By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The number of Washington wolves has doubled from a year ago as the state Department of Fish and Wildlife plans another year of monitoring and managing wolf recovery.
The department’s year-end survey shows at least 27 wolves, including five packs with three successful breeding pair.
That’s up from 14 wolves, three packs and one breeding pair a year ago, said Rocky Beach, the department’s wildlife diversity program manager.
The increase means the department is that much closer to the day when wolf recovery goals are met and wolves are delisted under the state Endangered Species Act, Beach said.
A successful breeding pair is an adult male and female with at least two pups that survive until the end of the calendar year.
Under the recently adopted state wolf conservation and management plan, wolves will be removed from the state’s endangered species list once 15 successful breeding pair are documented for three consecutive years among three regions. That means four pair in Eastern Washington, four pair in the North Cascades, four pair in the South Cascades/Northwest Coast, and three pair in any region.
The latest tally by field work and aerial monitoring found two successful breeding pair in Eastern Washington and one in the North Cascades.
The packs are in the northeast corner of the state, Okanogan County and Kittitas County. There is evidence of unconfirmed packs in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington and at Hozomeen in the North Cascades.
The department will work again this spring and summer to confirm new packs and pups and to capture and fit additional wolves with radio collars for monitoring, Beach said.
Wolves were spotted in cattle grazing areas in Stevens and Kittitas counties in the past year, he said.
“Logic would say as the population increases there will be more sightings and interaction (between wolves and cattle), but to what level remains to be seen,” Beach said.
“If ranchers have a problem they should get ahold of us right away and we will react as fast as humanly possible,” he said.
Ranchers may call their nearest Fish and Wildlife office or 1-877-933-9847.