State and federal wildlife biologists have confirmed it: A photo captured by a remote trail camera shows a gray wolf in the area northwest of Leavenworth, according to a news release.
It’s the first wolf officially documented in that area of the Cascades since wolves began to recolonize Washington state in the late 2000s.
The photos were obtained by volunteers with the Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project of the nonprofit Conservation Northwest.
They further support the contention that wolves are beginning to repopulate, or least travel, into the Cascades, and beyond. A gray wolf was reportedly struck and killed April 27 by vehicle on Interstate 90 between Snoqualmie Pass and North Bend.
The photos were taken before sunrise on Feb. 16. The location, known as the Chiwaukum Range on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in the Cascade mountains, is roughly 75 miles northeast of Seattle. The site is between Stevens Pass and Leavenworth, south of state Route 2.
“We are always pleased to get photos of rare species; this is the primary goal of the project,” said Alison Huyett, the project manager and a conservation associate with Conservation Northwest. “Not only do photos like this one influence management on the ground, but it also highlights the fact that, under guidance of researchers and biologists, citizens can contribute to science in an impactful and effective way.”
Not a pack
Biologists believe the animal photographed is likely a wolf that traveled into or through the area. An established wolf pack is not believed to exist in the Stevens Pass, Chiwaukum or Leavenworth areas, though wolves have likely moved through the region previously to establish the Teanaway pack in Upper Kittitas County and the Wenatchee pack, both to the south.
While hikers, backpackers and others recreating in wolf country should take some sensible precautions just as they would around bears and other large wildlife, including properly storing food and keeping dogs on leash, wild wolves pose no serious threat to humans, the news release said.
In the photos the wolf, a gray and white animal with a classic, thick wolf coat, is seen sniffing and lying in the snow at a camera station set out to capture photos of wolverines, another elusive carnivore making a comeback in the Cascades.
Confirmed wolf tracks were also found within the area.