Wolves continue to make a comeback in California.
State wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of two new gray wolf packs in Northern California and estimate there are now at least 70 of the most endangered predators roaming the state, up from 44 documented last year.
The freshly minted diamond pack roams terrain about 50 miles north of Lake Tahoe, while the other new pack — as yet unnamed — ranges just south of Lassen Volcanic National Park, according to Axel Hunnicutt , state gray wolf coordinator for the California Dep. Fish and wildlife.
Four years ago there was only one pack. There are now nine, according to a map released by the CDFW this month. And with 30 pups born this year, more are expected to form.
“The population has increased significantly and we are really at an inflection point where the number of animals breeding on the landscape is significant,” Hunnicutt said.
A wolf from the new Diamond pack spanning about 50 miles north of Lake Tahoe, captured by a camera trap.
(Wolf Project at UC Berkeley, California)
Experts say the broad-snouted canines can help balance the ecosystem, and conservationists are celebrating their resurgence. But their presence raises challenges such as the need to protect livestock, prompting the state to invest in research to inform management of these expanding species.
The Diamonds pack, located in the state’s mountainous Sierra Valley, is made up of two wolves, one of which is female, Hunnicutt said. There is no evidence that wolves form a breeding pair.
The unnamed pack includes two adult wolves and at least two puppies, he said. They span an area that straddles Shasta, Lassen, Tehama and Plumas counties.
Images of the two new packs were captured by camera traps.
Gray wolves in the Golden State were hunted and trapped until they became extinct a century ago. The last documented wild wolf in California was shot in 1924 in Lassen County.
The species’ astonishing recolonization in California began just 13 years ago when a wolf from northeastern Oregon, known as OR-7, ventured into the Golden State .
It didn’t stick, and the first verified pack didn’t take root until 2015, Hunnicutt said.
The population began taking off two years ago and is now poised for “almost exponential” growth in light of the number of cubs born this year, he said.
A 2016 state conservation plan estimated that the landscape north of Interstate 80 could support about 370 to 500 wolves.
Gray wolves in the lower 48 states, and particularly California, tend to weigh between 75 and 80 pounds. They are quite large, with broader snouts and rounder ears than the coyotes with which they are often confused.
“People send us reports, and it’s interesting because they describe this wonderful experience that they had, and then they also say it weighed 150 pounds, ‘It was the largest dog-like animal that I have ever seen. he said. “And it’s usually not a wolf.” Wolves are not massive.
Many of the reports they receive are from Los Angeles, he said, where no wolves are known.
Having more wolves leads to changes in the ecosystem, which the state seeks to better understand.
Hunnicutt expects coyote numbers, which are “artificially high,” to decline in areas where wolves are established. The same goes for pumas, which are currently, so to speak, the top dogs.
But wolves also feast on livestock and other animals, which can threaten ranchers’ livelihoods. Livestock conflicts are intensifying as the wolf population increases, he said.
This and other complex issues related to polarizing species have prompted the national wildlife agency to partner with UC Berkeley to conduct research that it hopes will fill knowledge gaps and guide the management. The multi-year California Wolf project began earlier this year.
“As wolves move into more and more areas, new areas, and more people care for these animals on the landscape, I think more information is needed to support effective sound management decisions, as well as supporting people whose daily activities are difficult. daily life, livelihoods and all of that are potentially changing – for good, bad or otherwise,” said Christina Winters, a master’s student and field manager for the project.
There will be two main areas of study: exploring the ecological and sociological implications of the return of beasts of burden to the state.
Winters is leading the ecology field work, which involves deploying a huge grid of camera traps in areas where wolf packs reside, in addition to collecting scats and surveying areas where predators have spent a some time.
The sociology portion will involve surveying the public, including asking ranchers about their thoughts on nonlethal deterrence and their experiences interacting directly with wolves, she said.
Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the continued resurgence of wolves in California “wonderful news” — and a testament to the protections afforded to them. They are listed as endangered under state and federal laws.
But some guarantees could soon be attacked.
Wolves were federally delisted during Donald Trump’s first presidency, and the the movement was defended by the Biden administration. Although the protections were restored after a court overturned the decision, it was appeal this year.
“Every time there is a change in administration, we see attempts to strip wolves of their protections” under both Republican and Democratic leadership, Weiss said.
Weiss predicts that federal wildlife officials will once again try to remove protections, and that efforts could also be made in Congress.
State protections would remain in place, but she said they are “preparing to fight back” against the alleged federal actions.
