Ranchers fear impact of livestock predation, and hunters worry about deer, elk herds
By JIM CARLTON
SAN FRANCISCO—The return of wolves to their former haunts across the West has reached California, where a pack of wolves was spotted for the first time in decades last month, pitting conservationists against ranchers who worry the predators will prey on livestock.
Still images of seven gray wolves—two adults and five frolicking pups—were captured in August on a trail camera in Siskiyou County near the Oregon border. The discovery of the pack took place four years after a single radio-collared wolf was detected crossing into California, for the first known time since the animal last existed in the Golden State in 1924.
The arrival came as California wildlife officials were still trying to complete a wolf-management plan. Now, state officials are racing to get guidelines in place before conflicts arise, as they have in other Western states, with ranchers trying to defend their herds from predatory attacks, and with hunters who fear the animals will kill too many elk and deer. Since the gray wolf in California is listed as endangered under both federal and state law, ranchers can’t kill or harass them, unless permitted by regulation.
“There’s nervousness and fear, because agriculture is the bread and butter of our economy,” said Supervisor Ray Haupt of Siskiyou County, a sparsely populated area of about 45,000 residents that includes the Mount Shasta volcano.
But environmentalists say the wolf’s return is a cause for celebration, serving as another milestone in what they call one of the more successful wildlife recovery programs in the West. They say wolves are misunderstood, seek to avoid humans, and serve a healthy natural role in culling populations of deer and elk by weeding out the old and sick.
“Our hope is the next generation will hear wolves howl in Yosemite (National Park) and not be afraid,” said Karin Vardaman of the California Wolf Center, an advocacy group in Julian, Calif.
Gray wolves were largely eradicated from the contiguous Western states during the early 20th century, but have been on the rebound since federal officials relocated about 30 from Canada to Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 as part of a recovery program. Since then, the wolves have increased in the West to an estimated 2,000 as of December 2014, with highest concentrations in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming but growing numbers in Washington, Oregon, and now California, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Along the way, there have been run-ins with ranchers, who have lost hundreds of cattle and sheep over the years in infrequent attacks. In eastern Washington, for example, the number of livestock killed by wolves has jumped from one calf in 2007 to 35 sheep and four cows in 2014, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Wolf-control advocates successfully lobbied for the animal to be delisted from federal protection in Idaho and Montana, where the states have now opened them to hunting. The wolves have also been delisted in Oregon and Washington, although they remain under federal protection in Wyoming.
After the arrival of a wolf code-named OR-7 in December 2011, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife convened ranchers, sportsmen and environmental groups to help come up with a management plan for the animal.
One topic discussed was how ranchers could protect their herds: environmentalists pushed for nonlethal techniques such as use of guard dogs and flashing lights, while cattlemen argued they needed a lethal option if all else fails.
“The few ranchers who do have problems with wolves could be put out of business,” said Kirk Wilbur, director of government affairs for the California Cattlemen’s Association. “The concern is less about how many wolves will be in California, and more with the potential impacts on individual ranchers,” he said.
Ms. Vardaman of the California Wolf Center suggested compensating ranchers for lost livestock could be one approach, as now happens in state like Washington. “It’s a win-win if we work together,” she said.
The agency included compensation in its preliminary version of the plan, along with lethal options, said Karen Kovacs, wildlife program manager for the agency’s regional office in Redding, Calif.
“What lethal control does seem to have an effect is at the local level, where you may have chronic depredation from a specific pack,” Ms. Kovacs said.
The wolf management plan is expected to be completed by the end of the year.