Welcome to Wolf Watch!       Home    WOLF NEWS  |  Cat's new Wolf Book
Wyoming news reporter Cat Urbigkit lives in the heart of wolf country, near Big Piney, Wyoming, a few hundred miles south of Yellowstone National Park. As a news reporter, rancher, researcher and Wyoming resident, she has followed the wolf issue for many years and written many articles on the topic, as well as an upcoming book on the history of wolves in Wyoming.
   The goal of this website is to present up-to-date, accurate information about what is happening with wolves, focusing on wolves in the Rocky Mountains, but referring to wolf happenings outside our region when there is some local relevance. Rather than an agenda-driven advocacy site, this is the place to be for the facts about wolves, with a strong focus on what’s happening on the ground.
   We invite those living in areas inhabited by wolves to contact Cat with news tips, photographs, or other information. We also invite those who want to support this endeavor to sign on as sponsors, and for our re aders to support those sponsors.

Article by Cat & Jim Urbigkit: Using dogs to help protect livestock from predators (May, 2010)

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2010 Wolf Watch Story Archive

12/12/10: UP wolves may be delisted
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A Minnesota senator reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has pledged to remove wolves from federal protection in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan by the end of 2011.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/12/10: Thermal research on wolf disease
(By U.S. Geological Survey press release) Psychedelically colored wolves depicted by thermal imaging will shed light on how mange affects the survival, reproduction and social behavior of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. About a quarter of the wolf packs in the park are afflicted with sarcoptic mange, a highly contagious canine skin disease caused by mites that burrow into the skin causing infections, hair loss, severe irritation and an insatiable desire to scratch. The resulting hair loss and depressed vigor of the wolves leaves them vulnerable to hypothermia, malnutrition and dehydration, which can eventually lead to death. To help understand the role of mange in the lives of gray wolves, as well as why some wolves recover and others don’t, wolf biologists are working to understand the costs and extent of infection. Remote cameras will help the team determine the extent of the infection across packs in Yellowstone National Park, and how it changes from one year to the next. Sarcoptic mange was introduced into the Northern Rockies in 1909 by state wildlife veterinarians in an attempt to help eradicate local wolf and coyote populations. The research is being conducted by the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in collaboration with the National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park and the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/12/10: Targeting bold wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The small town of Port Heiden, Alaska has grown weary of hungry wolves prowling the streets. Three wolf packs, each with up to about 20 animals, have become "brazen’ in their actions in town. Wildlife officials in Alaska have decided to institute an emergency aerial hunt for wolves in the small Alaska viallge of Port Heiden to provide some relief from the half-dozen wolf packs that have been entering the village. The village is 45 miles away from the area where a woman was killed by wolves last March..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/12/10: Hatch: States should manage wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah believes that states should manage wolves, according to an editorial he authored that appears in the Dixie Press.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/8/10: Wyoming wolf population continues growth
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that based on preliminary estimates as of December 3, 2010, they estimate > 360 wolves in 42 packs (including 23 BP) in Wyoming in 2010..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/8/10: Wolf negotiations halted
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer said wolf negotiations hit an impasse this week, after Idaho and Wyoming refused to go along with a proposal offered by federal officials..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/8/10: Montana spat over wolf research
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officials have grown weary of conflict originating from disagreements with a Montana State University faculty member whose work focuses on wolves and elk, and have suggested that the relationship between the state agency and the educational institution may end because of that conflict.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/8/10: Wolf hybrid killed in Idaho
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) An animal killed by a sheepherder after the animal had preyed on a lamb has been determined to be a hybrid between a wolf and a German shepherd.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/8/10: Wolves killed on Anchorage highway
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) At least six wolves were killed by vehicles along a ½-mile stretch of highway leading into Anchorage, Alaska, state wildlife officials report.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/6/10: Wolf delisting bill introduced
(By Congressional Western Caucus media release) U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and seven Congressional Western Caucus colleagues joined together to introduce the State Sovereignty Wildlife Management Act. The legislation returns management authority of gray wolves to the states and removes the gray wolf from the endangered species list respectively... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/6/10: Feds can withhold wolf locations
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal court has ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture may withhold the locations of livestock killings by Mexican gray wolves. .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/6/10: Wolf delisting ‘road map’ discussed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal officials met with governors from Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana to work on a road map for removing wolves from federal protection.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/6/10: Wolf pack rampages in Georgian village
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A pack of wolves has been on a rampage in a Georgian village (in Eurasia), killing numerous livestock and chickens recently. Wolf packs in Georgia killed a man in February, and a woman last year as well.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

12/6/10: Idaho sheriff denies 'SSS' aims for wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) An Idaho sheriff denies that his "SSS Wolf Pack Raffle," in which the winner will receive a hunting rifle and a shovel, advocates the illegal killing of wolves. "SSS" means to "shoot, shovel, and shut up."... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/22/10: CBD plan for wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Center for Biological Diversity has released its fall 2010"Endangered Earth" in which it calls for creation of a new national recovery plan for wolves, and declares that "the job of restoring wolves is far from finished." CBD hopes that the new recovery plan "would provide a much-needed roadmap for re-establishing wolf populations in suitable habitat in the Pacific Northwest, California, the Great Basin, the southern Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains and New England."... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/22/10: Wolf bills unlikely to proceed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that federal legislation aimed at getting wolves removed from Endangered Species Act protection is unlikely to move forward in the current Congress. With only a few weeks left in the current congressional session, a legislative more is unlikely.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/22/10: Eastern coyotes have wolf genetics
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) North Country Now has an interesting article about Eastern coyotes. These coyotes are often larger than their western counterparts, and researchers indicate the reason why is because they carry wolf genetics.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/19/10: Reward offered in Montana wolf case
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana wildlife officials are offering a reward for information about the illegal killing of two wolves in the Flathead National Forest.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/19/10: Feds kill aggressive Wisconsin wolf pack
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal wildlife officials have killed six wolves in western Wisconsin after determining the animals had become to accustomed to human presence and after the wolf pack killed several dogs... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/19/10: Judge sides with Wyoming in wolf case
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) U.S. District Court of Wyoming Judge Alan Johnson issued a ruling Thursday that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service must take another look at Wyoming’s wolf management plan and reassess its decision not to delist wolves in Wyoming. Johnson ruled FWS was arbitrary and capricious in requiring that wolves in all of Wyoming be included in a trophy game classification rather than just "a portion of northwestern Wyoming.".... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/16/10: Living with wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The science blog Wild Muse has an excellent guest piece from a woman who is living with wolves in British Columbia.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/12/10: Conditioning wolves to dislike the taste of sheep
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Scientific American reports that in controlled experiments, researchers are attempting to condition wolves to dislike the taste of sheep..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/12/10: Will Wyoming negotiate on wolves?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) What action the Wyoming Legislature will take in terms of negotiating a deal for the delisting of wolves is up for debate. A legislative committee will consider whether Wyoming should spend $30,000 to join Montana and Idaho in seeking a negotiated deal with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over delisting.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/12/10: Feds fight wolf data release
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Capital Press reports that the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Sierra Club have filed a Freedom of Information request with the USDA attempting to learn the GPS locations of wolf removals and depredations in the southwest. The federal government is fighting the release of data..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/10/10: Montana hunters fend off wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Two Montana hunters tell the story of being confronted by a pack of aggressive wolves..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/10/10: Montana ditches wolf position
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has eliminated its "wolf coordinator" position.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/10/10: Wolf Stones
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The International Wolf Center has a fascinating article about "wolf stones" that are placed over graves to keep wolves from digging up burial sites.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/10/10: Another study shows wolf diversity lacking
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A study of wolf genetics indicates that the Yellowstone wolf population is lacking in genetic diversity, according to researcher Bob Wayne. ..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/10/10: Bold Alaska wolves targeted
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) State wildlife officials in Alaska plan to kill wolves near Anchorage and Eagle River because the wolves are exhibiting behavior indicating they have lost their fear of humans.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

11/10/10: Wyoming wolf depredation update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reports it is continuing to manage Wyoming’s wolf population growth and wolf distribution to minimize chronic loss of livestock from wolves and promote wolf conservation by maintaining the Wyoming wolf population well above recovery objectives. They report confirmed wolf livestock kills west of Pinedale and near Cody in October, 2010.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/29/10: Rule re-establishing ESA protections for wolves final
(By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is publishing a final rule in the Federal Register to reinstate the regulatory protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, for the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in most of the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM). This administrative procedure is a restatement in regulation in order to comply with the District of Montana court order dated August 5, 2010. In order to enforce the court order, this final rule corrects the gray wolf listing for the northern half of Montana, the northern panhandle of Idaho, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon, and north-central Utah as endangered and reinstates the former special rules designating the gray wolf in the remainder of Montana and Idaho as nonessential experimental populations. Because ESA protections were not removed in Wyoming by our April 2, 2009, final delisting rule, Wyoming is not impacted by this final rule..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/26/10: Montana wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports in the MONTANA WOLF PROGRAM WEEKLY REPORT for October 9 through 15, 2010 .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/26/10: Wyoming wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The most current update from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/26/10: Why the Tester/Baucus bill is better
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana conservationist Ben Lamb has an editorial on wolf delisting over on the New West blog. Lamb argues that the bill proposed for congress by Senators Baucus and Tester is the best way to get the western states out of the current wolf delisting stalemate. The bill would allow wolf delisting based on political boundaries..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/25/10: Idaho ends wolf management
(By Idaho Governor C.L. Butch Otter press release) Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter notified Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today that Idaho no longer will act as the federal government’s "designated agent," managing wolves imposed on the state under the Endangered Species Act..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/25/10: Idaho governor's wolf editorial
(By Idaho Governor C.L. Butch Otter press release) "Wolves are a grievance. Judge Molloy’s rulings that ignore realities on the ground and the responsible steps Idaho has taken to sustainably manage wolves are a grievance. Repeated legal claims by wolf advocates with nothing more at stake than their fund-raising efforts is a grievance"..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/25/10: Montana inclined to retain wolf management
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana officials seem less inclined to give up cooperative wolf managemegnt with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service than Idaho officials..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/25/10: Idaho wolf hotline glitch
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho press accounts report that the launch of a new telephone hotline about wolves has been hindered by a glitch. With the state backing away from wolf management in Idaho, federal wildlife authorities had hoped to use the hotline as a communication tool with the public, but when the public tried to call the number, no connection was made.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/16/10: Wolf genetic study released
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolves in the Northern Rockies are genetically diverse and individuals within the region move freely between wolf sub-populations of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, according to a new study.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/15/10: Tri-state Wolf Compact Commission formed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) State lawmakers from Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have formed a commission to work on wolf delisting and state control of the predator.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/10/10: Montana outlines wolf management efforts
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have detailed activities undertaken by various sectors of state government since a federal judge once again relisted gray wolves in that state. Montana officials have worked in attempt to have the state regain state control of wolves since the relisting, and those efforts have included a variety of legal, administrative, and Congressional actions.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/10/10: Feds reject Montana wolf
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has rejected Montana's proposal to conduct a "conservation" hunt for wolves this fall, according to press reports.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/10/10: Montana wolf lawsuit settlement?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that an attorney for the tate of Montana said that it may be possible for the state to settle its lawsuit over wolf delisting by negotiating an agreement with environmentalists. ... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/6/10: Wolf group cashing in on wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Center for Biological Diversity is using the ongoing controversy over wolves to raise money to continue the battle. The group recently sent out an email alert with the subject line stating "Emergency support needed to stop wolf shooting, gassing."..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/6/10: Oregon reevaluates wolf plan
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) With a growing wolf population, Oregon state officials have reevaluated its five-year wolf management plan. The revised plan may relax rules for harassing wolves, but may not allow for much control of wolves causing conflicts with livestock..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

10/6/10: Idaho appeals wolf decision
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho officials have joined Montana and the U.S. Interior Department in filing an appeal of a federal court decision that reinstated federal protection for wolves in Idaho and Montana..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/30/10: Western Senators introduce legislation allowing States to manage wolf population
(By Western Senators joint media release) On Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010, a group of Western Senators unveiled legislation putting state governments in charge of managing wolf populations that have become a threat to wildlife and livestock. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) introduced the Returning Wolf Management to the States Act (S. 3919). In order to give states the authority to manage wolf populations, the bill removes Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/30/10: Wyoming wolf control update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service wolf report for Sept. 24, 2010 includes reports wolf attacks on livestock in Fremont and Park counties resulting in wolf control actions..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/30/10: Montana petitions for fall wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to allow for a "conservation" hunt for wolves in order to relieve "population pressures and associated biological, social, and political pressures that currently jeopardize support of wolf recovery in Montana." .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/27/10: Another Wisconsin pack deemed habituated
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wildlife officials in Wisconsin recently euthanized seven wolves deemed to be a threat to human safety after the pack had become habituated to humans and apparently began preying on dogs, and now a second pack of five wolves are slated for the same fate. The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram reports that a Jackson County wolf pack has become habituated to humans and will be destroyed..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/27/10: Utah wolf reports increase
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Salt Lake Tribune reports that wildlife officials in Utah are seeing an increased number of reports of wolves in that state, especially in the counties adjacent to Wyoming...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/27/10: Pro-wolf groups blew it editorial
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Using the knowledge that wolves mark their territories, a Montana researcher is testing a "biofence" made of wolf urine and feces in attempt to keep wolves from livestock herds..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/27/10: Wolf 'biofence' tested
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Using the knowledge that wolves mark their territories, a Montana researcher is testing a "biofence" made of wolf urine and feces in attempt to keep wolves from livestock herds..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/23/10: Wolf delisting bill proposed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch introduced legislation to remove the gray wolf from being listed as a threatened or endangered species in the states of Idaho and Montana. The act is titled the State Wolf Management Act of 2010. Crapo and Risch argue the U.S. Department of Interior has already communicated to wildlife officials in Idaho and Montana that they have complied with recovery efforts for wolf populations, and those efforts should result in wolf management being turned over to state control as federal agencies planned..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/23/10: Wisconsin kills 7 wolves deemed human threat
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Lakeland Times reports that seven wolves have been killed by state officials after being deemed a threat to human safety. The animals had been involved in livestock depredations, including preying on livestock protection dogs and pets, and had apparently become habituated to humans..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/23/10: Wyoming wolf depredation update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for depredation incidents in Fremont & Park counties and around Dubois in September, 2010..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/20/10: Montana looks to action on wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A Montana congressman wants to amend the Endangered Species Act to prohibit wolves from being classified as "endangered" in Montana and Idaho..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/20/10: FWS to consider Great Lakes wolf delisting
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is once again examining whether wolves in the Great Lakes region should be removed from the endangered species list. FWS's action is the result of petitions filed seeking delisting..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/20/10: Idaho county declares wolf disaster
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) County Commissioners in one Idaho county have declared the county to be a "disaster" because of wolves.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/14/10: Wolves kill sheep in Bighorns
(By Echo Renner, Wyoming Livestock Roundup) Wolves killed 24 sheep in July on the north end of the Bighorn Mountains in Sheridan County, about 15 miles south of the Wyoming / Montana state line. In 2009, approximately three wolves killed 113 sheep on the south end of the Bighorn Mountains before all three were lethally removed..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/12/10: Upper Green calf depredation paper published
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Four Sublette County ranchers teamed up and succeeded in getting a scientific paper published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Wildlife Management. The paper, "Quantifying Economic Impacts of Large-Carnivore Depredation on Bovine Calves" was written by Albert Sommers with the assistance of Charles Price, Cat Urbigkit and Eric Peterson.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/12/10: Five wolves killed in Upper Green
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) After killing livestock on numerous occasions, five wolves from the 13-member Green River wolf pack were killed by federal wildlife officials last week... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/12/10: Idaho threatens to step out of wolf management
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho Governor Butch Otter has notified federal officials that the state should be able to negotiate a new agreement for continued state management of wolves soon, or else the state may back out of participation in wolf management activities entirely... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/6/10: Stock growers file lawsuit over Mexican wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Local governments teamed up with local livestock producers and other multiple- use advocates in filing a lawsuit over the Mexican wolf recovery program.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/6/10: Oops: wolves not saving aspen from elk
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Previous research has claimed that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is helping restore quaking aspen in risky areas where wolves prowl. But apparently elk hungry for winter food had a different idea. They didn’t know they were supposed to be responding to a "landscape of fear." This recent study led by Matthew Kauffman, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist, suggests that aspen are not benefitting from the landscape of fear created by wolves, and that claims of an ecosystem-wide recovery of aspen are premature.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

9/6/10: Expanded wolf control expected
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press has a report of whether federally protected or not, expanded control of wolves is anticipated, both in the Northern Rockies and in the Great Lakes region.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/25/10: Wolves killing calves in Upper Green
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that wolves from the Green River Pack killed four calves in mid-August in the Upper Green River drainage. The pack killed two additional calves earlier this summer. Wildlife Services is attempting to trap and radio collar > 1 wolf. Control actions are ongoing to remove 3-4 wolves from the pack. A single wolf killed a yearling steer near Bondurant, Wyoming in mid-August.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/25/10: Defenders ends wolf compensation program
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Defenders of Wildlife has ended its wolf damage compensation program. On August 20, 2010, the organization announced it is moving to what it is calling is a transition to another program. With the implementation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and states of new federal legislation providing federal funds for state programs to compensate ranchers for livestock taken by wolves, Defenders says its “highly successful livestock compensation program” is no longer needed and will end in most states on Sept. 10. Defenders is providing support to states as they start their own compensation programs, and will be focusing on collaborative efforts to help ranchers coexist with wolves..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/25/10: Idaho proposes wolf reduction program
(By Idaho Fish & Game Department) The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking public comments on a proposal to reduce the wolf population in part of the Clearwater drainage. The proposal calls for reducing the population of wolves in two big game management units that make up the Lolo elk management zone. Wolf numbers would be kept at about 20 to 30 wolves for five years, while the elk and wolf populations are monitored. That amounts to removing about seven percent of the estimated minimum of 835 wolves in the state at the end of 2009..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/23/10: Idaho wants lead in managing wolves
(By Idaho Fish & Game Department) Idaho should remain in the lead role in managing wolves despite their return to endangered species status, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission decided Monday, August 16. But commissioners want a new agreement with the federal government for lead management to include some changes to restrict the use of license dollars from being used on wolf management and to reflect state priorities better. The commission adopted a resolution that calls for actions in response to the recent federal court decision that returned gray wolves in the Northern Rockies to the endangered species list.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/23/10: Wolf weights
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) There has been much discussion of late about wolf weights in the Rocky Mountains. While weights of existing pack members in the wild would be hard to determine, here is information about the weights of the original wolves released in Yellowstone National Park in 1995 and 1996. These are the January weights of the wolves that were captured in Canada.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/18/10: More states push for delisting
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wisconsin Ag Connection reports that more states are pushing for federal protection of wolves to be eased. Natural resource agency officials in 13 states and three Canadian provinces sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stating just that....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/18/10: Interior tries to pressure Wyoming wolf planning
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for fish and wildlife and parks, has an editorial in the Los Angeles Times today suggesting Wyoming needs to change its wolf plan so that wolves in the Northern Rockies can be removed from federal protections. He said "recovery requires Wyoming to change its policy," to join in management efforts similar to those in Montana and Idaho. Governor Dave Freudenthal has noted that unlike the other states involved which developed wolf management plans, the entire state of Wyoming is included in the wolf recovery area, not just part of the state....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/18/10: Wyoming wolf status 8/13/2010
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a report on wolf status in Wyoming as of August 13, 2010. At least 24 wolf packs have denned in Wyoming in 2010. They anticipate more breeding pairs will be identified this summer as additional den/rendezvous sites are located and reproduction is confirmed. In Yellowstone Park they say monitoring of packs that had litters suggests higher pup survival relative to the last two summers where disease and strife were a significant mortality factor....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/11/10: Wyoming wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that wolves from the Buffalo Pack were suspected of killing a border collie herding dog in the Gros Ventre drainage southwest of Jackson. In addition, on July 26, USDA Wildlife Services confirmed a calf was injured by wolves on private property west of Cody. Two grey wolves have been killed by vehicles in Grand Teton National Park so far this year....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/8/10: Wolf protections reinstated
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal judge in Montana has reinstated federal protections for wolves in Montana and Idaho. The summary judgment decision did not address the various arguments about wolf numbers, genetics and linkages, but instead addressed only the narrow issue of whether it was legal for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist wolves in two of the three states that encompass the Distinct Population Segment. The ruling stated such action was not in compliance with the Endangered Species Act....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

8/8/10: Wolves killing guardian dogs in Utah
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Just south of Wyoming's border in neighboring Utah, wolves have killed at least one livestock guardian dog protecting their sheep herd.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/27/10: Sublette County wolf problems
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that on 3/10/10, Wildlife Services confirmed that a calf was killed by wolves from the Black Butte Pack NW of Pinedale, WY. Control efforts were completed when 3 wolves were removed. On 4/18/10, WY Wildlife Services verified a foal was killed and a yearling horse was injured by wolves from the Black Butte Pack. Control efforts began again to remove the remaining 2 wolves, but were unsuccessful. On 7/21/10, Wildlife Services confirmed that another calf was killed by wolves in the same area. Control efforts are ongoing to remove these 2 wolves....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/27/10: Utah wolf killed for livestock kills
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) In early July 2010 USDA Wildlife Services (WS) and Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed a wolf or wolves had depredated on both cattle and sheep on USDA Forest Service grazing allotments in the area of Utah where wolves are delisted northeast of Coalville. UT DNR authorized lethal removal of that wolf or wolves.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/21/10: Wolf stories in national news
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Christian Science Monitor currently has two feature stories on wolves. The first is about Yellowstone National Park wolf researcher Doug Smith. The second story in the publication details wolf recovery in the Midwest and how people are struggling to deal with the animals......(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/21/10: Wisconsin installs wolf howling boxes
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) In an effort to control wolf pack movements, wildlife officials are installing howling boxes in Wisconsin, hoping that when wolves hear recorded wolf howls in certain areas, they will believe that the territory is already occupied.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/20/10: Group petitions for wolves across United States
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking for a national recovery plan for Gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act to establish wolf populations in suitable habitat in the Pacific Northwest, California, Great Basin, southern Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and New England. The group says existing recovery plans for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest are out of date and it is time to develop a national recovery plan to facilitate true recovery of the gray wolf. The Center’s petition starts a process in which the Fish and Wildlife Service must make a determination on whether to develop such a recovery plan based on the science in the petition and the requirements of the law. The Endangered Species Act requires recovery of endangered animals and plants throughout all significant portions of their range...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/19/10: Wyoming wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that 1-2 wolves killed a total of 14 lambs and 1 ewe on public land in the Big Horn Mountains, approximately 15 miles south of the Wyoming/Montana state border. Four additional lambs were injured and are not expected to survive. At least 14 packs have denned this spring in Wyoming, outside Yellowstone National Park....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/12/10: Wyoming wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wyoming wolf update reports from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "We continue to manage wolf population growth and wolf distribution to minimize chronic loss of livestock from wolves and promote wolf conservation by maintaining the Wyoming wolf population (outside YNP) well above recovery objectives."...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/12/10: Wolf killed in southeastern Idaho
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A sheepherder in southeastern Idaho shot and killed a wolf east of Preston, Idaho after the animal killed one of his lambs.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/12/10: Idaho hopes to reduce wolf numbers
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho wildlife officials hope that allowing wolf trapping and the use of electronic calls will help to reduce the wolf population in that state....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

7/12/10: Montana sets 186-wolf quota
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officials have set the hunting season harvest for wolves at 186, up from the 75 it had authorized for the 2009 season....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/28/10: More wolves killed in control actions
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports additional control action in June to remove wolves for sheep and cattle depredations.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/24/10: Three wolves killed in control work
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports there have been six wolves killed in control actions in Wyoming so far this year. An old male wolf was removed near Dempsey Creek, northwest of Kemmerer due to sheep depredations. Two adult wolves were removed west of Cody due to two confirmed calf killings....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/24/10: Economics of predation on range operations
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Three University of Wyoming professors affiliated with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics just had a new paper published by the Society for Range Management. The paper, "Ranch-level economic impacts of predation in a range livestock system," examines the three primary mechanisms predators reduce ranch profitability, and uses a mathematical ranch model of a cow-calf operation in western Wyoming to simulate effects of these three predation mechanisms on ranch profitability....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/24/10: Wolf control works
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A retired Alaska wildlife biologist gives his view and history with wolf control in that state....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/24/10: Wolves at the door in New Mexico
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Range Magazine takes a look at the wolf situation in a new special report: “Land in Crisis: Wolves at the door in Catron County, New Mexico."...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/17/10: Montana judges hears federal wolf case
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Delisting wolves in Montana and Idaho, without delisting wolves in Wyoming, was the subject of oral arguments in a federal courtroom in Montana Tuesday....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/12/10: Wolf attacks Forest Service horse
(By Bridger-Teton National Forest press release) An incident occurred at the Blackrock Ranger Station on the Buffalo Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest Thursday June 10 where a wolf attacked one of the Forest Service’s horse stock. According to Acting District Ranger Ray Spencer, the horse was either spooked by a wolf and ran across a cattle guard or was being attacked by the wolf when it ran across the cattle guard. The horse was put down due to the nature of its wounds. ....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Wyoming/Western wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that there are no recent livestock depredations in Wyoming. They give a report for recent wolf activity in Utah and Oregon....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Living with wolves: Montana
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana's wolf population tallies more than 500, and ranchers are struggling to live with the large predators. Missoula, Montana's News Channel 13 takes an in-depth look at Living with Wolves.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Alaska waits on court to resolve wolf, caribou conflict
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Alaska wildlife officials have postponed a plan to kill wolves on a caribou calving ground in a national wildlife refuge until a federal judge issues a ruling. The state proposes an aerial predator control program in order to help the struggling caribou population.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Tripled Montana wolf harvest proposed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A state wildlife biologist said that an expanded wolf hunt is the only way to reduce Montana's wolf population. Nearly tripling the harvest is now being considered.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Montana unveils wolf proposals
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have several wolf hunting proposals out for public review. The FWP Commission recently approved quota alternatives of 153, 186 or 216 wolves in the proposed 14 different wolf management units. Sub-quota areas are also being considered to limit harvest during early season backcountry hunts and in an area directly north of Yellowstone National Park. Also proposed this year is a wolf archery season for all WMUs that would open Sept. 4 and run through Oct. 17, the same time as Montana’s deer, elk, lion, and black bear archery seasons. Hunting would close when quotas are met, or by Dec. 31. Last year, Montana’s first ever wolf harvest quota was 75 wolves across three WMUs. Officials estimate that at least 524 wolves in 101 verified packs and 37 breeding pairs inhabited the state at the end of 2009. The Montana wolf population is predicted to decrease under each of the quota alternatives currently being considered by the FWP Commission. Officials caution, however, that the wolf hunting season could be blocked by groups that recently sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent wolf delisting. Such legal challenges prevented wolf delisting and a hunting season in 2008 and could affect the wolf hunt this year. FWP has joined the USFWS’s defense of the delisting decision. Court arguments are set for June 15 in Missoula.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Oregon wolf numbers increasing
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Oregon wildlife and livestock officials are beginning to experience first-hand what it's like to live with wolves. One ranch in the eastern part of the state is part of a research project aimed at monitoring interactions between wolves and cattle. The study has revealed that wolves have far more contact with cattle than was suspected, and even the most intensive management could not prevent wolves from killing cattle.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

6/7/10: Mexican wolf program at risk
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes its Mexican wolf recovery program is at risk of complete failure. Twelve years after Mexican wolves, a distinct subspecies of gray wolf, were released in Eastern Arizona, there are few wolves left, and the program is sinking....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/24/10: Alaska seeks to kill wolves, save caribou
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Alaska wildlife officials want to kill wolves on a national wildlife refuge in order to save an ailing caribou population....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/24/10: Wolf survival studied
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf populations can sustain mortality rates of 25 percent and still thrive, but the wolf population has not been doing well in protected areas such as Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/24/10: Montana looks to reducing wolf numbers
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that Montana wildlife commissioners have approved a plan to at least double the number of wolves harvested in the state's next wolf hunting season.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/24/10: Twenty wolf packs den in northwestern Wyoming
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) At least 20 packs of wolves in northwestern Wyoming have denned, according to federal wildlife officials.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/24/10: Idaho authorizes wolf removals
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Idaho Fish and Game Department has authorized four outfitters to use their clients to reduce wolf numbers in the Lolo area. with each outfitter permitted to harvest up to five wolves. The wolf population reduction is being conducted to help the ailing elk herd....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/19/10: Using dogs to help protect livestock from predators
(By Pinedale Online!) Expanding large carnivore populations pose new challenges for livestock owners to protect their herds from predators while abiding to the laws that protect some of these predator species which are under federal protection. Some sheep ranchers have used specially-bred livestock protection dogs as a non-lethal tool to help protect their herds from wolf predation. Cat and Jim Urbigkit, ranchers in Big Piney, have co-authored a paper on the use of livestock protection dogs (LPDs), which was recently published in Sheep & Goat Research Journal. “The number of LPDs killed by large predators is increasing,” they wrote. “We conducted a literature review to identify LPD breeds that may be more suited for use around large carnivores, such as gray wolves.”.. (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/16/10: Wolf packs are denning
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that more than eight Wyoming wolf packs have denned. In Yellowstone National Park, 9-11 packs have denned....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/9/10: Wolves attack people, livestock in Georgia
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf attacks on people and livestock has led Georgian villagers to seek permission to kill wolves. Two people are now dead, as are more than 100 head of livestock...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/9/10: Feds admit to changing wolf recovery target
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal wolf official has admitted that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has changed its wolf recovery target since the reintroduction program began....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/9/10: Save wolves, hunt wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Hal Harring has an article in High Country News about Montana's first wolf hunting season. "One Way to Save the Wolf? Hunt It" ....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

5/9/10: Montana & Idaho may up wolf quotas
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Both Idaho and Montana officials are considering proposals to increase the quotas for their state's next wolf hunting seasons.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/29/10: FWS talks up Gros Ventre wolf study
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reviewed the highlights of a study of wolf predation in the Gros Ventre area with the Jackson Hole News & Guide.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/29/10: Wolf population drops in Denali
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf population declines in several areas of Alaska are causing debate about management actions.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/29/10: Wolf hearing June 15 in Montana
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal judge is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the challenge to wolf delisting in the Northern Rockies, on June 15 in Missoula....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/25/10: Wolves making first stock kills of 2010
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Jackson Hole News & Guide has an article about the first confirmed livestock kills by wolves in 2010, and the control actions that are taking place in response to these continued problems....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/25/10: Idaho wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Idaho Fish and Game Department reports 135 wolves were harvested legally from September 1 through December 31, 2009. Hunters took 46 wolves between January 1 and March 31, 2010). USDA Wildlife Services confirmed wolves killed eight calves, injured one calf and probably killed another calf during March. In response to these and previous depredations, Wildlife Services killed 10 wolves...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/21/10: Wisconsin to study wolf impact on deer
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will soon undertake a study to learn the causes of deer deaths in the state's whitetail deer population. With a thriving wolf population of more than 700, hunters are concerned about the impact of predation on deer herds....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/21/10: Wolf numbers down on Isle Royale
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that wolf numbers have decreased in Isle Royale National Park, but the local moose population appears to be holding steady....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/16/10: Wolves on the range
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Bozeman Daily Chronicle reporter Daniel Person has undertaken a four-part series on wolves in the Northern Rockies. This second installment of the series takes a look at wolves on a Montana sheep ranch...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/16/10: Banning wolf hunter harassment
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Time has an article called "Wolf Wars: A new move to ban hunter harassment" tackles the issue of people legally harvesting wolves and then being harassed about it by wolf advocates...(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/9/10: Elk foundation spats with Defenders
(By Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation press release) Pro-wolf groups were admittedly "surprised and disappointed" when the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation publicly challenged their mischaracterizations of the real impacts of wolves in the northern Rockies and are feeling even more heat today. Their recent call for a truce has been met with a scathing letter from RMEF President and CEO David Allen, who says Defenders of Wildlife, Western Wildlife Conservancy and others are party to what may become "one of the worst wildlife management disasters since the destruction of bison herds in the 19th Century."....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/7/10: FWS: $1 million to states for wolf program
(By U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced $1 million in grants that will be distributed to 10 states under a new demonstration program designed to help livestock producers undertake proactive, non-lethal activities to reduce the risk of livestock loss from predation by wolves, or to compensate livestock producers for livestock losses caused by wolves. These grants will be provided to Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, and will support the states’ highest priority needs in assisting livestock producers....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/5/10: Howling at wolves is harassment
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Media reports from Canada tell us that howling for wolves - whether its done by wolf watchers, commercial outfitters or researchers - is actually wolf harassment....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

4/5/10: Wolf recovery funding
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual report 2009 for the Northern Rocky Mountain wolf recovery program includes estimates of wolf recovery funding. Wolf recovery has been almost entirely funded by federal appropriations and some private donations. In FY09 about $3,763,000 in federal taxpayer funding was spent on wolf recovery and management in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Wolf management in the NRM in FY 2010 will cost federal taxpayers an estimated $4,206,000.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/30/10: Idaho wolf hunt ends
(By Idaho Fish and Game) Idaho's first regulated wolf season closes statewide on March 31, 2010. The season already has closed in seven of 12 wolf zones, and as of March 29, hunters have taken 185 wolves. The harvest limit is 220. "The season has succeeded in halting the growth of Idaho's wolf population," Fish and Game Director Cal Groen said. "It showed that Fish and Game is capable of monitoring and managing a well-regulated wolf hunt." The hunt also showed that fears of wholesale slaughter of wolves were unfounded, Groen said. Hunters exhibited good compliance with the rules and with check-in and call-in requirements....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/27/10: Relative risk of predation from wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Mark Collinge of the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services office in Boise, Idaho, recently published an interesting paper on the "Relative risks of predation on livestock posed by individual wolves, black bears, mountain lions, and coyotes in Idaho."....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/26/10: Twenty-one packs with pups
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that in 2009 in Wyoming (outside the national parks) a total of 21 packs produced >89 pups and met the FWS breeding pair definition. Mean litter size of pups surviving to 31 December 2009 was 4.1 pups per litter and ranged from 2-14 pups (14 pups were a double litter).....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/26/10: Forty Wyoming wolves died in 2009
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports in 2009, 40 wolves (15% of the total population) were known to have died in Wyoming outside of the national parks. Causes of mortality included: agency control = 31 (77% of all documented mortality); unknown or under law enforcement investigation = 7 (18%); and natural = 2 (5%).....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/22/10: Wolf shooting under investigation
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A wolf was shot and killed in Sublette County last week, and the incident is currently under investigation by federal law enforcement officials, although such officials said today they could "neither confirm nor deny" either the incident or the investigation. Wolves are classified as a federally protected species in Wyoming.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/19/10: Brucellosis in wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2009 Interagency Annual Report includes information about brucellosis testing in wolves in Wyoming....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/17/10: Wyoming wolf population growth
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2009 Interagency Annual Report includes information about the growth of the wolf population outside the borders of national parks in Wyoming. The population has had an average annual growth rate of 19 percent......(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/16/10: Outfitters hold wolf rally March 20 in Jackson
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Outfitters are planning a rally in Jackson Hole on Saturday, March 20 to highlight the impact wolves have on big game populations......(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/14/10: FWS releases annual wolf report 2009
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released the Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery annual report for 2009......(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/13/10: Update on Alaska teacher death
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) There are now news stories coming out every day about the death of a 32-year old teacher in Alaska, and the apparent confirmation that her death was caused by wolves.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/13/10: Autopsy: Animal mauling killed teacher
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Autopsy results indicate the 32-year old teacher killed in Alaska died from multiple injuries inflicted during an animal attack. Her body was surrounded by wolf tracks....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/13/10: Killing wolves for human safety?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Alaska has a population of about 11,000 wolves and a unique state statute that allows up to 10 wolves to be killed per day per person in a community should state officials determine that the animals pose a threat to human safety. The issue has been spotlighted since the death of a 32-year old teacher this week, with evidence of wolf predation at the scene....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/10/10: What was learned from Montana wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Outdoors magazine has a great article called "A Steady First Step" that examines the lessons learned from the state's first regulated wolf hunt....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/10/10: Wolves may have killed teacher in Alaska
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Anchorage Daily News reports that authorities are investigating the death of a 32-year old teacher in Alaska, and wolves are being investigated as a potential cause....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/10/10: Ashley Judd: save the wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Actress Ashley Judd has once again teamed up with Defenders of Wildlife to plea with President Obama to "save the wolves." Judd has recorded a TV spot, airing in Washington DC the week of March 8th, in which she appeals to President Obama to take action to save wolves in the northern Rockies and Greater Yellowstone region....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/9/10: Wyoming wolf monitoring update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a report for wolf activity for the early part of March 2010. The report has information on wolf activity near Cody; wolf activity related to elk capture/collaring efforts for the University of Wyoming Absaroka Elk project; capture operations in Yellowstone National Park; and status of the Druid Peak Pack......(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/9/10: Montana issues new wolf kill rules
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks officials have issued new rules for dealing with problem wolves, allowing USDA Wildlife Services specialists to proceed with removing problem wolves without prior FWP authorization......(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/9/10: Wolf reintroduction for Grand Canyon?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Some are advocating that wolves recovery should focus on establishing a wolf population on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/9/10: Alaska eliminates Denali wolf harvest buffer zone
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Alaska wildlife officials have rejected the wolf harvest buffer zone for Denali National park and Preserve.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/9/10: Idaho wants expanded wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The director of the Idaho Fish and Game Department is advocating an expanded wolf hunting season in order to stop the decline of the Lolo area elk population....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

3/9/10: Tips for dealing with wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Canadian wildlife officials have offered a series of tips for dealing with wolves that do not demonstrate a fear of humans.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/28/10: Using wolves to control elk
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A recent paper in BioScience proposes the use of small populations of wolves "for ecosystem restoration and stewardship." The paper proposes that small populations of wolves could be placed throughout the national park system in order to control over-abundant ungulate populations.....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/28/10: Wolves wear out welcome
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolves have apparently worn out their welcome in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to a press report in the Twin Cities' Pioneer Press....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/28/10: Brits consider reintroducing big predators
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The British countryside may soon harbor bears, lynx, wolves and elk, according to press accounts of a proposal under consideration....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/28/10: Elk foundation calls out motives of wolf groups
(Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation press release) In letters to legislators and newspapers across the West, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is calling out groups like Defenders of Wildlife, Western Wildlife Conservancy and others for their disingenuous use of data on wolves and elk. The RMEF action was prompted by each group’s recent op-ed articles in the media, as well as testimony before Utah lawmakers by Western Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Kirk Robinson. All cited RMEF statistics to argue that restored wolf populations have somehow translated to growing elk herds in the northern Rockies. RMEF says the theory that wolves haven’t had a significant adverse impact on some elk populations is not accurate....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/23/10: Infectious disease in Yellowstone wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A team of researchers conducted a serologic inventory of infectious disease in Yellowstone National Park's canid community and the results are interesting. They found high, constant exposure to canine parvovirus, canine adenovirus, and canine herpesvirus suggesting that these pathogens were enzootic within YNP wolves and coyotes. An average of 50% of wolves exhibited exposure to the protozoan parasite, Neospora caninum, although individuals' odds of exposure tended to increase with age and was temporally variable. Of the pathogens we examined, none appear to jeopardize the long-term population of canids in YNP. However, CDV appears capable of causing short-term population declines....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/23/10: Mexico plans wolf reintroduction
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Mexican government is planning to release five endangered Mexican wolves into the Sonoran country, within quick walking distance to Arizona, which is raising concern from Arizona citizens who know that if one of the wolves enter the state, it is granted full endangered status. That means the animals can't be harmed or killed, even if caught in the act of killing livestock....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/23/10: Wolf advocates denied injunction
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel collared three wolves in one of the state's two known wolf packs last week. The three collared wolves are part of the 10-member Imnaha pack....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/23/10: Oregon collars three wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel collared three wolves in one of the state's two known wolf packs last week. The three collared wolves are part of the 10-member Imnaha pack....(Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/17/10: Yellowstone wolf population in transition
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf numbers in Yellowstone National Park declined for the second consecutive year. The decline was expected and considered natural. The Yellowstone Wolf Project reports the 2009 population at 96-98 wolves, down 23 percent from the 124 wolves recorded in 2008. This is the fourth decline since wolf reintroduction began in 1995. A population high of 174 wolves was recorded in 2003. In 2004 and 2007, 171 wolves were counted..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/9/10: Idaho Wildlife Services publishes wolf report
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The USDA-APHIS Idaho Wildlife Services office has published its annual wolf activity report for 2009. The report is full of interesting information about wolves in Idaho, including information that could pertain to Wyoming wolf management.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/9/10: Livestock losses to wolves put in perspective
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The USDA-APHIS Idaho Wildlife Services' annual wolf activity report looks at the topic of livestock losses by four species predators (coyotes, wolves, mountain lions and bears) most often implicated in predation on livestock in Idaho. By determining the average number of livestock killed per each individual predator on the landscape, and comparing these figures among the four species, it turns out that individual wolves in Idaho are about 170 times more likely to kill cattle than are individual coyotes or black bears. Individual wolves were determined to be about 21 times more likely to kill cattle than were individual mountain lions.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/9/10: Sterilization of wolves considered
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The USDA-APHIS Idaho Wildlife Services office, which performs wolf control in Idaho, has the following to say in its annual wolf activity report: "One approach that has been recommended by a number of recognized wolf experts as a potential means of reducing wolf-livestock conflicts is to consider sterilization of wolves in certain circumstances…” Wildlife Services recommends that in some chronic problem areas, surgical sterilization of one or both alpha wolves be considered as an alternative to removal of all the pack members. Determinations as to which packs might qualify for this treatment would depend a number of logistical factors...”.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/9/10: Wolf advocate warned for claiming carcass
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) An Idaho wolf advocate has been issued a written warning for her attempt to claim a wolf carcass killed by federal officials (for livestock depredations) as her own. She tagged the wolf with an Idaho wolf tag. If the ploy had worked, the animal would count against the wolf hunt quota. But state officials said that was inappropriate and cited her for her action, noted that under Idaho code, any wolves killed in control actions become property of the state..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/9/10: Wolf pack moves into Colorado?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) It appears a pack of wolves has moved into Colorado. Wildlife officials are investigating wolf sign found on a western Colorado ranch. The presence of wolves in Colorado is also the front-page feature in High Country News.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/9/10: Wolves pushed as park stewards
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Some researchers are advocating using wolf pack introductions as a way to control ungulate populations in national parks. But how to control the wolves once they are released? The article suggests, "Neuter the wolves, fence them in, fit them with shock collars and - just in case - add a tracking device so they can be hunted and killed if they get too far afield.".... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/8/10: Pack of 22 wolves in Gros Ventre
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports several packs in the Jackson area have been traveling beyond their normal winter home ranges. They give reports on the Buffalo, Pinnacle Peak, Phantom Springs and Pacific Creek packs..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/8/10: Romeo wolf a no-show
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The famously visible wolf dubbed Romeo that has roamed near Juneau, Alaska in recent years is a no-show this winter, according to the Anchorage Daily News. There is much speculation and concern for his possible demise. A recent news account showing photos of Romeo was actually an accounting of the wolf's prior visits to civilization, not recent activity...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/10: Minnesota's wolf woes
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) News reports from Minnesota note that there is a decline in deer numbers at the same time there is an increase in both wolf sightings and livestock depredations..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/10: Utah tames wolf bill
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A Utah legislative panel has tamed a bill aimed to require the removal of any wild wolves found in that state. The bill has now been amended to request federal wildlife officials remove any wolves found in the state..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/10: Sweden to import wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) After holding a wolf hunt just a few months ago, wildlife officials in Sweden are now moving forward with plans to import wolves into the central part of the country. The wolf population in Sweden is inbred, and the program to import wolves will help to improve the population's genetics..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/10: Wolf arguments heard in Cheyenne
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal judge in Cheyenne heard oral arguments in the State of Wyoming's lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its failure to delist wolves..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

2/6/10: Wolf hunters' names published online
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) An opponent of Idaho's wolf hunting season has reportedly published the names of those who harvested wolves. A listing of 122 names is now on his website. He was quoted as saying it wasn't his intention that these hunters be harassed..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/30/10: Official Wyoming wolf count
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that for 2009, Wyoming had at least 319 wolves in at least 44 packs (including 27 breeding pairs). Wyoming (outside Yellowstone National Park) had at least 223 wolves in at least 30 packs (>21 breeding pairs). Yellowstone National Park estimates >96 wolves in 14 packs (6 breeding pairs).... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/22/10: Wolf hearing set for Jan. 29
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. District Court for Wyoming is set to hear oral arguments in the State of Wyoming challenge to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failing to delist wolves in Wyoming. The federal court in Cheyenne will hear arguments on Friday, January 29, at 9 a.m. Members of the Wyoming Wolf Coalition, which sided with the state in the case, will hold a support rally on the Capital steps before the hearing..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/22/10: Utah tries to prohibit wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A Utah legislator is proposing the state enact legislation that would prohibit wolves in Utah. The bill would require state wildlife officials to capture or kill any wolf it discovers in the state, with the exception of wolves legally held in captivity.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/14/10: Idaho sportsmen concerned about wolf parasite
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho For Wildlife's latest newsletter has a feature article "Two-thirds of Idaho wolf carcasses have hydatid disease tapeworms" and urges caution for those who may handle wolf carcasses.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/10: Romeo wolf back in Juneau
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) "Romeo" the Alaska wolf that repeatedly hangs around Juneau in the winter, playing with dogs and being very visible, is back at it again.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/10: Kyrgyzs use horses to protect against wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Herdsmen in Kyrgyzstan use their horses to guard against wolves, and ride the horses in attacks against wolves... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/10: Montana couple fears for their cattle
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Western News, out of Libby, Montana, has an article about a Montana couple whose small herd of Dexter cattle were attacked by wolves, with their milk cow killed.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/10: Montana wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials publish a weekly update on wolves, which is available on Mondays and covers the week prior.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/12/10: Idaho wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) There are still several hunt areas open for the harvest of wolves in Idaho, with the season set to close at the end of March, or when quotas are met. Also, the Idaho Fish and Game Department has posted a wolf management progress report for December 2009.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/6/10: Wolf advocates file Idaho lawsuit
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf advocacy organizations (the Wolf Recovery Foundation and Western Watersheds Project) have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Agriculture (both Forest Service and Wildlife Services) in federal court in Idaho.... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/6/10: Sweden closes wolf hunt after four days
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) With a total hunt quota of 27 wolves, hunters in Sweden took swift action to reach that goal, taking 20 wolves in the first day of the hunt, and reaching the quota in only four days. The Swedish parliament voted to limit the wolf population to about 210 animals, and this hunt was the nation's first in 45 years..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/5/10: Final 2009 Wyoming wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued its last weekly wolf report for 2009, providing an end-of-year summary of livestock depredation problems...... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/4/10: Montana wolf situation assessed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Helena Independent Record reporter Eve Byron wrote an interesting article attempting to summarize the state of wolf recovery in Montana..... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

1/4/10: Eastern coyotes part wolf
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A recent coyote hunt in Pennsylvania resulted in the harvest of some darn big coyotes - four of them were over 50 pounds. The eastern portion of the nation apparently produces big coyotes because these critters have some wolf genetics .... (Click on the link above for the complete story.)

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