traverso, DFG Communications, (916)
654-9937
Wolf OR7 Enters California
The gray wolf that was wandering in southern Oregon has crossed the
California border. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) this animal is a 2 ½ year old male formerly from a pack
in northeast Oregon. Since the animal has been collared with a Global
Positioning System (GPS) device that periodically transmits its
location, biologists have been able to document its travels since it was
collared in February 2011. Based on the GPS data, he is now more than
300 miles from where his journey began.
His journey, in total, has been more than twice that far with many
changes in direction. Several times he has reversed direction and
returned to previous locations. Today, the California Department of Fish
and Game (DFG) learned that this wolf, designated OR7, crossed the state
line into northern Siskiyou County yesterday. Tracking data puts his
most recent location as a few miles south of the Oregon border. It is
not possible to predict his next movements which could include a return
to Oregon.
DFG continues to collaborate with ODFW and expects to receive daily
location data. This information is transmitted daily when atmospheric
conditions permit. DFG will be sharing only general location information
as this wolf, while in California, is protected as endangered under the
Federal Endangered Species Act.
"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into
California is an historic event and result of much work by the wildlife
agencies in the West," said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. “If the
gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much
more work to do here."
Any wild gray wolf that returns to California is protected as
endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act, administered by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
DFG has been following the recovery and migration of gray wolves in
western states with the expectation that at some point they will likely
reach California. The last confirmed wild gray wolf in California was
killed in Lassen County in 1924. The available historic information on
wolves in California suggests that while they were widely distributed,
they were not abundant. DFG has been compiling historic records, life
history information, reviewing studies on wolf populations in other
western states, enhancing communication with other agencies and training
biologists on field techniques specific to wolves. This effort is to
ensure that DFG has all necessary information available when needed, it
is not a wolf management plan and DFG does not intend to reintroduce
wolves into California.
There are more than 1,600 wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains
following a federal reintroduction effort which occurred in the
mid-1990s. In 1999 a single wolf crossed into Oregon from Idaho, after
nearly a 60-year absence in that state. There are now at least 24 wolves
in Oregon in four reproducing packs. It has taken an additional 12 years
for the first wolf to now reach the California border. This particular
animal is exhibiting normal dispersal behavior for a young male and
there is no way to predict whether he will stay in California, return to
Oregon, or travel east into Nevada. Eventually, DFG expects that other
wolves will reach California. Whether this will lead to the
establishment of packs or simply transient individual animals is
unknown.
Gray wolf recovery in other western states has been controversial,
particularly regarding impacts on prey populations, livestock
depredation and human safety. There have been instances where gray wolf
predation has contributed to declines in deer and elk populations,
however, in most cases, predation has had little effect. Some gray
wolves have killed livestock - mostly cattle and sheep - while others
rely entirely on wild prey. In other western states the impact of
depredation on livestock has been small, less than predation by coyotes
and mountain lions, although the effect on an individual livestock
producer can be important, particularly when sheep are killed.
Concerns about human safety are largely based on folklore and are
unsubstantiated in North America. In recent years there was one human
mortality in Canada caused either by wolves or bears and one confirmed
human mortality in Alaska by wolves. Based on experience from states
where substantial wolf populations now exist, wolves pose little risk to
humans. However, DFG recommends that people never approach a wolf, or
otherwise tamper with or feed a wolf. More about how to avoid
human-wildlife interactions can be found on DFG’s website at
www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/.
Posted by Peter Cross on December 29, 2011 at 11:38 PM
Thanks for the update Sandy. The Sac Bee this morning reported it as about 10 miles north of the border yesterday, so I guess it moved fairly quickly. For some this probably will signsl the end of civilization as we know it. But I'm a bit more optimistic. Nevertheless, I expect lots of discussion about this in the coming days, weeks, months, years and beyond.
I'm in close contact with a number of ranchers in the broad area of wolf intros, and there are a couple of versions of what's going on. You hear public forecasts of doom not unlike those bandied by pols in an election year, but little in the way of actual incidents to back it up. Talk to them individually, and most will acknowledge that they've experienced very little, if any livestock loss.
The one I'm best acquainted with runs 700 cow/calf pairs over a wide range of habitats on a large ranch in Montana with at least 3 packs now. He hasn't lost a single calf in several years, and he doesn't go out of his way to protect them. Along with cattle he farms and produces 8,000-10,000 tons of alfalfa hay each year. For generations the family has battled large herds of elk in their alfalfa, spending many $10k's on fencing in unsuccessful attempts to keep them out, and ultimately many more $10k's simply to build stronger fences that the elk could jump, but at least wouldn't tear down. The elk cost them 1000's of tons of hay each year.
With the arrival of the wolves the elk abandoned the ranch entirely. At +/- $100 per ton for hay, they're saving megabux on hay. Their only real complaint is that they have to travel to find elk for their freezers each year, rather than shooting them on their own ranch.
Very good news. Now if Wyoming would just take them off the shoot on sight list.
Posted by Mark Seaver on January 6, 2012 at 10:52 PM
Interesting response Hank. Our second house is in Paradise Valley, 25 mi N. of Yellowstone and while we've never seen wolves in the valley but almost every night we're there we see large (50+) herds of mule deer and/or elk grazing happily in the local hay fields. I've always wondered about the cost. I also just read the Yellowstone Vital Signs report for 2011 and it talks about the Northern elk herd being below 5000 animals, which is nearing it's historical low. The Yellowstone scientists are sure that the wolves are playing a role, but aren't sure how to separate wolf predation from the effects of the 10 year drought.
That's great feedback Mark from a neighboring area. This place is between Butte and Anaconda, extending up over the top of the mountains into the headwaters of the Big Hole. It's interesting to talk to them and ride their range. The elk are virtually gone, but in the process they have found very few kills. The elk have moved elsewhere, but the local question is "where." Interesting enough, the numbers of mule deer have notched up, clearly indicating that there's some relationship between elk and deer, and perhaps that the wolves definitely prefer elk.
And yeah, most ranchers can put a very good dollar/tonnage figure on the hay they're feeding to elk and deer once there's a sudden change like that. These folks have to feed nearly 8 months a year, and they have enough water so that's not the limiting factor in their hay production. When the elk disappeared they saw a substantial jump in their hay production, and in fact it was the first year in family history that they didn't have to buy additional hay to supplement their own production.
The interesting part to me is that when there's a public kirfluffle about wolves and lifestock, they keep mum rather than antagonize their ranching cohort. And if you pin down any of the ranchers about stock loss to wolves, very few have experienced any at all, much less large numbers.
Discussion
5 repliesDecember 29, 2011
Media Contacts: Mark Stopher, DFG Executive Office, (530) 225-2275
Jordan Traverso, DFG Communications, (916)
654-9937
Wolf OR7 Enters California
The gray wolf that was wandering in southern Oregon has crossed the
California border. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife (ODFW) this animal is a 2 ½ year old male formerly from a pack
in northeast Oregon. Since the animal has been collared with a Global
Positioning System (GPS) device that periodically transmits its
location, biologists have been able to document its travels since it was
collared in February 2011. Based on the GPS data, he is now more than
300 miles from where his journey began.
His journey, in total, has been more than twice that far with many
changes in direction. Several times he has reversed direction and
returned to previous locations. Today, the California Department of Fish
and Game (DFG) learned that this wolf, designated OR7, crossed the state
line into northern Siskiyou County yesterday. Tracking data puts his
most recent location as a few miles south of the Oregon border. It is
not possible to predict his next movements which could include a return
to Oregon.
DFG continues to collaborate with ODFW and expects to receive daily
location data. This information is transmitted daily when atmospheric
conditions permit. DFG will be sharing only general location information
as this wolf, while in California, is protected as endangered under the
Federal Endangered Species Act.
"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into
California is an historic event and result of much work by the wildlife
agencies in the West," said DFG Director Charlton H. Bonham. “If the
gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much
more work to do here."
Any wild gray wolf that returns to California is protected as
endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act, administered by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
DFG has been following the recovery and migration of gray wolves in
western states with the expectation that at some point they will likely
reach California. The last confirmed wild gray wolf in California was
killed in Lassen County in 1924. The available historic information on
wolves in California suggests that while they were widely distributed,
they were not abundant. DFG has been compiling historic records, life
history information, reviewing studies on wolf populations in other
western states, enhancing communication with other agencies and training
biologists on field techniques specific to wolves. This effort is to
ensure that DFG has all necessary information available when needed, it
is not a wolf management plan and DFG does not intend to reintroduce
wolves into California.
There are more than 1,600 wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains
following a federal reintroduction effort which occurred in the
mid-1990s. In 1999 a single wolf crossed into Oregon from Idaho, after
nearly a 60-year absence in that state. There are now at least 24 wolves
in Oregon in four reproducing packs. It has taken an additional 12 years
for the first wolf to now reach the California border. This particular
animal is exhibiting normal dispersal behavior for a young male and
there is no way to predict whether he will stay in California, return to
Oregon, or travel east into Nevada. Eventually, DFG expects that other
wolves will reach California. Whether this will lead to the
establishment of packs or simply transient individual animals is
unknown.
Gray wolf recovery in other western states has been controversial,
particularly regarding impacts on prey populations, livestock
depredation and human safety. There have been instances where gray wolf
predation has contributed to declines in deer and elk populations,
however, in most cases, predation has had little effect. Some gray
wolves have killed livestock - mostly cattle and sheep - while others
rely entirely on wild prey. In other western states the impact of
depredation on livestock has been small, less than predation by coyotes
and mountain lions, although the effect on an individual livestock
producer can be important, particularly when sheep are killed.
Concerns about human safety are largely based on folklore and are
unsubstantiated in North America. In recent years there was one human
mortality in Canada caused either by wolves or bears and one confirmed
human mortality in Alaska by wolves. Based on experience from states
where substantial wolf populations now exist, wolves pose little risk to
humans. However, DFG recommends that people never approach a wolf, or
otherwise tamper with or feed a wolf. More about how to avoid
human-wildlife interactions can be found on DFG’s website at
www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/.
I'm in close contact with a number of ranchers in the broad area of wolf intros, and there are a couple of versions of what's going on. You hear public forecasts of doom not unlike those bandied by pols in an election year, but little in the way of actual incidents to back it up. Talk to them individually, and most will acknowledge that they've experienced very little, if any livestock loss.
The one I'm best acquainted with runs 700 cow/calf pairs over a wide range of habitats on a large ranch in Montana with at least 3 packs now. He hasn't lost a single calf in several years, and he doesn't go out of his way to protect them. Along with cattle he farms and produces 8,000-10,000 tons of alfalfa hay each year. For generations the family has battled large herds of elk in their alfalfa, spending many $10k's on fencing in unsuccessful attempts to keep them out, and ultimately many more $10k's simply to build stronger fences that the elk could jump, but at least wouldn't tear down. The elk cost them 1000's of tons of hay each year.
With the arrival of the wolves the elk abandoned the ranch entirely. At +/- $100 per ton for hay, they're saving megabux on hay. Their only real complaint is that they have to travel to find elk for their freezers each year, rather than shooting them on their own ranch.
And yeah, most ranchers can put a very good dollar/tonnage figure on the hay they're feeding to elk and deer once there's a sudden change like that. These folks have to feed nearly 8 months a year, and they have enough water so that's not the limiting factor in their hay production. When the elk disappeared they saw a substantial jump in their hay production, and in fact it was the first year in family history that they didn't have to buy additional hay to supplement their own production.
The interesting part to me is that when there's a public kirfluffle about wolves and lifestock, they keep mum rather than antagonize their ranching cohort. And if you pin down any of the ranchers about stock loss to wolves, very few have experienced any at all, much less large numbers.