Wolves Move West Toward Washington

By The Chronicle

    With the successful reintroduction of gray wolves to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming resulting in an ever-increasing population, wildlife officials are preparing for the possibility of packs moving into Washington.

    The public comment period on the state’s wolf management plan will begin with a series of public meetings in October and November. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife began developing a conservation and management plan for the species in 2006.

    Gifford Pinchot Task Force Conservation Director Jessica Walz said an ongoing motion activated camera system will help locate wolves and potential habitat, though it is not yet known whether or not the wolves will move into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

    WDFW Director Jeff Koenings appointed 18 citizens to a “Wolf Working Group” to advise WDFW in developing its wolf management plan. The group met earlier this month, and revisions from those meetings are currently being added to the plan, according to the WDFW Web site.

    The gray wolf is an endangered species throughout Washington under state law, and under federal law in the western two-thirds of the state. Wolves were historically found throughout most or all of Washington, according to the WDFW. They were removed from Washington by the 1930s through targeted trapping and hunting, with the exception of a few individuals dispersing periodically into the state since then.

    As wolves in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming increase in numbers and expand their range, they will be dispersing into Washington and establishing breeding populations here, according to the WDFW.

    Washington’s first fully confirmed wolf pack in many years was discovered in Okanogan County in July 2008, and the second was found in Pend Oreille County in July 2009.

    After public review, the final plan will be presented to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for consideration in 2010, according to the WDFW Web site.

    Twelve public meetings will be held on the wolf management plan, including one at the Water Resources Education Center in Vancouver Oct. 28, the Aberdeen Rotary Log Pavilion Oct. 29, and the Seattle REI store Nov. 2. The meetings each begin at 6:30 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.

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