Winter 2016 Sawtooth Legacy Quarterly

WINTER 2016 Featuring: • The Owyhee Pack History • Ask The Biologist • Big Bad Business & Wolf Conservation • Exciting Developments for the 20 Year Anniversary • And so much more...

WINTER 2016 Table of Contents

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Letter from the President RadioWild Meets Rob Klavins Ask the Biologist Exciting Developments – 20 Yr. Anniv.

Working Together - Volunteers Hibernation to Huckleberries Up in the Air with Raptors Getting to Know Canids The Unabridged History – Owyhee Pack The Finances of WERC How Do We Get to 175K? Big, Bad Business of Wolf Conservation Documentaries and Public Lands Increasing Wildlife Awareness Wolf Behavior 101 Oregon Wolves are NOT White Walkers Rich History of N. Central Idaho Adoptions

12 The Sawtooth Legacy is a publication of the Wolf Education & Research Center (WERC). The purpose of the magazine is to provide interesting and engaging information to children and adults about the gray wolf species that promotes a broader understanding of wolves, wolf recovery, their place in healthy ecosystems, and the state and federal policies that impact their survival.

Board of Directors

Sharon Lander, Treasurer Danielle Hawthorne, Secretary Dennis Olson, Board Member

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WERC Staff

Chris Anderson, Staff & Board President Jeremy Heft, Sanctuary Manager/Biologist Jessica Collins, Asst Biologist/ Volunteer Coord.

Lori Prichard, Gift Services /Reservations Alan Lacy, Production Consultant Dave Winfield, Production Consultant Dawn Cadwell, Production Consultant Steven Urke, Production Consultant

President’s Letter

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Dear Friends,

To our team, each of these magazines is a work of art. We’ve had some very kind remarks and quite frankly, I’ve started handing out issues of Sawtooth Legacy Quarterly instead of a business card.

After one reads the SLQ, they’ll know if they want to write or call!

This week brought the completion of our second documentary in as many years –The Great Predator Debate: A Nation’s Dilemma. I’m proud that this happened in our 20th Anniversary Year.

By the time you’re reading this, if you ordered a DVD, it should be en route. And if you haven’t ordered a 20-year commemorative patch, what’s keeping you?

I am very pleased to have received early comments from OSU Forestry Center’s Bob Beschta that “we hit the target.” Additionally, someone who we might think of as an “opponent” of wolves remarked that we have “done as good a job as possible with demonstrating fairness in our approach.” The early consensus seems decidedly positive.

Great affirmation.

My overarching goal is that we take this effort aggressively into schools, parks, and any place that we can inspire learning. To that end, you’ll also read about the introduction of our Mobile Species Lab, a traveling trailer of carnivore education that will see many miles this summer as our team travels the West and engages in our real challenge – reaching the uninformed and the indifferent.

Many of you recall my discussion about an Apex Predator Center—well, I’ve dialed it back and think this approach will make the case for us. Education is needed.

This effort is a sacred commission. I’ve accepted that the results may never be seen in my lifetime. We each have to be okay with that.

And we’re in good company. As Leopold, Cousteau, and so many others laid important foundations, so do we.

Enjoy this issue. If you’re like me, it’s easy to think each issue is better than the last.

Kind Regards, Chris Anderson, President Wolf Education & Research Center

Connect

Facebook.com/WolfCenter Facebook.com/OwyheePack Facebook.com/SawtoothLegacy or personally at LinkedIn.com/in/ccanderson

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RadioWild Meets Rob Klavins of Oregon Wild

Hosted by Alan Lacy and Chris Anderson

Our “Great Predator Debate” team recently sat down with Rob Klavins from Oregon Wild. Rob has a finger on the pulse of today’s wildlife issues in Oregon and the Northwest.

As a leader in a national grassroots campaign for conservation of roadless areas in our national forests, Oregon Wild helped secure administrative protections for more than 58 million acres of spectacular roadless areas across the country. Rob’s focus here is on wolves and wilderness, and we’re excited to share a small part of our conversation with him.

The following are excerpts from the transcript of Chris Anderson and Alan Lacy’s interview with Klavins. The interview has been edited for brevity/clarity. Hear the entire interview at www.blogtalkradio.com/radiowild.

Chris: Thanks, Rob, for joining us today–and for all you do for our wild places and creatures! Rob, the question of the day is this: Is it possible for humans to successfully share this vast landscape of North America with large carnivores?

Rob: You know, we haven’t always been good at sharing the landscape with wildlife. I think that’s always been something we’ve struggled with. Certainly in America we have a pretty unique history with settlement. We had Manifest Destiny and, certainly, a sort of old-school, biblical, Genesis style of, you know, “the land belongs to us and we should tame it.” And “the wild is dangerous and it’s evil and it’s uncontrollable.” I think we’ve seen an evolution over time– understanding that there were limits to the frontier.

Chris: Can you elaborate on those limits? What do you mean?

Rob: I think we found that there are limits to the frontier and there are limits to natural systems. We’ve come a long way since we started trying to sanitize the landscape of anything that we perceived as a threat or anything that was uncontrollable. I think we kind 4

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Radio Wild Meets Rob Klavins

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of ran into some natural limits of systems. And, for that matter, started to see the value of wild places that include wildlife. I’ve heard it said – it might be overstating it a bit – that without predators, without wildlife, wilderness is just scenery.

I think there’s something to that. I think having a landscape like this, with bears and cougars and wolves, makes for a much richer experience than just going to a game farm or going to the zoo or going to some sanitized landscape.

Alan: Do you think people just assume wildlife or wild places will always be there?

They see the world as it is, trees, flowers, birds, etc. Do you feel like people are capable of making a difference or understanding wildlife better?

Rob: …I used to teach Outdoor Education and - talking to kids who live in Portland, who were 15 years old - [some of them had] never seen the ocean before. I know people my age who’ve lived in Oregon their whole life; they’ve never seen Crater Lake. I think a lot of people take this stuff for granted wherever they may live. And what I think actually is amazing in a place like Oregon - and something that we should value - is public lands and public values…Wildlife don’t just belong to those of us lucky enough to live in a place like this. Public lands belong to all Americans. I think that is important to recognize.

Chris: It seems like there are more conflicts with large carnivores. Rich Beausoleil who is the Washington State Carnivore Manager said that residential maps suggest that Washingtonians can’t travel 20 miles without coming across other humans.

Is this a problem for carnivores in Oregon also? Do you think these predators are capable of thriving in that situation?

Rob: … Are we just going to say that…”we can’t just let nature run wild so we’re not going to have animals that people see as controversial or as a threat?” Or “we’re just going to have them in these isolated pockets like Yellowstone National Park and Crater Lake and maybe in Hell’s Canyon. And as soon as they cross those boundaries then they’re on our land and we’re gonna manage and control them”? Unfortunately, I think a lot of the decisions we make are based on politics or based on emotions. They’re based on sort of tribalism rather than actually being based on reality. And so sure, don’t get me wrong, [if] I see a cougar I’m going to treat that thing with respect. [If] I see a bear or a wolf, I’m going to treat it with respect.

[Predators] have the tools to kill animals much bigger than me. They do it for a living. But, as a general rule, there’s a lot more to be concerned about driving to the trailhead than if you are going to encounter a wolf. I say it - not flippantly - but people say, “What should you do when you see a wolf?” And my answer - and the answer of a lot of people who know wolves well - is, “Grab your camera because you’re really, really lucky and it’s not going to be there for very long.” I’ve had my own interactions with wolves where the alpha male of the Wenaha Pack was yards away.

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Radio Wild Meets Rob Klavins

[I] came to find later on [that] we were not far from a den site. There were probably pups.

Here’s an animal that has every justified right to kill me and it ran away as soon as it saw me. Tucked its tail under its leg and ran away… I think the statistic is there’s been two people killed by healthy wild wolves in the North American continent since 1900.

Chris: We know there are certainly [ranching] losses due to predators. What are your thoughts about the concerns of ranchers toward dealing with these losses? In your experience, are their concerns well-founded or perpetuated by myth?

Rob: It’s important to not to be dismissive of legitimate concerns that people have…And it’s important, I think, to keep those concerns in context. The livestock industry has a lot more to be concerned about - the price of land, of commodity prices, of competition from Argentinian beef - than they do from the 51 adult wolves running around the state right now. It just comes down to what is the appropriate, right solution….

Alan: What about cougars? They can be a problem as well.

Rob: There’s really good science to say that if you’ve got a cougar that’s not hurting your livestock, keep it there because that’s your best cougar defense—a cougar that’s gonna defend that territory.

… There’s been a lot of science that says when you manage elk, you kill elk. You kill [an] elk, there’s one less elk. That’s how you control the population. It’s not so simple with an animal like a wolf that has this complex social structure. If you just randomly kill wolves across the landscape, like they’re doing with recreational hunting and trapping in places like Idaho and Wyoming, you can actually cause more problems than you’re trying to solve because you might be getting rid of the provider of that pack.

And now you’ve got young, inexperienced wolves that don’t know better. You might actually reduce the size of the packs’ territory. So you have more wolves actually

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Radio Wild Meets Rob Klavins

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in a geographic area than you would’ve had before.

And you see this with other wildlife. That sometimes the easiest, simplest, most cathartic solution isn’t a solution at all. I think it behooves us in the 21st century to try to prioritize non-lethal conflict prevention. If we can, we can implement changes to husbandry. I should be clear, I’m not a rancher. I’m not a livestock expert. But there [are] a lot of really responsible folks who are trying new things.

Not everything works, not everything works in all places, not everything solves every problem…But responsiblyimplemented, non-lethal tools can go a long way in reducing unnecessary conflict and actually solves all sorts of other problems.

Look for the full transcript of this interview on RadioWild.

Then, tune in for new episodes of RadioWild the first Monday of every month. Hear thirty minute discussions about the intersection of human progress and ecology. Hosts Chris Anderson and Alan Lacy speak to biologists, educators, authors, and public figures who weigh-in on the challenges facing carnivores, land use practices, the state and federal response to local issues, and more.

Find previous episodes at www.blogtalkradio.com/radiowild today!

Do you care about endangered species?

Are you interested in ideas about the recovery and conservation of keystone species that are critical to healthy ecosystems? What about learning what other entrepreneurs are doing to make an impact in their businesses?

Monday of each month.

Find the RadioWild icon on our website at wolfcenter.org, or tune into blogtalkradio. com/radiowild at 7 p.m. on the first

If you’re a business or individual who’d like to sponsor our messages, contact info@ wolfcenter.org for more information. Hear your name on RadioWild!

Just one more way WERC is striving to inspire the public toward greater outcomes.

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Ask the Biologist

of controversial 1. Since WERC resides in the heart nity hate you? mu wolf country, does the local comocca sionally we answer with a fib

We are asked this question often, and

that. y day! Actually, the truth is far from and say that our lives are in danger ever on ucti trod located near the original rein Although it is true WERC is strategically ulations of Idaho, the surrounding release sites and the first wild wolf pop tive through the years. communities have been very suppor the road when the Wolf Center Of course, there were a few bumps in

were mer of 1996, right after the first wolves arrived in Winchester during the sum easy g wolves in Idaho at that time, so it is released. Tensions were high regardin to have a rural town (pop. 308) were hesitant to understand that the folks of a tiny unded abo tion cula ide their community. Spe large captive pack of wolves just outs ch whi ase wolves in their backyard, that we were moving in to secretly rele intention for the Sawtooth Pack. obviously was the opposite of WERC’s stor y…

Perhaps someday I’ll elaborate on that

s to the Nez Perce Tribal root in dug ter Cen Any way, after the Wolf

efits of n immediately began seeing the ben Land outside of Winchester, the tow is number two tourist destination in Lew added tourism to the area. We are the one chester Lake State Park. The park is just County, with number one being Win our ing Dur C. consistent close ally to WER mile down the road and has been a ster acted some 6,000 visitors to Winche peak early years, the Wolf Center attr Then, tribution to the small local economy. ever y year, which is a significant con volunteering for community events as the always-eager WERC staff began ter surged to its current level of high and emergency services, the Wolf Cen appreciation within the community.

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Ask the Biologist

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Through the years, WERC staff have been involved with and contributed to Winchester Volunteer Fire Departm ent, Winchester Quick Response Unit (EMS), Winchester City Council, Grea ter Craigmont Chamber of Commerce, Lewis County Coroner’s Office, and many othe r agencies or volunteer organization s.

This community service has led to loca l tolerance of wolves! Once commun ity members realized we are just like them – trying to make a living doing what we love – they began to speak to us as frien ds. This opened the door to a greater understanding of wolves. Now, the community of Winchester is undoub tedly supportive of WERC, and recently resid ents have been asking us to remain with them as we discuss our future endeavo rs. Ever y local business has provided support to us, and we often hear how locals defend the Wolf Center when “out of towners” pass through and say negative things about wolves or our organization.

Even though we reside in the safe hav en of Winchester, wolf issues remain hotly debated and wolf hatred still exists in other communities within the region. Thus our location is perfect to fulfill our mission safely.

The Wolf Center is very thankful to have become an important part of Winchester –a small, yet great, rural Idaho community.

lves after they die?

2. What happens to our captiveeswo a time when the heart stops

As with ever y living animal, there com

er than h our well-cared for wolves live long and life passes from a wolf. Althoug care. tive cap so deceased wolves are a fact of wild wolves, no one escapes death, l ded discovery, and we follow a protoco We are always prepared for this drea se of le at the same time ensuring the cau in order to respect the deceased, whi wolves. death is not a threat to the surviving procedure is to perform a field Upon detection of a dead wolf, the first

is ounding the scene. A cause of death examination of the body and area surr is , since, if a communicable condition the most important agenda at this time

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Ask the Biologist

ng tion may be necessary for the remaini suspected, then rapid medical interven that rly icula part ated for signs of trauma, pack members. The body is investig s of a medical etiology. Utmost caution caused by other wolves; or for symptom the y, as captive packs often will defend must be taken when examining a bod bodies of their fallen family. if an immediate danger to the After a thorough field investigation,

the body is left at rest in the position remaining pack can be ruled out, then ral hours, possibly overnight. This time of death within the enclosure for seve g gnize the death and begin mournin allows all members of the pack to reco sts assi both od peri handlers. This waiting prior to the removal of the body by ly false g ects the handlers from bein the pack cope with the loss, plus prot the enclosure. blamed for the death or removal from ediately transported to Washington Once the body is removed, it is imm

nostic Laboratory where a complete State University’s Animal Disease Diag re this thorough examination of the enti necropsy is performed. The goal of th. Results from these studies then body is to determine the cause of dea ood. f mortality, which is not well underst improve our knowledge of wild wol king wor ld wor the in rinary pathologists However, despite some of the best vete ed. rmin e cause of death cannot be dete on our cases, occasionally a definitiv death!

Wolves hide their weakness even in

eased, WERC staff accompanies the To ensure dignity is kept for the dec

death until the necropsy is complete. body in ever y step of the process, from ropsy ed frozen until the results of the nec After necropsy, the body is then stor ed rmin e a cause of death has been dete are confirmed through histology. Onc al and the remains placed in an individu (if possible), then the body is cremated the of b tom interred within the urn. This memorial of the wolf is then previously fallen family. of appropriate pack, alongside the urns Owyhee Pack tombs. The The public can visit the Sawtooth and

ves inder of the sacrifices our captive wol memorials stand as a permanent rem th. ut wolf life‌and dea have made to educate the world abo

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Ask the Biologist

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3. How long do gray wolves live?

The answer to this question depend s on the location and situation in which the wolf lives. First, captive wol ves typically live longer than wild wol ves.

Then, the location where the wild wol f resides may be a factor in their lifes pan as well. Most studies of wolves in Nor th America agree the average lifespan is usually a maximum of ten years. Fact ors such as prey availability and pac k genetics have an effect upon a wolf’s longevity; however the most significa nt factor in lifespan is its proximity to hum ans.

It is clear that if wolves avoid humans, they live longer. This is due to the relative ease of hunting wolves, and the likelihood of conflicts arising when wolves approach humans. In the Wes t, it is common for homeowners to sho ot at any wolf that is within sight of thei r house. Some of these bullets hit thei r mark. In addition, being close to hum an settlements increases the probabil ity of being hunted, which indiscriminat ely lowers the death age, sometimes dramatically.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that whe re humans are hunting wolves, or whe re they do not tolerate them, the lifespan of the wol f ultimately suffers. The average age at death for a wild wolf in Idaho is estimated at only four years old.

On average, captive wolves live muc h longer, due to the ample and excellen MOTOMO t quality diet, protection from humans and other com petitors, and the accompanying veterinary care . Thus, the accepted standard for maximum lifes pan in captivity is elevated to fifteen years.

Still, not ever y wolf lives this long; con versely, a select few exceed this maximum.

WERC has been honored to have two wolves surpass this expected lifespan. Motomo was 15 years and 4 months old when he passed in October of 2007, and Piyip raised the bar when he lived to the distingu ished age of 17 years and 3 months old!

PIYIP

If you have any questions pertaining to wolves, etc., please let me know so I can include them in future segments. Please email me with questions/topics at: jeremy.heft@wolfcenter.org ~Jeremy Heft Biologist/Sanctuary Manager SL - WINTER 2016

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Exciting Developments Unfold During 20 Year Anniversary by Chris Anderson

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WERC has entered its 20th year!

Considering we only planned for 15 years, your partnership with us has greatly surpassed the original 1996 plan. It’s a good thing, because wolf Piyip exceeded that plan by two years!

With only two wolves remaining, the question “what’s next?” looms large.

Unfortunately, waiting for folks to arrive at our Winchester, Idaho gate does not pay the bills. Last year’s fire concerns in the Northwest and our regional and national economies made the prospects of a profitable season difficult. That impacted our bottom line significantly, putting added pressure on supporters at year-end.

After careful consideration, we feel a thriving future lies in evolving beyond our existing operation. Our team and directors

Exciting Developments

are certain that WERC needs to become less remote and more accessible. As you know, I’ve been setting this table for some time now and have been introducing ideas that are portable in nature.

A more portable outreach doesn’t require a “season” and the impact of the

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Consequently, we have made a significant decision: The need for education and a proper return on our investment lies beyond the 300 Winchester acres. Team biologist Jeremy and I will enter into conversations with the Nez Perce Tribe about the future use of

With only two wolves remaining, the question “what’s next?” looms large. sometimes-unreliable tourism industry can be offset through more dynamic programming.

In short, if we can travel, we can reach more people with our conservation message.

that land and what that collaboration will entail.

That begs another question: What will we do differently?

There are certainties. We have a nonnegotiable lifetime commitment to the SL - WINTER 2016

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Exciting Developments

remaining Owyhee Pack wolves.

We hope you do, too!

Jeremy will continue their care and, should that continue past the Summer 2016 season (which is probable), then you can schedule a private tour to visit them after Labor Day. The future use of the Winchester site is one that is under heavy review and consideration.

Depending on the viability of breeding Mexican wolves, we may still have important work in Winchester, but with a program that is less public and only accessible via webcam.

Wolves all over the world need our help – perhaps none more than those in the American Southwest. Additionally, the possibility exists to bring in the non-viable wolves from other breeding programs— wolves that can not be released due to various criteria.

We will discuss this with the Nez Perce

The Nez Perce Tribe and WERC have a long history of partnering for wolf conservation.

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Jeremy and WERC’s veterinary team perform surgery on Piyip. and explore a collaboration and seek their long-term support and interest. To date, there has been no better partner for WERC than the Nez Perce Tribe.

We’re also making first quarter plans to construct a mobile outreach program that serves Western States by 1) mobilizing to areas of conflict between humans and predators, and 2) seeking out teaching opportunities in populated areas, especially areas where carnivores’ lives intersect with humans.

Many of you may recall the concept of building a program in Oregon or Washington that creates large habitats for iconic species near a population center, such as the Columbia Gorge. We’ve determined that a more solid first step is to build a far less expensive mobile outreach unit that features a trailer that has been retrofitted into a traveling exhibit and theater. Although live animals will not be a part of these presentations, the applications are broad and we can imagine uses at zoos, schools, parks, and more.

Mobilization is a critical element of our future plans and continues to distinguish your partnership with WERC.

Exciting Developments

Our team will follow regional conflicts between humans and large carnivores and strategically arrive with an eye-catching mobile unit that will also catch the lens of regional television crews.

This team, a balance of seasoned staff and members of the Intern Experience, will focus on scientific responses to carnivore conflicts as well as provide valuable resources and invite audience interaction.

There are lots of hands in the air when volunteering is thrown out! And there will be important volunteer opportunities for the public as well.

Making our programs portable also helps us reach into schools. Last year WERC reached about 2,000 school age children. We think we can reach tens of thousands with our message, if not more.

Our video series, The Great Predator Debate, combined with our access to quality biology educators, makes education our greatest opportunity, going forward. With public support and partnership, we feel it’s time to take

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this program out of the woods and into cities, schools, civic organizations, seeking out every opportunity to dialogue with an uninformed or disengaged public.

We believe we can create new places of learning for the benefit of all carnivores and the species that rely on their survival, including humans.

These dialogues determine the future of large carnivores in our wilderness areas.

This coming year will not only change the face of our educational and Intern Experience, but will ensure we are making a year-round impact to the credit of investors like you!

I’m seeking financial partners for this endeavor. I need others to join me in critical thinking about this program, paired with those who will join me in investment.

This is the future, friends. Let’s make sure it’s not without apex predators, the only competition to humans. That and ignorance.

Bringing apex predator education to people will significantly increase our ability to make a difference.

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Exciting Developments

We need financial partners who share our commitment to save wolves through science-based educational outreach. We need partners who want to invest in our efforts, promote our worthy ambitions, and who will enjoy journeying with us as we reach exponentially more individuals with our message.

WERC has allocated resources in early 2016 to build a mobile program, which we see as foundational to raising a future program on land closer to populated areas of the Pacific Northwest. WERC also has the expertise and creativity to deepen the public’s understanding and connection to wildlife.

Re-purposing the Winchester property may include the possibility of a Mexican wolf breeding program or other collaborations with the Nez Perce Tribe. Additional considerations include a

Iconic Species Lab: Coming to a place of learning near you!

What is it worth to you to reach thousands of school age children, carry out educatonal programs at zoos, parks, and places of learning, and provide expert mobile response when the television stations roll in seeking answers to human/predator conflict?

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more public program with animal rescue and rehabilitation. We hope to know this direction by Fall of 2016.

All other outreaches such as the Sawtooth Legacy Films, the Sawtooth Legacy Quarterly, RadioWild, and Intern Experience continue alongside the continued care of the Owyhee Pack. But all require your support.

Will you help us continue to reach broader audiences for the future of wolves and other top predators? Will you consider your role in preserving these important opportunities for future generations?

I hope you’ll mobilize along with WERC and make a difference, and a commitment, today.

P.S. If you have not visited WERC, this may be the most important invite you’ll ever get! Summer Celebration is the second full weekend in June and planning has already begun!

It’s time to mobilize our efforts for maximum results. Will you join us?

Support WERC today. www.wolfcenter.org

“Individually, we are a drop.

Together, we are an ocean.”

– Ryunosuke Satoro

Working Together to make a difference

by Jessica Collins, Assistant Biologist and Volunteer Coordinator

The best way to make a difference in the world is to be able to help without expecting anything in return. Volunteering helps shape and improve communities.

Nonprofits are a large part of any community. Whether those nonprofits help teach people to read, give children a recreational outlet, or take care of animals. All such organizations are key to their community, as are the people who volunteer. As Aesop once said “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”. The smallest acts of kindness may have the largest impact on people and animals.

The Wolf Education and Research Center depends on volunteers. Every nonprofit, large or small, needs volunteers in order to survive. Each person is different and therefore possesses different skills. This enables all people to contribute something unique to the whole and to improve upon the project at hand. While WERC would love to be able to pay every person we need in order to function, that is not feasible. As with all nonprofits, we depend on donations in both money and time to accomplish all that we do.

Every day, people work together toward something more, whether they are getting paid or volunteering. While many people will not remember what they do every day at their job, they will

always remember what they did while volunteering.

Constantly we see, in the news or online, how people have come together to accomplish something great. No matter your age or skill level, organizations need people like you helping every day. There’s always something more to do. There is always more work to be done, but not always more people or resources to help accomplish that work. Volunteers are capable of helping organizations close the gap between what needs to be done and what is actually accomplished.

These days, many companies will pay their employees for volunteering. This seems to have stemmed from lawyers who, for many years, have volunteered probono work for people and organizations.

Doctors are another group that have been volunteering for years. This has come in the form of organizations going out and helping people in need all over the world.

Now, other companies are following the lead of many lawyers and doctors. They offer a certain amount of time for their employees to volunteer during their normal work day. Check today with your human resources department to see if your company has volunteer hours available.

When people come together to help each other, great things can be accomplished.

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HIBERNATION TO HUCKLEBERRIES

by Chris Anderson

Many of us enjoy the sight of bear cubs, but perhaps not more than a protective mother does.

Bear cubs face many obstacles to their survival.

Like many carnivore species, the number of offspring doesn't always present a likelihood of survival.

In fact, it's almost the opposite!

T

his issue of Hibernation to Huckleberries explores the initial challenges young bears face as they acclimate to their environment.

It would seem that bear cubs enter this world with challenges to their survival if they have too many siblings. We learned from Ely, Minnesota’s North American Bear Center (NABC) that there is a direct correlation between a high mortality rate and number of cubs.

NABC teaches that the ideal number of cubs is three. Having studied bear litters ranging from one to six cubs, it was observed that litters from one to three have a survival rate of 82–100%. Litters with three cubs not only were at the lower end of that range but also experienced the likelihood that only 2.45 cubs would survive past one year of age.

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Hibernation to Huckleberries

Litters of four or more cubs have an alarming rate of survival. Only half of those bears survived the first year. However, the post-yearling survival rate for the remaining two bear cubs was favorable.

So, right out of the gates, bears face natural obstacles when litters are not the optimal number, thought to be three.

What this means is that of 35 litters observed

by NABC, 22 (63%) had litters of the ideal number of three cubs, resulting in a higher survival rate.

According to Polar Bears International, it appears that polar bears experience similar odds for their young and, while twins are most common, they can have singlets or triplets, depending on the

sow’s body condition. Sea World teaches that the most frequent polar bear litter size is two, followed by litters of one. Litters of three are less common than twins or singles, and litters of four are rare. Douglas P. Demaster and Ian Stirling

June of the following year, compared to 30 months for polar bears. Her presence is a strong deterrent to cannibalism and other threats that face her babies.

During this time, surviving cubs will begin to prepare for successful

suggest in “Survival and Litter Size of Polar Bear Cubs” survival rates of young cubs was a mere 70%.

After the arrival of her cubs, the black bear mother will remain with her offspring for up to 16-17 months, often until May or

adult life but not without newfound challenges. Our next issue of Hibernation to Huckleberries will explore how mama and cubs navigate those challenges and strengthen their family’s survival.

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The chances for survival for these three cubs are better due to many factors; one reason may be that mother is more able to devote more attention and protection to them in their first year.

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Up in the Air with Raptors

Up In The Air With Raptors!

by Chris Anderson

As humans, we have a tremendous selection of food available to us because of our ability to create, grow or produce our food. Unless we live in rural parts of the world, we don’t even have to travel any great distance to gather our food, whereas our rural friends tend to stock up on their staple items. We can select from the proverbial four food groups and then have aisles of selections that we really don’t need to survive.

Raptors don’t have supermarkets, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a vast selection to choose from –and you might be surprised at their choices! In this

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issue of Up in the Air With Raptors, we’ll discuss the vast selection of seasonal food that barn owls need to survive and reproduce successfully.

When you’ve completed reading this brief article, you’ll have a greater understanding of where barn owls live, the available prey they consume, and how the seasons expand and limit their choices.

It all comes down to The Perfect Diet.

While barn owls are the most widespread of all owl species and are found on every continent except Antarctica, they often live near or share wild places with other raptors such as eagles, hawks,

and osprey. To a certain degree, all raptors are highly adaptable, but when they have an abundance of prey, they tend to have an abundance of offspring

Up in the Air with Raptors

and their populations grow.

In the Americas, a variety of barn owls live in suitable habitat throughout South and Central America, and in North America as far north as British Columbia. Barn owls put their nests in holes in trees, cliff ledges and crevices, caves, burrows in river banks, and in many kinds of human structures, including barn lofts, church steeples, houses, nest boxes, haystacks, and even drivein movie screens.

A barn owl will live in grasslands, deserts, marshes, agricultural fields, strips of forest, woodlots, ranchlands, brushy fields, and suburbs and cities.

That’s a remarkable range

of habitats, but if they can find prey, they thrive!

Naturally, living in diverse places offers a diverse diet. Remember, barn owls will reproduce as abundantly as there is available prey, so food is really important! If the female is nesting to lay and hatch eggs, the pair will sometimes store dozens of prey items at the nest site while they are incubating, in order to feed the young once they hatch.

While barn owls eat mostly small mammals, particularly rats, mice, voles, lemmings, and other rodents; they also consume shrews, bats, and rabbits.

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It’s a little-known fact that barn owls also consume a wide variety of insects, including grasshoppers and various forms of beetles and even ladybugs!

Barn owls are nocturnal, which means they predominantly hunt at night. Since the prey they eat are active at night, animals such as squirrels and chipmunks, and most birds are relatively safe from the owl. When barn owls do consume birds, they eat birds such as starlings, blackbirds, and meadowlarks.

So, how do seasons impact a barn owl’s diet?

Think of the seasons

Voles are abundant and active throughout much of the year making them a mainstay food source for Barn Owls.

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Up in the Air with Raptors

this way. When we humans lived without the generous ability to store most of our food and preserve it artificially, much of our selection was impacted by seasons:

During spring, our rivers are full of fish. During

Barn Owls have a diverse diet that changes throughout the year depending on what prey may be available.

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summer, our gardens begin producing consumable leafy plants. There is no coincidence that spring and summer invite an abundance of edible birds and small mammals.

By end of summer

and early fall, our gardens have produced root vegetables that can be stored. Forests and plains are full of larger mammals.

Rivers are full of fish. Our cellars fill with food items necessary to survive long

Up in the Air with Raptors

Barn owls are extremely proficient hunters and can capture food that live on land, in the air, or in water.

winters without starvation.

When winter comes we are limited by the elements and an inability to grow fresh produce.

We consumed what we preserved and what we hunted.

Similarly, a barn owl’s diet is impacted by the seasons.

During spring, a season associated with reproduction, skunks, rabbits, and other small mammals add to the available rodents. When temperatures warm, there are more abundant insects.

During summer, moderate

climates are a literal buffet of selection – rich with insects, rodents, and small birds.

Fall arrives and limits the selection somewhat, but adds-in some interesting migrating birds (and we’ve even found crawfish in the barn owls’ remains, called pellets). By winter, when many species go dormant in the colder climate, the owls’ diet is mostly rodents and birds.

We’ve come to greater understanding of the relationship that barn owls have to their prey and their ecology, which

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helps us understand the bird’s ecology better. We also learn about barn owls’ reproductive cycles by observing them where the most possible food is available, areas such as Western United States where temperate climates allow shorter time between clutches.

What does that mean?

Milder weather produces lots of food which produces lots of chicks!

And finally, these factors help us in the conservation of the species. In areas where there is abundant prey available, actions such as hanging nesting boxes helps farmers control the pest populations.

This is a great opportunity to conserve, study, and promote the species as a friend to farmers. Isn’t it fascinating how perfect the diet of the barn owl is for its survival?

Learn more about Raptors!

Learn more about raptors at the popular Kidwings.com educational website. Their goal is to create, engage, and inspire the next generation of wildlife enthusiasts. Partnerships such as these allow WERC to reach thousands of teachers and their students worldwide!

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Getting to Know Canids

by Marilyn McGee and Alan Lacy

Throughout this year we will be discovering some fascinating information about North American wolves. In each issue, we will explore three unique subjects that relate to wolves in a fun and engaging way! Our first three will focus specifically on canids, what types of canids we have here in North America, and how you can tell them apart!

So sit down and let’s get our learning on!

Canids: What Are They?

The easiest way to answer this question is to look in your own household or backyard. Man’s best friend just happens to be a member of this family. Did you guess “a dog?” If so, you’re exactly right. In addition to the domestic dog, there are four wild animals that also belong to this species group. They are the wolf, fox, jackal, and coyote.

Simply put, a canid is a mammal belonging to the dog family.

Here are some interesting facts about each of these members: Wolf: Scientific name: Canis lupus (gray wolf), Canis rufus (red wolf), Canis lupus baileyi (Mexican wolf)

Wolves are the largest members of the canid family living in some areas in North America, Europe, and Africa.

They are carnivores and can kill large prey such as elk and deer. The average gray wolf weighs about 70-100 pounds.

Dog: Scientific name: Canis lupus familiaris

According to Oxford researchers Joelene Hughes and David Macdonald, there are more than 700 million dogs living in the world today. Dogs serve humans in a variety of ways. They are our loving companions, and are used as work dogs, hunting dogs and guardians of animals. They even serve in the medical profession.

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Getting to Know Canids

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Coyote: Scientific name: Canis latrans

Coyotes are smaller in size than their wolf cousin.

They weigh between 20-50 pounds and live only in North and Central America. Unlike the wolf, a coyote is an omnivore (meat and plant eater) and will eat a variety of foods Jackal: Scientific name: Canis aureus, Canis adustus, Canis mesomelas

Jackals are very similar in appearance to the coyote and are also omnivorous. This mammal lives in Southeastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Depending upon the species, it can weigh between 7 and 22 pounds.

Fox: Scientific name: Vulpes

The fox is the smallest of the canid family, weighing between 12-15 pounds. It can be found living on all continents. Unlike the wolf, coyote, or jackal, the fox does not hunt in packs. It is also carnivorous.

Who’s Who among American Canids?

Now that you are familiar with the different types of canids in the world, we are going to focus on wild North American canids which live in the contiguous 48 states. Here are the wild canids that live in North America and some interesting information about them. Can you remember their scientific names?

Wolf: Even though our list of North American wolves only includes two distinct species, scientists divide canids into even smaller subspecies because of minor differences. The common names include:

Canis lupus: Gray wolf • Canis lupus baileyi: Mexican gray wolf

The gray wolf inhabits the Western Great Lakes states as well as the Northern Rocky Mountains. Gray wolves’ color can range from a light, grizzled gray to black, but also white. They live in packs of at least two wolves and as many as 24! The Mexican gray wolf can be found in Southeastern Arizona, Western New Mexico and Mexico. As you might have guessed, this canid is endangered. There are only about 100 Mexican gray wolves in the wild. Also known as El Lobo, this wolf is light gray with brown on its back. Mexican SL - WINTER 2016

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Getting to Know Canids

The adaptability of the coyote is a testament of the species’ will to survive in a human dominated world.

wolves also live in packs, but typically between two and ten wolves in each pack.

Canis rufus: Red wolf

Historically, the red wolf lived throughout the Southeastern United States. Now, however, there are only about 50-75 wild red wolves living in eastern North Carolina. Smaller and more slender than its cousin the gray wolf and larger than a coyote, the red wolf is known for its reddish, brown hair coat.

Canis latrans: Coyote

America’s song dog inhabits every state in the USA, as well as Central America. They can be found in both

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rural communities as well as large cities.

(Recently, a coyote was seen on a rooftop in New York City! But the city with the most coyotes may be Chicago.) Coyotes usually have large ears and a narrow snout. While running, a coyote will carry their black tipped tail hanging low. Most weigh between 20-50 pounds, depending upon where they live. Those living in the northern regions and mountains are much larger than those living in the south and deserts. Coyotes’ hair coloring varies depending upon its geographical location.

It is predominantly light gray and red with some hairs around its body being black and white.

Getting to Know Canids

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These two Red Fox kits belong to the most prevalent species of the 12 “true foxes” in the Vulpes Genus.

Vulpes: Fox

• Gray (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

• Red (Vulpes vulpes)

• Swift (Vulpes velox)

• Kit (Vulpes macrotis)

The gray fox is the smallest mammal in the canid family. Its range in the United States is very large. It lives mostly in the southern half of our country as well as Southern Canada and parts of South America. The gray fox also lives in diverse habitats. It prefers a habitat with lots of brush or woods.

The red fox is the most abundant wild canid in the US because of its ability to adapt easily to new environments. It has an elongated body weighing between

six to 24 pounds. Its tail, which is longer than half of its body, is used like a cover in cold weather and as a signal flag to communicate to other family members.

Its great agility allows it to jump over high fences and swim well. The coloring of the red fox is predominantly a bright rusty-red hue with yellowish tints.

Found in less than 40% of its home range, the small, light orange–tan swift fox is now found in the western grasslands of North America, in states such as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Similar in size to a domestic house cat, this fox is between 12 and 16 inches tall and weighs about six pounds.

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Getting to Know Canids

Mexican wolves prefer mountain woodlands to low desert habitats, probably because of the favorable combination of cover, water, and available prey.

The kit fox is the smallest species of fox. Weighing between three and six pounds, this fox can be found primarily in the Southwestern United States and northern end of central Mexico. Its large ears, like that of the red wolf allow this mammal to lower its body temperature in the hot climates in which it lives. Like the coyote, it too has a black tip to its tail. Its color ranges from yellowish to gray.

How Can You Tell The Difference Between Them?

All wild canids in North America have a similar look about them, they walk on four legs, have a snout, pointed ears, a bushy tail, and have large teeth in proportion to their size. But there are some key differences between each species that can help you distinguish which one is which.

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Gray wolves are the largest of all the canids in North America. However, it can sometimes be tricky to tell the difference between a coyote and wolf from a distance. The easiest way to tell is to simply look at the size of the animal.

Wolves are much larger than coyotes; almost twice the size in some cases. You can also look at the shape of their ears and snout. Wolves have rounded ears and a blocky snout.

The Mexican gray wolf can be identified by its distinguished coat of reds, copper, black, tan, and whites. They are smaller than their cousins up in the Northern Rockies and Michigan, but they are still larger than coyotes. It can be more challenging to tell the difference between a coyote and a Mexican wolf however, so looking for their facial features is key.

Again, look for the rounded ears on the wolf, and the blockier snout.

Getting to Know Canids

The Red wolf is smaller than its cousins, weighing in at about 50-80 pounds. Known for its large ears (relative to the size of its head) and broad nose, the red wolf’s fur is a brownish-red coloration with dark black patches. The reddish tinge can be observed on its ears and back legs.

The wolf’s large ears allow this canid to live more comfortably in the humid South because the ears actually help regulate its body temperature.

The coyote is much smaller than the wolf, though it is very similar in shape and color. Often the young red wolf is mistaken for a coyote. However, you can tell it’s a coyote by the large pointy ears – often much larger in proportion to their head than those of a wolf – and their pointy snout. You can often see coyotes using their big ears to pinpoint the location of their prey, much the way a fox does. Another distinguishing feature of the coyote is its familiar high pitched yips

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and howls. When traveling, a coyote will carry its black-tipped tail in a much lower position than a wolf does.

With many cat-like similarities, foxes are the smallest of the North American canids. They have vertical slit eyes and some have partially retractable claws.

Foxes vary in size depending on their species. You can easily determine if you are seeing a fox because its ears are much bigger in proportion to its head than those of other canids. This is because they rely on their hearing to find food. They can even hear a mouse moving several feet below the snow! With the naked eye, one might not be able to see the whiskers on a fox’s legs which, along with those on its face, help this very nocturnal predator find its way. Unlike a wolf or coyote, foxes have also been known to climb trees. Foxes are not pack animals - when hunting for food, this animal is seen alone.

Educational Outreach: When you support WERC, you’re supporting our efforts to teach the public, change perceptions, and settle some common misconceptions about wolves.

You can quite literally save wild wolves by supporting our educational outreach!

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The Unabridged History of the Owyhee Pack A Four-Part SLQ Feature

by Jeremy Heft

riginally, The Wolf Education and Research Center was created to build a foundation that would provide the best care possible for the Sawtooth Pack: Wolves of the Nez Perce for the remainder of their lives. Another goal was to provide fact-based education to the public by utilizing the captive Sawtooth Pack as ambassadors. Our mission of providing world-class wolf education to thousands of people every year began after WERC transferred from US Forest Service land near Stanley, Idaho to our current facility outside Winchester in 1996.

A special partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe allowed for a large, picturesque sanctuary to be established where the wolves had ample room to live in a completely natural setting. Thanks to Jim and Jamie Dutcher’s documentaries, in which they had starred, The Sawtooth Pack: Wolves of the Nez Perce was undoubtedly the most famous captive

wolf pack in the world; they drew visitors from around the world. For the next 17 years, the pack was at the forefront of wolf education not only in the Northwest, but globally. However, no animal lives forever, and individuals slowly passed away, decreasing the once large, eleven-member pack to fewer and fewer wolves. WERC was faced with the realization that our project would soon come to an end.

In 2008, numerous meetings and brainstorming sessions occurred regarding the future of the organization. Due to the persistent lack of wolf knowledge among the public, coupled with the lasting fear and misconceptions still being spread by wolf foes, WERC was ready to make the decision to continue our mission with new captive wolves. The big question was—how do we obtain more wolves responsibly? Many avenues for gaining wolves were examined. Most were discounted as either not ethical, or too difficult, but we remained determined.

O

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History of the Owyhee Pack

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This is the previously untold story of the Owyhee Pack...

Amani (left) and Matsi (right) lived out their days with each other.

Then, suddenly in April of 2008, a major opportunity was presented when a captive pack, scheduled for removal from their current location, needed to find a satisfactory home. The torch was passed from the elderly Sawtooth Pack.

These wolves would become the new ambassadors for WERC’s global mission.

Unknowingly, WERC began preparations for welcoming the Owyhee Pack back in 2001, seven years prior to their arrival. Actually, the process was set in motion in October 2000 when the wolf Matsi was removed from the Sawtooth Pack. Escalated pack aggression directed toward Matsi resulted in a significant injury requiring surgery, and he was permanently removed from the pack. Matsi was transferred for surgery and recovery to the half-acre holding pen built beside the Sawtooth’s 20-acre enclosure.

However, this holding area was never meant to be permanent housing for any wolf, so WERC immediately began to erect an additional enclosure suitable for Matsi. Having the same specifications for fencing and protocols used on the original 20-acre complex, the new habitat also boasted several upgrades from the old enclosure. A large water container was installed to ensure ample water year round, a guillotine gate was added to the lock-off (feeding area) fence to increase safety for handlers, and a third observation point for visitors were all incorporated into the new satellite wolf enclosure. One year later, the new two-acre habitat was ready and Matsi began life in his new, and last, home.

Two years after Matsi was removed from the Sawtooth Pack, his brother and reigning alpha-male, Amani was suddenly deposed and outcast from the pack. He too sustained significant injuries and was removed from the pack for his safety. After SL - WINTER 2016

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History of the Owyhee Pack

Amani recovered from his surgery, he was transferred to the two-acre enclosure and placed with Matsi. The two brothers lived out their lives peacefully together until Matsi’s passing in 2003. Amani then continued his “retired” life alone in the two-acre home until he lost his battle with cancer in 2005. The enclosure then sat empty for the next three years, until a desperate pack of wolves needed sanctuary from their current horrible living situation.

In 2008, as WERC debated how to best obtain new captive wolves to continue its mission, our United State Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA) inspector arrived for her annual surprise visit. Our license to maintain captive wolves is under USDA authority, and therefore a USDA veterinarian inspects our facility every year. During the 2008 visit, she asked if any wolves were using the two-acre enclosure.

We explained it sat empty since Amani passed on, and that was the end of the conversation. None of us knew that we had just planted the seed for the future of WERC’s mission. Less than a month later, the USDA contacted us with an urgent request to house some wolves they were planning to confiscate. Our inspector remembered our empty enclosure as news spread through the USDA that these troubled wolves needed immediate housing. WERC was offered 17 wolves, and the feds wanted the wolves picked up in two days! After some discussion and two weeks of stalling in order to prepare the vacant enclosure (and prepare us for a rejuvenated mission) a team of WERC wolf handlers traveled to Southern Idaho to rescue the new ambassadors of our program.

About a 30-minute drive south of

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Nampa, Idaho, civilization tapers off and the Owyhee desert begins. This area is the outskirts of the now nationally recognized Owyhee Canyonlands Wilderness Area, a 473,612 acre wild ecosystem with deep canyons and arid sagebrush plateaus.

Created in 2009, the wilderness is home to many rare plants, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, big horn sheep, sage grouse, and an abundance of song birds. However, one of the key species missing is wolves.

Although wild wolf populations exist in relative close proximity, the area has not yet been inhabited. This is probably due to the fact that northern gray wolves do

History of the Owyhee Pack

The dangerous and deplorable conditions of the living spaces in which the Owyhee Pack was kept, forced the USDA in to action.

not handle arid, open landscapes well. This topography was not well-suited for captive wolves either, but this is exactly where our new ambassadors were being held.

Behind a single-wide trailer home were eight small wolf pens housing 19 wolves, 17 of which were slated for adoption. In addition, there were two wolf-dog hybrids, and a series of wild cat hutches that contained eight bobcats! An estimated

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forty feral cats rounded out the collection.

Living in the house were an elderly woman and her husband, both of whom had significant health conditions and mobility issues. The condition of the house made it apparent to officials that the folks were having difficulty maintaining their own life, let alone the virtual zoo they had gathered outside. Every animal, and the pen containing them, was in poor condition. This was a true animal hoarding situation.

It is a wonder the pens even held the wolves in captivity. The barely upright chain link mesh of the enclosures needed to be supported by ample T-post stakes to prevent the wolves from digging under the fence line. Wood pallets were also leaned against the fence in an attempt to stabilize it. No vegetation existed within the pens, and the ground was literally covered, inches deep, in old bones from previous feeds. The wolves were forced to walk upon these sharp, jagged bones, which caused many injuries to their paws.

Even though temperatures of the desert location can soar to 100+ degrees in the summer, no shade was available for most of the pens. Plus, the only water source within each pen was an old bathtub which, upon inspection, contained a few inches of green slime and no drinkable water. However, the owner was quick to point out that she had installed a sprinkler system to the top of some of the pens, and claimed this is how the wolves received their water. It was difficult to keep a straight face when we were told this! We could just picture wolves running around with open mouths attempting to catch the stream of water like an amusement game! Or perhaps the owners believed the wolves could absorb their necessary hydration through their skin?

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History of the Owyhee Pack

Captive wolf puppies should be socialized to their human handlers at 10 days old to help build a bond of lifelong trust.

Unbelievable…

The wolves’ diet was not much better. When asked, the owner claimed to feed the wolves fresh meat when she “could afford it,” otherwise they were fed expired packaged meat donated from a local grocery store. The expired meat is not an issue, we feed similar non-humanconsumable meat here at WERC. However the infrequency of meat in the diet was a problem. Since meat was apparently difficult to come by (never mind the large mule deer buck that was rotting in the front yard, delivered by Idaho Fish and Game over three months previous and never used!), on most days the wolves were fed a mixture of rice, garlic, and eggs. Eggs are great for captive wolves (and probably were their main source of protein), but the rice had no nutritional value and furthermore caused water retention within the wolves, complicating their dehydrated conditions. There was no reason given for the garlic in their diet. Surprisingly, the wolves were not

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underweight, though they were likely undernourished.

To the owners’ credit, given their living environment, the wolves were not drastically physically unhealthy. However, their mental state was in a critical condition. Most of the wolves constantly attempted escape; some were successful.

Neighbors complained of pets killed by the escapees, and as the story goes, one escaped wolf found the neighborhood school bus stop one day. Local authorities quickly dispatched the wolf, and it was sent to The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, who confirmed the animal to be pure wolf heredity. This is the reason we know that the Owyhee Pack is pure wolf, not hybridized, since all the rescued wolves were of the same genetic lineage. Another indicator of unstable mental health among the wolves was the fact that they were not only frightened of people, but also became aggressive and attacked the owners on occasion. Many of the wolves possessed significant head/neck scars from fighting, which is indicative of a heightened level of aggression among the wolves.

Captive wolves should be socialized to people for their best physical and mental care. Socialized wolves do not fear their handlers, therefore approach and welcome touching, which makes routine medical exams, vaccinations, and emergency care much easier and safer to perform. Plus, the wolves create a strong trusting bond with their care providers, which helps ease the inevitable stress that captivity induces. However,

History of the Owyhee Pack

studies have shown the socialization process must begin in puppies at 10 days old. If this small window is missed then any captive wolf will forever exhibit mistrust in humans and keep its distance.

Unfortunately, the rescued wolves never had any positive human interaction and thus were non-social in demeanor. They would all literally run away from any person, which complicated their daily care and subsequent capture for rescue.

All of this begs the question, how did 19 wolves, eight bobcats, and various other animals end up in an elderly couple’s backyard? Unfortunately, since the acquisition of these wolves was a legal action initiated from the USDA, information regarding their history was not permitted to be shared with WERC. The USDA threatened prosecution of the owners if they acquired any additional animals after the confiscation was complete, so most legally sensitive information was kept secret. Therefore, not much is known of the wolves’ origin.

After some independent inquiries of people close to the situation, we learned that the original pair of wolves was obtained by the elderly couple’s son, who apparently worked/volunteered for the Idaho Humane Society. This would make sense as to how he came across wolves in a domestic setting and probably saved them from euthanasia. When wolves or wolf-dog hybrids enter a shelter, they rarely leave. Most are euthanized, as it is too dangerous to have them adopted by unknowing families. If this was the case, then the son did an admirable thing.

However, not neutering the wolves was a grave mistake. Another pair of wolves may have been added at some point, but most of the population was offspring from the original pair. At the peak, there

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were reports of 37 wolves in the small backyard pens. Horrible events were reported to have occurred, including death, dismemberment, cannibalism, and no removal of dead wolves. No veterinary care was provided. Then, tragically the son passed away in his 30s, leaving the situation to his elderly parents. His parents did the best they could in caring for the wolves, but after a string of animal escapes, Idaho Fish and Game convinced the owners to neuter the males in an attempt to bring the population under control. It worked, and the population whittled down to 19 wolves. Still, the neighbors complained and the Owyhee County Sheriff, Idaho Humane Society, and Idaho Fish and Game all protested the keeping of the wolves under such unhealthy conditions. Unfortunately, according to Idaho state law, local authorities do not have the power to forcibly remove captive animals from a property. Only the USDA has such power, but even they must have a legitimate reason to create an investigation.

Essentially, all agencies had their hands tied…until one day several of the wolves opened the door for a full-scale USDA investigation, which led to their fast confiscation and allowed WERC a new life.

To be continued…

This is the first edition of a four-part series to be published in SLQ in 2016.

Be sure to read the Spring SLQ to learn how the USDA and WERC cooperated to remove the wolves and transport them to our Winchester facility.

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MiyooXat

XayXayx Himtuuqin’

Leq’eyleq’ey

Kuckuc

The Finances of Wolf Conservation & Education

WERC’S 2016 Finances for Wolf Conservation & Education

We often remark that WERC delivers over a million dollars of outreach for a mere $174,800 and we estimate it’s true! When you donate to Greatest Need & Operations, you’re helping us determine where to direct funds within the programs that are itemized below and others! That’s important and helps maintain our overall financial health. Every one of these programs is essential not only to WERC’s survival but to the species that we advocate for with quality, dynamic, and inspiring educational outreach. If we raise this, our bills get paid!

The following shows the breakdown of WERC’s finances by program, followed by a look at how we can get to these numbers with your help. $62,000 - WOLF CARE PLAN. Is your interest in Wolf Camp specific to feeding and caring for wolves? We understand! This item is our largest expense. We estimate that our cost of care for the Owyhee Pack is about $70,400 per year. While the actual feeding and related care expenses of the animals is only about $9,400, we also include their caretakers pay in the equation. It also requires the full time attention of two biologists who work for equally modest wages while providing world-class care. And, since our wolves are ambassadors for their wild cousins, this outreach is central to our efforts.

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Finances of Wolf Conservation & Education

Here’s the breakdown:

Food: $3,600

Medicines & supplies: $3,400

Maintenance & Repairs: $2,400

Liability Insurance: $4,000

Salaries, Stipends, & Insurance: $57,000

Emergency Funds: $5,000

$8,000 - INTERN EXPERIENCE A hallmark of WERC’s 20 years of caring for wolves is the ability to teach countless interns who come from under- and postgraduate programs around the world. Each intern spends a summer (and sometimes longer) in the wilderness under the care and instruction of our biologist Jeremy Heft. Since Jeremy began as an intern, we know this program works to create deep conviction and understanding in tomorrow’s veterinary, biology, and ecology leaders. Program costs includes modest stipends paid to interns weekly to cover their food and incidental costs and insurance necessary for related liabilities.

Each intern has access to some civilization, though the majority of their time is in Camp and where they help run WERC’s day-to-day operations and greet visitors.

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$1,600 - RadioWild RadioWild is a monthly broadcast between cohosts Chris Anderson and Alan Lacy where they interview various leaders in conservation and industry that uphold that goal. RadioWild focuses on the crossroads of conservation and enterprise. Our goal is reach a new audience of people, bringing them into the conversation about conservation. $30,000 - SAWTOOTH LEGACY QUARTERLY. A premier example of WERC’s impact in outreach is the Sawtooth Legacy Quarterly. With online readership of about 22,000 per issue, 1200 magazines mailed to subscribers, and another 500-800 given out at events, this is the business card of Wolf Camp. Each quarterly magazine costs about $7,500 in graphic layout, editing, printing and mailing, it is also the premier source of our fundraising efforts, often paying for itself through the combination of subscriptions and inspired giving. Annual cost: $30,000

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Finances of Wolf Conservation & Education

public with an inspiring look at the complex relationship humans have with carnivores.

WERC uses these films to not only introduce the public to large carnivores but it offsets the cost through the rental and sales of the trio of documentaries.

$7200 - VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE. A growing outreach at Wolf Camp, the Volunteer Experience offers terrific projects not only at Camp but in the surrounding community of Winchester, Idaho. From laying barkdust along trails at Wolf Camp to mending fences with our neighbors, WERC is a member of the Winchester area community and works to attract volunteers who share that interest. The cost of promotion, labor, and investment in outreaches averages $7,200 $24,000 - MOBILE SPECIES LAB annually. This program is a wonderful way This new outreach is one to celebrate to introduce our region to our heart for and we’re excited to take our educational wolves. outreach to schools, parks, and events around the region. Each Mobile Species $24,000 SAWTOOTH LEGACY FILMS & Lab has an estimated preliminary annual NEW MEDIA budget of $24,000, which includes the cost SLF includes building social media bridges of promotion and travel-related expenses through video production. This year to events. The Mobile Species Lab will includes ambitious partnerships with partner with: Kidwings Explores which lend their trafficrich website to promote 12 short films about wolves. In addition, this effort includes the completion of our trio of films in The Great Predator Debate Series: A Predator’s Dilemma, A Nation’s Dilemma, and the upcoming Fall release of A Nation’s Resolve — all films intended to connect the

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Finances of Wolf Conservation & Education

• K-12 Middle & High Schools • State Park Junior Ranger Programs & Events • State, County, & Community Fairs and Events • High traffic Wildlife, Recreation & Outdoor Shows • Carnivore Hot Spots where media covers conflicts with carnivores • Sponsored Corporate events Visit wolfcenter.org/site/ learn/mobile-outreach for latest news.

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final $12,000 for his film while resourcing his talent toward our effort, which includes a pledge to film and a monthly stipend for Alan’s WERC-related efforts.

A Will or Property Gift to WERC’s Future.

Perhaps the most significant impact to our future can be achieved by a bequest—a recognition of WERC in your will or trust.

We have created some sample language to help when adding us to your will. A gift to the Wolf Education & Research Center in your will or revocable trust enables you to support our mission and make a difference in the lives of future generations.

A bequest: • is easy to arrange.

• will not alter your current lifestyle in any way.

• can be easily modified to address your changing needs.

If you or your attorney would like Wolf Education & Research Center to provide you with customized beneficiary language that is specific to your goal and interest, please contact us. Please direct all inquiries and information to: WERC Business Office, PO Box 12604, Portland, Oregon 97212.

$18,000 - GRAY AREA: WOLVES OF THE SOUTHWEST. Building community among future leaders of wolf conservation is an important tenet of WERC’s outreach. Partnering with filmmaker Alan Lacy not only provides an opportunity to expand our supporters’ education but also provides important cross-promotion of our work. Alan’s input and energy are instrumental to our efforts and WERC leadership hopes to grow this important connection as well as identify additional young and social entrepreneurs. In 2016, we are committed to helping Alan raise the

To receive a copy of our will and bequest language, contact our team today! 888-422-1110.

To learn how WERC gets to these numbers, please turn to page 42

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How do we get to $174,800 this year?

An exciting year is unfolding at the Wolf Education & Research Center. The completion of two films in two years, the continuation of a high quality publication, a website that is bursting with educational material, and new partnerships bode well for making a considerable impact toward our goal of informing the public about iconic apex predators. While our budget is modest, it’s still a challenge to reach these heights. Because we need your help to do it, here are areas that ensure we reach our goals and an explanation of why we increased our budget over last year by about $10,000 – about 6%.

organization which include the Wolf Care Plan and outreaches, and other programs itemized on page 38-39.

Visitation and Tours have historically allowed us to run our Intern Experience with proficiency. Last year’s regional fires cut into tourism across the region and we raised about half of previous years’ funds. This is partly why meeting our budget was a challenge.

Merchandise sales include purchases at the Wolf Camp Store, our eBay, Amazon, and online stores, and promotions such as DVDs, magazine subscriptions, and more. A reliable source of revenue, we hope to repeat our 2015 sales and will work for increase in this Here’s a breakdown of 2015 and what’s area. needed for 2016 followed by explanations of Sponsorships and adoptions range from actual wolf pack adoptions, classroom each category. adoptions, memorial and tribute adoptions. Paired

2015 2016 with the Mobile Species Amount Needed $ 165,000 $ 174,800 Lab, we see this category as one of needed growth to Amount Raised Year to Date $ 146,615 $ 13,000 underwrite our educational Amount in Pledge $ 48,000 outreach.

We have a pack of folks Greatest Need Donations $ 82,875 $ 46,800 giving monthly, some Visitation and Tours $ 3,085 $ 8,000 who have not missed a Merchandise Sales $ 39,040 $ 40,000 donation in over a decade!

Sponsorships & Adoptions $ 22,000 $ 42,000 These pledges comprised Monthly Pledges $ 18,000 $ 38,000* $18,000 in 2015 and we are Wills & Bequests $ unknown looking to renew all of them in addition to a pledge of *Includes 2015 pledges and a Mobile Species $30,000 to build our mobile lab.

Lab construction pledge.

Wills & Bequests are here because it’s an important, but little known, aspect of all of General donations make up the largest our giving. part of giving to the Wolf Education & If you have an specific questions, Research Center. These gifts of cash empower please direct them to Chris Anderson at our staff to meet the daily needs of the info@wolfcenter.org.

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Big, Bad Business of Wolf Conservation

by Chris Anderson

T

his is a big year in wolf conservation. It’s been 20 years since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and, by many accounts, it’s been a great success.

In the 1990s, biologists were concerned with the critically high elk populations in the park and the ecological damage to the land from excessively large herds. They did the unthinkable; a total of 66 wolves were released to two areas of Yellowstone in January 1995 and January 1996.

Twenty years later, Kathy Lynch, a Wolf Recovery Board member wrote, “Wolf restoration has been called the greatest conservation success story in America’s history.

Over these 20 years, scientists and a worldwide audience of admirers have had the unique opportunity to watch, study, learn about, and appreciate this important apex predator and the gray wolves’ role in maintaining a healthy and complete ecosystem.”

At the end of 2013, it was reported by United States Fish & Wildlife Services that there were nearly 1,700 wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Now, gray wolf populations live in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon with dispersers traveling as far as Utah, Colorado, and California –the latter not home to wolves for well over 100 years.

“This news is exciting for California,” said Charlton H.

While many celebrate the 20 years since wolves were reintroduced at Yellowstone, older historians and advocates are celebrating 50 years of progress. For it was in 1966 that wolf reintroduction was first brought to the attention of Congress, after wolves had been absent from the Yellowstone ecosystem for nearly 70 years.

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Bonham, California Department of Fish & Wildlife Director. “We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state and it appears now is the time.”

Meanwhile, residents of these states are lining up en masse to sing “kumbaya.”

I think I just heard someone exclaim, “Buy everyone in the saloon a drink—on me!”

But that’s not really what’s happening.

The wolf recovery and conservation business has become a crowded wilderness in itself, with a broad array of choices, each competing with ideas about the best way to save wolves.

To make matters even more challenging, the entire nonprofit sector saw massive growth between 2000 and 2010. According to The Nonprofit Almanac and Almanac Briefs published in 2015, “the nonprofit sector grew faster than either the government or business sectors in terms of number of people employed and wages paid.” The category grew to over 1.5 million charities, of which, according to that same brief, only 10 percent of organizations registered with the IRS as of July 2015 had revenues of $500,000 or more.

More institutions competing for decreasing resources were cited by Drew Lindsay in 2015 Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Charitable giving increased worldwide in 2014 but fell in the United States, according to the sixth edition of a survey conducted

by Gallup in more than 140 countries.”

Across the board, competition for fewer dollars requires that nonprofits like WERC examine their relevance and make choices about activities that resonate with our existing audiences while innovating to appeal to new audiences (in particular, wildly-motivated but perhaps un-directed millennials).

For organizations like ours, one of the most critical components to transforming

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society toward great protections of wildlife is more comprehensive educational outreach. Within that effort, there are two logical audiences.

Foremost are middle and high schoolage young people who are open to being inspired toward sciences. They represent the future.

Second, but no less vital, are those people we find in that middle ground, the indifferent and undecided, including those for whom these issues are not on the radar.

It is my conviction that building bridges to those who seem opposed to our efforts must take precedence over our current “preaching to the choir” approach.

At the local level, a “Shoot, shovel, and shut up” approach to the wolf issue is

Charitable giving increased worldwide in 2014 but fell in the United States, according to the sixth edition of a survey conducted by Gallup in more than 140 countries.

Drew Lindsay, 2015 Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Charitable Giving Up Worldwide, Down in the U.S., Survey States”

Big, Bad Business of Wolf Conservation

as prevalent today as it was 20 and even 50 years ago. Division and anger are as common as they’ve ever been. A facade of lawfulness exists, but the underpinnings of resentment and defiance are there — on both sides.

By all means, we need to be politically savvy and petitioning our leaders. But it’s debatable if this has been an effective primary approach. Why is this issue not solved and put away? At our highest represented levels, both parties have had full control of the Senate and Congress. There could have been sweeping legislation or even an executive order.

Could it be that there are underlying financial implications that prevent a solution? We know this to be true with other issues such as consumer credit, housing, poverty, and immigration, among others.

Could this issue be dressed up like granny, wooing our confidence?

My, how big your zeroes look!

I’ll say it.

I’m suspicious of where the hundreds of millions of dollars and decades of effort have been spent. Why are we still having to work so hard to break even in the face of what’s described as one of the greatest species recoveries ever? Why are our efforts seemingly impotent in creating understandable and lasting solutions?

Most businesses would question methods that produce such poor results.

To complicate things, many of these new and existing nonprofits have literally come out of the old growth timber to whittle and plant stakes in the ground and identify as pro-wolf, redirecting hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars from proven organizations. There’s no doubt these people care about this and many other species, but does one more conestoga on the open plains of wolf

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I promise.

Vote for me.

conservation work to the disadvantage of those already on the trail?

Is this effective stewardship? We cannot answer those questions conclusively but we can certainly take into consideration the trends that are impacting our effectiveness and combat them, when necessary.

As the nonprofit sector becomes increasingly crowded, so does the wildlife conservation messaging. The rapid growth of social media and interest pages on Facebook and elsewhere points to millions of people around the globe who identify with this one issue –as well as other wildlife concerns. Every day a new cause enters the race for a million followers –drawing attention from existing outreaches which favor depth and conviction over raw numbers.

We have all witnessed the most common method of raising awareness – you know, the heartbreaking visuals of motherless wolf puppies in dens, wolf legs in traps, photos of sharpshooters in airplanes. All of this gets us riled and seeing SL - WINTER 2016

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red.

But not mad enough to make a lasting difference. “Good financial rate of returns” on social media pages are in the low single digits. Translation: people love to be upset, but hate to part with resources.

Wolves are big business, as evidenced by the growing list of organizations touting newly-held convictions. The result is a dividing-up of a herd of financial resources among a growing number of hungry outreaches. And, like the humans we are, those of us who run organizations seek out the trophy-givers who can make us succeed.

Everybody and their, well...their dog, have crowdfunding pages today. At first glance, the innovative concept seemed to be manna from heaven for those of us needing tools to raise awareness and new, generous friends. It was thought that crowdfunding would level the playing field between grassroots organizations and the national/international concerns with monolithic budgets.

In the early days (which feels like twenty minutes ago, because things change so rapidly today), it offered exactly that.

One of the problems with crowdfunding is that, increasingly, it requires more and bigger “perks” to get people to commit to giving. Does it make good sense that the public needs to be cajoled into giving by the promise of an exchange?

Also alarming is the level of resources required to make the case in the form of dramatic photos, video testimonies, and sometimes questionable promises –all additional burdens to fulfill. Are the days of giving sacrificially disappearing? Are the purpose and mission of an organization and an annual report no longer compelling

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D CROW

FUN

enough? While all of these efforts are wellintended, the outcomes can be troubling.

With all the additional wolf “noise,” the need to reach the under-informed is more important than ever. Building inroads to reach the opposition is more critical than ever because the threat to our progress is more possible than ever - despite our great success in species recovery.

When making the film, “The Great Predator Debate”, we pored over a thousand pages of transcripts to find the most salient points to tell this story. The resulting narrative represents the myriad perspectives of people whose thoughts and actions impact the survival of wolves and other carnivore species. It is told in their own words and unfiltered by bias.

One of the national stakeholders we

Big, Bad Business of Wolf Conservation

DED

G I NDN courted, unsuccessfully, made a great point to decline our invitation to be interviewed.

Their leadership did not want to associate with another “pro-wolf” group. This opened my eyes to an important distinction.

The Great Predator Debate is most certainly not pro-wolf. In fact, by the very nature of our educational outreach, the Wolf Education & Research Center is not pro-wolf.

We are pro-science. We are prostewardship.

And because of those positions and the desire to teach comprehensively, we are led to the very sustainable and defensible idea that wolves belong on the landscape in greater numbers than they currently exist.

Science is like nature. It just is.

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Science should have no agenda except survival. It is, quite possibly, human agendas that are skewing the outcomes. Unlike wild creatures, that seems to be our unfortunate nature.

To those ends, during our filmmaking, we endeavored to give a voice to each of these groups and individuals. We called them stakeholders. When we thought we were finished, we doubled the video runtime because we wanted to represent as many positions as possible and give equal opportunity to each stakeholder’s position.

In the process, I learned something that isn’t sitting well with me.

Many in our field of education, those of us advocating for or against, are parroting untested hypotheses. On both sides of this issue, we passionately repeat the same information over and over. It’s leaving us vulnerable when we are robotically inarticulate, not seeking new evidence and inclusive methods of communicating our findings.

Have you read or heard that wolves save rivers? What about trophic cascades?

And were you aware that wolves consume the weak in the herd and it improves the herd’s health?

Sure, we’re making terrific assumptions with the available information. But with fewer than 100 years of raw data, more than half of those years living without wolves, we’re making best guesses. Science does this from time to time.

We need a 20-year asterisk. Perhaps a 100-year one for a conclusive verdict on our success. Why do I say this? It is our intention to develop conservative positions that point to stewardship over self-interest as a driving force. We operate our charities the same way, slow to expend resources where there’s a questionable return on investment.

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Big, Bad Business of Wolf Conservation ED Letter

It’s an unfortunate reality that some organizations take resources and do not use them as promised - in defense of the understanding and stewardship of these issues. When that happens, worthy organizations struggle to survive.

For example, our friends to the north recently ran a crowdfunding campaign under the exciting and sensible banner “Stop Killing Canada’s Wolves!” They exceeded their financial objective handsomely.

Everyone applauded.

Unfortunately, they did not stop the killing of one wolf in the immediate aftermath of that campaign. The cull, a more palatable term for killing wolves, came and went.

However, many organizations like WERC raise money for the longer term goal.

We realize that avoiding what’s happening in this present moment is impossible.

And perhaps a longer conversation about vetting organizations, in regards to the

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promises they make, needs to take place.

Organizations who deliver exponentially more value than reflected by their budgets struggle to survive.

Nonprofits that identify education as the central possible good outcome struggle to exist. And because apex-predator conservation is highly competitive, there is little community in our fractured efforts. In fact, we sometimes demonstrate the same behavior as rival wolf packs. Very territorial.

The Wolf Education & Research Center faces these same issues. It’s become increasingly challenging to raise funds in this competitive and growing environment. Big nonprofits can afford expensive marketing campaigns and can stay on-point with messaging. There are more and more organizations whose very existence challenges the stability of smaller nonprofits, some whose practices are disguised by the opportunities to see and hold wolves, or even start a franchise.

These activities resonate with people,

Big, Bad Business of Wolf Conservation

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upholding of other organizations. You’ll see it in this publication. We truly strive to lead in this way, though it is often a thankless objective and charities who we recognize are sometimes even suspicious. We include information about them because we know it is hard to survive in troubled economic times.

And selfishly, the hope is that a community will form that helps us survive.

In the end, however, it is our goal that many like-minded organizations thrive, as reaching more people with vital information is our best hope for a healthy future.

Years ago an Idaho filmmaker filmed a “wolf pack” in a “natural” state and suddenly the world met wolves in a profound way.

They showed up via VHS in living rooms around the globe in a heartbeat. And for the many years, until that last animal passed, but they do nothing to uphold the the public was in awe of and amazed by the science necessary to save the animal from Sawtooth Pack: Wolves of the Nez Perce. extinction, whereas support of education in the classroom seems to fall flat when the public is asked.

With all we know, why is it that education is not big business? Isn’t this our future? Our children’s future?

Why do organizations such as WERC and many others have such a difficult time raising money to get this important science into the hands of teachers and their students? Also important to ask is, how do we measure effectiveness and the greater return on investment related to this work?

Wolf Education & Compare the economics of raising money to a trophic cascade. The simple Research Center is not explanation is that all participants in an pro-wolf. ecosystem play an essential role. Introduce a new charity species and it impacts a stable We are pro-science. environment. If an organization disappears, We are prothere is a similar ripple effect - sometimes stewardship. out of our sight, and not always to the good.

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The methods of making that film didn’t matter to the public. The image was what we connected with. Most of us imagined crawling into that den.

Out of that, the Wolf Education & Research Center was born, as home to those celebrity wolves that would never have a home in the wild because of their acclimation to stardom.

Central to our relationship with those wolves was, and is, education.

If we, and other wilderness education nonprofits, are not able to create inspiring, inviting, and informative opportunities, if we’re unable to capture the imagination of the public without one needing to “see to believe” or cuddle a wolf, then wolves and other large carnivores have a very uncertain future.

In another twenty years, will we still have this great divide? Or will our work

close the gap by engaging folks who share a common and willingly-united front to steward our nation’s resources for a better future?

Let me close this commentary with some lighter observations.

We are making a difference.

Those of us who remain committed to innovating our methods, to conflict resolution, and building bridges to the uninformed, indifferent and those holding alternate perspectives–we are learning how to reach vaster audiences with more dynamic and inclusive messages. And those messages remain rooted in the science–the fact of what we know and what we hope to avoid.

As it’s our 20th year, we’ll take a little time to celebrate. But not too long, because there’s much at stake and we’ve got work to do.

Adopt a Classroom If we want a better outcome for the future, we have to go to where the future is. It’s in the classrooms and living rooms across North America.

Our Classroom Adoption is the ideal way to usher in better and better ideas about conservation. That’s how you can make an immeasurable difference— Dear Wolf Valley Middle School, support a Classroom Adoption today.

This educational gift is bein g sent to you as an encouragement to help you teach about important Here’s how it works. Your $50 issue s related to wolve s and other donation sends the great package preda tors. As a former stude nt shown here to the middle school at Wolf Valley Middle School, I’m of YOUR choice. We’ll do all the excit ed to help creat e future work and your gift will include a stewards of our wilderness. note from you expressing your Howling Regards, commitment to education about Kuckuc wolves.

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Documentaries and

Public Lands:

The Art & Science of Filming with State and Federal Agencies

by Alan Lacy, Filmmaker

O

ne of the most interesting debates in today’s discussion about wildlife, conservation, and nature, is the debate about public land. Currently, public land issues are at the heart of many battles across the Western United States. These battles may involve grazing permits, animals rights, endangered species protection via the Endangered Species Act, individual rights as landowners, equal ownership of land by all Americans, and the management of these lands by the federal authorities.

Public lands are truly a hotbed of discussion these days, specifically considering the recent occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by an armed militia. Now, in the middle of all of this, let’s throw in the opportunity and challenge of filming a documentary on public lands.

First, let’s take a look at the different public lands here in the United States. Many of us are familiar with the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the National Park Service. There are many different forms of public land, each of which are managed by either cities, state, or federal entities. Recreational activities on these lands vary as well, depending on the entity managing each one. If you are considering making a documentary film on public land, there are a few things you should know before beginning.

Before you shoot your first scene, it is important

“

Our public lands have so much to offer us – astounding beauty, surreal landscapes, dynamic stories and characters, unbelievable wildlife, and the endless joy of being out in nature.

”

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Documentaries and Public Lands

To capture the story, you must be prepared to confront the red tape, chase down the correct people and agencies, and present a detailed plan of your vision.

to know what sort of project you will be filming. If it is a personal school project, or something that you are doing on your own that has no commercial ties or business applications, then you are typically free to film at your leisure. However, in many other cases, it is necessary to first contact the local agency that oversees the public land on which you wish to film. Usually, the agency will put you in touch with the right people to start the application paperwork process for a filming permit. You will need to have the entire scope of the production, the number of days, personnel, equipment, travel arrangements, and type of production listed. Then, the application will be submitted for review, and you will

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have to pay the fees associated with the permitting process and the day rates for filming on public lands.

If you will be filming with any government agency personnel, such as the US Forest Service or US Fish and Wildlife Service employees, you will also need to obtain permission to film with them, via a formal written proposal that is approved, or by permit as well. In some cases, it may be that you are on location filming and happen to come across agency personnel that is critical for your film. Here, it is necessary to have a proper release for them to sign, in order for you to include them in your film. It’s important to always carry quite a few releases with you in case this situation

Documentaries and Public Lands

arises. You never know when that bus full of volunteers may show up and you need to film them for your story!

So why is all of this important and why is it included in this edition of the magazine? Well, for one, if any of you ever thought about making a film, we hope this will help you make your dream a reality.

When I started my project to make a film about the Mexican wolf, I had absolutely zero knowledge of how to go about making something like this possible. My hope is that, through my trial and error, I can help others make their films in a much simpler and easier way. So many different factors go into making a film a reality.

Obtaining the right permits requires a little

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perseverance and determination, patience, and, ultimately, money. But, it’s all worth it, once you’ve got that permit in your hands and the camera is rolling.

Our public lands have so much to offer us -- astounding beauty, surreal landscapes, dynamic stories and characters, unbelievable wildlife, and the endless joy of being out in nature. Being able to capture just a small reflection of these amazing aspects on film and telling incredible stories is such a rewarding experience.

We hope this article will help guide some of you through the process of filming on public lands! It’s not hard to do, just get out there and have fun! Good luck!

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Increasing Wildlife Awareness

Increasing Wildlife Awareness One Student at a time

by Jessica Collins Assistant Biologist

The goal of education is to give factual information so individuals can make better-informed decisions.

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There are many great reasons to sponsor a school with a Wolf Education and Research Center Sponsorship.

For one, reliable, scientific and fun information supplied

by WERC helps educate students about the many myths surrounding wolves in the wild.

Our materials teach students about the different canine species and the different subspecies of wolves.

When students know the difference between wolf myths and wolf facts, they are better able to make informed observations and decisions. Students learn about conservation and how wolves and other wildlife help keep the ecosystem balanced. After all, it is young people who will help the earth stay whole and healthy. By passing on our knowledge to future generations, they can help leave the planet and its wildlife in a better condition than it was given to them.

Another reason to consider a sponsorship is to aid a school in your area.

Giving back to your local community is very rewarding. Knowing you are helping students learn things beyond their normal curriculum and helping provide a well-rounded education can be very satisfying. While, in a perfect world, schools would be able to provide everything teachers need, this is currently not the reality. Many dedicated teachers find it

Increasing Wildlife Awareness

necessary to purchase needed items with their own money -- or they simply have to do without.

By sponsoring a classroom, you help teachers improve the quality of education they offer their students.

While WERC would love to travel to schools all over the United States and beyond teaching children about wolves and other wildlife, it’s simply not financially feasible. Sponsoring a school gives us the opportunity to teach children about wolves without incurring the cost of traveling to each school individually.

We all want our children to have a well-rounded education, but we also know that by making instruction fun they will retain the knowledge well into the future.

With your sponsorship, the Wolf Center is able to supply schools with information and materials that are fun and educational.

We help teachers reach beyond the textbook and bring the world of wolves to life for students of all ages and levels of learning!

Our final reason to sponsor a school is that most teachers really want to teach their students about wolves and other animals outside of the regular curriculum, but are unable to take them on a field trip to do so. Currently many schools do not have a budget that allows for field trips, or they are located too far from the Wolf Education and Research Center in Winchester, Idaho for a visit.

Your $50 classroom sponsorship includes many items, such as large educational posters suitable for display, an informational packet of printed material, and a certificate to display in the classroom. Also, a sponsorship introduces middle and high schoolers to The Great Predator Debate film series which is jam-packed with over two hours of highly visual information about wolves, produced by our own team, Sawtooth Legacy Films.

And don’t forget, this sponsorship arrives from you or in memory of someone you love! What an invaluable opportunity to educate the next generation with farreaching benefits!

To sponsor a middle or high school science department, turn to page 71 in this magazine or visit our website page www.wolfcenter.org/adopt today!

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Here’s how it works.

Your $50 donation sends the great package shown here to the middle school of YOUR choice. We’ll do all the work and your gift will include a note from you expressing your commitment to education about wolves.

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Lesson 22: Greeting Behaviors

by Jeremy Heft

Biologist/ Sanctuary Manager

The dynamics of pack behavior is managed through a sophisticated and complex communication system.

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ray wolves live within a highly developed social structure, known as a pack, to increase the survivability of each individual, and therefore the species. It is well known that wolves cooperate within this extended family unit for the simple reason that large prey, such as elk and moose, are too difficult to catch alone. The advantages to individuals existing within a pack are numerous; they include the gathering of enough food, added protection from other carnivores, and assistance in raising young.

Still, though the benefits are many, there are challenges to having large, intelligent mammals (with large teeth and powerful jaws) live in such close proximity and perform all life functions together, including cooperating during exhausting, dangerous tasks such as hunting large ungulates. Such an intricate society mandates a strict order of authority, which we know as the pack hierarchy. Excellent communication is the foundation for such cooperation, essentially becoming

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Wolf Behavior 101

the “glue” that holds wolves together in a pack.

In addition, the stability of the hierarchy relies upon accurate communication. Thus each pack member understands the difference between dominance reinforcements versus unwarranted physical encounters. One of the paramount communication behaviors of wolves is a greeting, where at least two wolves meet and exchange a usually brief encounter that we may say resembles a “hello.”

However, unlike a human “hello,” a multitude of information and posturing occurs during wolf greetings. The agenda of these wolf greetings can easily be missed by the untrained eye; therefore we will explore these often unrecognized or misunderstood gestures in this Behavior 101 lesson.

First, what constitutes a wolf greeting?

When two or more wolves encounter each other in close proximity, a greeting of some level is inevitable. The first noticeable event is typically eye contact between the wolves.

Most of the time, the duration of direct contact is very brief, and sometimes submissive wolves never even look into the eyes of a dominant wolf, but rather avert their gaze to the body instead. Nevertheless, some level of visual recognition is the precursor to the subsequent greeting behaviors.

Within seconds, visual identification is made, then the next observable change is appropriate body posturing. Dominant wolves would stand erect with ears up, chest pushed forward, tail raised, and possibly hackles raised.

On the other hand, submissive wolves would cower low with ears down and tail low or even tucked up to their abdomen. These body postures usually become more pronounced the closer the wolves approach one another.

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Greetings often include licking of the muzzle and neck as shown here between Kamots and Matsi.

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Wolf Behavior 101

Submissive behavior is an act that protects pack members from potential internal conflict.

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Once in range of touching, both wolves then extend their tongues and lick the muzzle of the other. Usually the submissive wolf licks the dominant wolf’s muzzle for a longer duration, which is a display of submission.

This muzzle licking is very common among dogs, and to most observers this may be the end of the greeting--however it is only the beginning of the encounter.

Many other subtle displays and communication occur concurrently or immediately after licking is finished. In addition to muzzle licking, wolves often exhibit other behaviors that communicate social bonds, hierarchy dominance, or even the physical condition of one another.

There are two main avenues of how this communication occurs: through touching of various body parts, or through olfaction (smelling) and specific scent. Touching of one another’s bodies is the method of communication which is easy for us to observe and understand. Sometimes the physical contact is subtle, but most often it is obvious. The most obvious behavior is known at WERC as a “shoulder touch,” where two wolves gently nudge shoulders immediately before or after a lick greeting, or as they pass by one another in the absence of a muzzle lick. Another form of this body communication is a “hip slam”, where a wolf may swing their rump toward another, making contact with their hip against any part of the other wolf.

Although both of these postures could mean more than just friendly communication, they still remain some of the most common social physical contacts besides licking and they promote social cohesion. The hip slam, in particular, could also mean an agnostic approach, motivated by dominance; thus the context in which the behavior occurs should always be considered. A more subtle, but similar, body posture that is indicative of social tendencies is the “lean.” Just as the word suggests, this is when a wolf stands parallel with another pack member and leans their weight slightly against the other. Occasionally, “muzzle nuzzling” may occur at the same time, or shortly after a lean.

Wolf Behavior 101

This behavior, which some dogs may perform with their human companion, is when the muzzle is gently rubbed against the muzzle or head of another. The receiving wolf often reciprocates with the same action, therefore it appears as though the two are nuzzling, which is a high-level form of social bonding. Finally, when expressing deep social ties, wolves may “hug.” Yes, wolves do actually hug one another!

Both the expressed communication and even the posturing are similar to our hugs. One wolf lifts a front leg up and over the neck of another, and then grasps ahold of the neck, essentially hugging the recipient’s neck and shoulders.

Although this posture is one of the most “feel good” expressions in canine communication, it also could portray an entirely different motivation than a social greeting, so, again, it must be examined within the context of the situation.

As with many body postures, the same expressed action could have different meanings. However, wolves also communicate by another completely separate and invisible form of messaging known as olfaction. This method is much more accurate and less subject to interpretation.

A constant array of communication is being emitted from each wolf through scent. A series of scent-producing glands are present around the body of a wolf. The head, lips, shoulders, tail, and pads of their paws all contain these glands which emit pheromones and other odors that identify individuals, advertise social rank, and even share their relative health with other members of the pack.

Contrary to physical posturing, scent communication remains fairly consistent and more honest, broadcasting a reliable signal for all to detect. Of course, only another wolf, or possibly another very good olfactory animal, can detect these “invisible” messages, which means humans are often left guessing the transmission.

However, we do know that scent contains a variety of separate markers, each with a different message regarding the wolf producing the scent. For example, wolf scent often contains an odor that is distinct to that individual created through genetics and local diet, while also containing odors that show the health of the wolf, created through food availability,

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Hugs are more than likely a sign of trust and kinship between pack members.

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Wolf Behavior 101

Wahotts greets Piyip in the customary submissive, ears and tail down manner.

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metabolism, hydration levels, and likely even disease presence. Where the distinct genetic odors do not change through time, the health adequacy odors will alter as the health of the wolf changes. When wolves greet one another, their scent is automatically dispersed through such contact that occurs during shoulder touching or hip slams. Muzzle nuzzling is also a perfect way to share scent.

These displays not only allow each wolf to analyze the health and status of one another, but also reinforce the cohesion of the pack by marking individual scent on every pack member. During greetings that involve a dominance display, the hackles raised upon a dominant wolf are a mass broadcast of individuality.

Glands are located in the skin of the shoulders which emit strong messages when the guard hairs are erected and the skin of the back is stretched.

This silent, but serious, communication is likely a major key in explaining the stability of a hierarchy. Since wolves greet often throughout the day, a reminder of the rank is constantly being displayed as well.

From the obvious physical contact postures, to the invisible olfactory messaging, wolves communicate in many ways during a greeting. What may seem on the surface as a casual lick of the tongue is actually a hidden complete dialogue of rank, health, and uniqueness. Behaviors that involve cognition, such as greeting postures, and autonomic processes, such as scent production and detection, combine to provide a powerful array of communication avenues for the gray wolf. Each avenue is equally important, and complements the others.

Used in combination, these evolved traits make a seemingly brief greeting between two wolves a virtual novel of information shared between the pack members.

Oregon Wolves are not White Walkers

by Kyle Owens

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n the book and television series “Game of Thrones” you are quickly introduced to a race of zombie-like ghosts called the “White Walkers,” once thought to be extinct. Their immortal army is confined behind a towering, ice-laden mountain wall and, throughout the series, the audience is invariably left to wonder what will happen if these bloodthirsty, mystical creatures breach this barrier and wreak havoc in the land of the living.

I cannot help but make a parallel between White Walkers and wolves when I listen to misinformed people talk about the inevitability of wolves breaching the Cascade Range from the East and establishing packs near major metropolitan areas. Here’s a tip: the next time you sit down with old acquaintances or relatives at a dinner table, do not bring up politics, religion, or wolves if you want to have an enjoyable sit-down meal. Though, it can be difficult not to open up a heated discussion, especially when a person’s disillusioned view appears nothing short of fantasy. Has there ever been an animal surrounded by such a large spectrum of controversy and misunderstanding as the wolf?

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Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

Photo by: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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ODFW wildlife biologists place a new working GPS collar on OR4, the Imnaha wolf pack’s alpha male.

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quite awhile. The first gray wolf documented in Oregon was a lone radio-collared female back in 1999 from the original Idaho experimental population. Her name was “B-45” and she was the first wolf to set foot in Oregon in over 60 years. Ever since her historic trek, there have been numerous other wolves that have made the journey into Northeast Oregon from Idaho. As of July 2015, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) monitored 16 packs, 13 of which were found to have reproduced in Oregon that same year. Considering ODFW documented only 14 wolves in 2009 and in 2014 there were 81 documented wolves, it can be assumed Oregon’s wolf population will continue to expand and increase in number over time. Just this past summer, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed the presence of the Mount Shasta Pack, Northern California’s first wolf pack since the species went extinct in California in 1924.

Oregon wolves have received an inconceivable amount of deliberation over the years as they expanded into new territories throughout the Northwest. Still, nothing has quite stirred up the wolf debate like the Oregon Fish and Wildlife commission deciding to delist Eastern Oregon wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and move into phase two of Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management plan this past November.

The Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management

Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

Plan is set up to work separately for Eastern and Western Oregon (Eastern Oregon has wolves to be managed and Western Oregon currently does not.) Phase one of the plan was put into effect back in 2005 for the entire state of Oregon, working beneath the ESA’s policies that were already in place. The Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan’s phase one management objectives aimed to establish and conserve four breeding pairs of wolves for at least three consecutive years. Eastern Oregon easily met this phase one objective this past November.

The general idea behind phase one of Oregon’s wolf plan is that the survival of four breeding pairs of wolves over an extended period of time indicates a healthy and growing population that is unlikely to near a threat of future extinction. With this, being listed on the Endangered Species Act can be seen as redundant, especially if a large majority of Oregon’s Wolf Conservation and Management plan objectives already neatly follow ESA policies. A decision to move into phase two is voted on by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. The Commission’s vote is highly influenced by professional science and public opinion. Needless to say, by November 2015 the decision to move Eastern Oregon into phase two was established (Western Oregon still protects wolves under the federal ESA.) It passed with a 4-2 vote.

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Wolves will soon inhabit the dense forested areas in Western Oregon.

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Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

Cougars were responsible for 78% of elk calf mortality in two Northeast Oregon Game units between 2002 and 2007.

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The wolf in Eastern Oregon is now officially labeled a “special status game mammal� in phase two of the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management plan. So, should you be concerned and outraged with Eastern Oregon moving into phase two? Well, maybe hold onto your torches and pitchforks for the time being. Phase two of the Oregon wolf plan is aimed at establishing and conserving seven breeding pairs of wolves for three consecutive years before deciding to move into phase three of the plan. The general idea of phase three, the last phase, is to maintain a wolf population greater than phase two but also to make sure the wolf population is at a level that does not conflict with land use practices.

When you read through the phases of the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, it becomes clear that the management plan is designed so there are more restrictions when the wolf population is low and fewer restrictions when the wolf population is high. For example, sport hunting of wolves is not allowed in any phase of the plan, but in phase three, controlled take of wolves with special permits can be authorized by the Fish and Wildlife Council in certain areas of Oregon.

Designated hunting areas are chosen by the council with respect to high livestock depredation or dramatic declines in wolf prey populations.

Under wolf management plans in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, sport hunting is currently allowed for wolves and many people strongly believe that Oregon will somehow follow suit with a wolf hunting season after establishing a population cap (limit) sometime after phase three has been set in place (an optional measure under phase three). Currently, the Oregon Wolf Plan allows lethal take of wolves in special circumstances in all three phases. Lethal take can be permitted if a wolf is in the act of depredating on livestock or is a threat to human safety.

All phases of the plan will also allow lethal take by a state or federal personnel if a particular wolf is found guilty by ODFW of two depredations on livestock or one depredation on livestock and two incidences of a wolf attempting to predate on livestock (testing or stalking). In 2014, wolves killed five of

Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

the 1.3 billion cattle in Oregon. In my personal opinion, it doesn’t matter what the wolf population is, wolves do not seem to be a problem with livestock in general. Hopefully a population cap will never need to be set in Oregon after phase three is enacted.

Every five years the plan is updated and there are a lot of questions surrounding how new research and ideas will influence Oregon’s updated 2016 Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. There is no question that the current plan has a broad management approach due to a lot of unknown variables. From an ecological standpoint it is extremely difficult to assess how wolves will adapt to Oregon over time because applicable wolf research is primarily conducted in the mountainous regions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming and does not correspond to Oregon’s ecology very well.

One of the unknowns with wolf recolonization into Northeast Oregon is wolf interaction with cougars in relation to their overlapping prey sources. Cougar predation is the major limiting factor in elk calf recruitment (elk calves becoming sexually mature adults) in Northeast Oregon. In the Northern Rocky Mountains (where most wolf studies are conducted) the major limiting factor in elk calf recruitment is primarily bear predation. Cougars were responsible for a staggering 78% of elk calf mortality in two Northeast Oregon game management units between 2002 and 2007. This corresponds to the cougar population in Northeast

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Top: The cougar population in Northeast Oregon has increased by 69% between 1994 and 2003.

Bottom: The mule deer population in Northeast Oregon has declined by up to 55% between 2008 to 2013.

Cougar predation, habitat productivity, an increase in climate stresses, coyote fawn predation, and poaching are all contributing factors to the recent decline.

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Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

Most wolf research is conducted in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

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Oregon increasing by 69% between 1994 and 2003 and creating some of the highest cougar densities ever documented. Cougars in the region also have been found to preference adult female mule deer and can be partially blamed for the mule deer decline.

It is not known how cougars respond to more and more wolves pressuring their prey sources; wolves will either add to ungulate mortality, utilize separate habitats (habitat partitioning), or replace cougar-caused mortalities if cougars decide to flee the area in response to wolf pressure. Another ecological factor to consider is that, in Northeastern Oregon, there is more deer than elk, and it is generally the opposite in the Northern Rocky Mountain regions. With this slight difference, wolf prey preference is relatively unknown in the region.

Researchers are unsure how wolves manage their time hunting prey in the ecosystems that make up the unique landscape of Northeast Oregon. This is interesting because prey preferences among predators need to be accurately estimated in order to effectively manage an ecosystem as a whole. An apex predator like the wolf influences everything in an ecosystem, and everything in Northeast Oregon has not seen a wolf in over 60 years. To expand on this difficulty, harsh winters in the Northern Rockies are related to an increase in the wolf predation rate for ungulates (deep snow reduces running capability), lower pregnancy rates for ungulates (climate stress), and reduced forage availability. Comparatively, the winters in

Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

Northeast Oregon are mild and there is more forage available. These climate differences between Northeast Oregon and the Northern Rocky Mountains might buffer the perceived impact (provided by Northern Rocky Mountain based resources) two apex predators will have on ungulate populations that are already experiencing some troubles. The affective degree of this climate difference has yet to be determined and therefore wildlife management strategies in Northeast Oregon have been relatively adaptive in nature this past decade.

New research pertaining to wolf and cougar interactions in Northeast Oregon is just one important element that needs to be considered in the updated Wolf Conservation and Management plan. There are many other aspects of Oregon that are different from the Northern Rocky Mountain regions that inevitably lead to semi-experimental management decisions with very little scientific basis to back them. The general fact that wolves are known to thrive in a variety of ecosystems (habitat generalists) does not help wildlife managers in predicting which areas of the state wolves will inhabit first and for how long. Another thought to consider when thinking about new-age wolf management is that Eastern Oregon is largely rural by nature and the wilderness areas in Oregon are small when compared to wilderness areas in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, livestock grazing in Oregon is unique in the sense that it is common on both public and private lands. Basically, human influence on public or private land in Eastern Oregon is wide-reaching. It can be assumed (but not confirmed) that, in the future, wolves will inhabit areas in Eastern Oregon where they are most tolerated by humans.

Can it be assumed that wolves will be tolerated throughout the western portion of Oregon when they breach the Cascade Range? I personally am assuming not.

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Wolves killed five of Oregon’s 1.3 million cattle in 2014.

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Oregon Wolves Are Not White Walkers

When Canis Lupis eventually crosses the urban boundaries of Western Oregon, will rational minds employ the “live and let live” mindset or will this be the start of a fearful human territorial response?

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As an Oregon resident living just outside of Portland, I cringe when I think of how our new sharp-tooth friends might be perceived when they breach the Cascade Range from the east. I seriously doubt the public will take into consideration that there has never been a confirmed and documented case of a healthy wild wolf killing a human being. It is almost inevitable that there will be a Portland news story in the coming years (maybe even months) about a wolf seen near a residential area in the western portion of the state that will stir up all kinds of fear-based commotion. In response to a sighting, wildlife managers stationed in Western Oregon will probably break out their notebooks, brace themselves for a media firestorm, and spend entire work days attempting to write down all the environmental variables and pending concerns they believe wolves will touch in Western Oregon. It goes without saying that a lot of the management goals spawned from this list will be more or less educated guesses. I do look forward to hearing about how wolves will be managed by ODFW in these extremely dense wet forests and how wolves and their prey will adapt in an even milder climate than Eastern Oregon.

If you are interested in reading the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management Plan it can be found on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wolves/management_ plan.asp

Rich History of North Central Idaho

The 300 acres of land that was home to the Sawtooth Pack, and is now where the remaining Owyhee Pack will live out their days, is on breathtakingly beautiful Nez Perce tribal land.

The Nez Perce call themselves Nimiipuu, meaning “The People.” During the 1800s they lived and prospered in the region and were considered to be a wealthy, peaceful tribe with the largest horse herd on the continent.

You can experience the history of the Nez Perce tribe and their legendary friends, Lewis and Clark, at these historical Idaho landmarks: Canoe Camp in Orofino

In the summer of 1805, along the Clearwater River, the Nez Perce encountered Lewis and Clark at Canoe Camp in Orofino. In horrible physical condition, Lewis and Clark likely wouldn’t have survived without the help from the tribe. The Nez Perce provided nourishment and shelter for the expedition team. Friendships were soon forged between the two groups. Lewis and Clark gladly traded guns and ammunition for horses, canoes and river maps.

White Bird Battlefield

Tumultuous change for the Nez Perce Nation began around the mid-1800s when white settlers established themselves on Nez Perce land. The treaties of 1855 and 1863 divided the Nez Perce families and growing resentment over loss of land fueled the war between the Nez Perce and the US government in 1877. Although the Nez Perce had no military experience, their superb horsemanship and well-trained Appaloosa horses helped defeat the U.S. Army. The first battle at the White Bird Battlefield is located about 40 miles south of the Wolf Center, off Hwy 95.

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Rich History of North Central Idaho

Northwest Passage Scenic Byway This 202-mile byway is like a huge classroom for studying the history of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Discovery Expedition. Beginning in Lewiston at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, Hwy 12 winds across north-central Idaho, along the unspoiled Lochsa River and through the ancestral homeland of the Nez Perce people. Adjacent to Hwy 12 is US Forest Road 500 – The Lolo Motorway – a dirt road that follows the overland route taken by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. To learn more or find a map, visit http://idahoptv.org/outdoors/shows/scenicbyways/ northwestpassage.cfm.

Nez Perce National Historical Park The Nez Perce National Historical Park is comprised of 38 sites in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana These parks commemorate the legends and the history of the Nez Perce and their interactions with others. As you travel from site to site you will see the rich and diverse cultural history they represent. For more information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/nepe/index.htm.

As the late Nez Perce Tribal Leader Herman Reuben once said, “The way we were taught is that we are part of Mother Earth. We’re brothers and sisters to the animals, we’re living in harmony with them. From the birds to the fish to the smallest insect.”

Adopt a Classroom WERC has a website that receives more than 2500 individual visitors each week from all over the world seeking information about wolves. Finding quality education and facts is essential cultivating a future of stewardship of wolves and other iconic carnivores. When you adopt a classroom, you allow WERC to reach directly into middle and high schools around North America with a meaningful dialog.

That’s how you can make an immeasurable difference — Adopt a Classroom today.

Here’s how it works. Your $50 donation sends the great package shown here to the middle school of YOUR choice. We’ll do all the work and your gift will include a note from you expressing your commitment to education about wolves.

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WOLF CENTER

$174,800

Caring for four ambassador wolves costs nearly $174,800, including their health and upkeep, food that is not donated, and the maintenance of the Wolf Camp. You can make a significant impact in our programs by adopting one or all of the Wolf Center’s wolves. Preserve the legacy of the Sawtooth Pack by giving an adoption to someone or a local classroom.

ADOPTION PROGRAM

Adopt a Classroom Here’s how it works.

Your $50 donation sends the great package shown here to the middle school of YOUR choice.

We’ll do all the work and your gift will include a note from you expressing your commitment to education about wolves.

See website for more giving opportunities! www.wolfcenter.org

$25 Adult

• Photo of adopted wolf 5x7 • SLQ • Certificate • 1 free adult admission to WERC

$100

Adopt the Pack

Running for Home

$250 Marilyn McGee

Illustrated by Durwood

Yes!

• Photo pack of Owyhees 5x7 • SLQ • Choice of 1 Owyhee Pack name t-shirt • “Running For Home” Book • Certificate

Can you find the book, hidden animals in this including the two on this cover?

by Gail McDiarmid &

Yes!

Coffey

n

Yes!

Classroom- Juvenile

• Poster of history and benefits • DVD • Photo Pack of Owyhee 8x10 • Certificate • Piyip photo for each child while supplies last • Info kit with individual adoption form and fundraiser challenge

Yes!

Sawtooth Memorial Adoption • Photo pack of • DVD Owyhee 5x7 • Tribute Poster 11x14 • SLQ • Running For Home book

$50

• Certificate • Choice of 2 Owyhee name t-shirts • Free admission for a family of 5

$500

$25 Juvenile

Yes!

• Photo pack 5x7 • Wolf plush with name tag • Certificate

Yes!

Sawtooth Memorial Adoption • All 11 wolves photo pack 8x10 • Tribute print 16x20 • Choice of 4 Owyhee name t-shirts • Premium Certificate

• SLQ • DVD • Free admission for a family of 5 • “Running for Home” book

Please mail the Adoption or Gift Adoption Packet to the following person, business, or school:

Member Number_______________________________________________________ Name _________________________________________________________________ School/Business_________________________________________________________ City_________________________________ State__ Zip________________________ Email________________________________ Phone (____)_______________________ Please mail completed form with check or money order to: WERC, P.O. Box 12604, Portland, OR 97212 or visit: www.wolfcenter.org, click on the “Adopt a Wolf” menu.

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Our mission is to provide the highest quality captive animal care and education possible and inspire greater public tolerance toward apex predators.

We engage the public to support sustainable relationships with nature to become a social norm.

Our vision is a growing community who work toward a more sustainable relationship with nature. This is achieved through captive animal care, regional interpretive programs, and ongoing development of contemporary media.

We partner with diverse cultures and traditions to build a united and stronger future for all species.

Get involved today!