Possible return of wolves sparks planning for their presence

Gray wolves were wiped out in Washington by the 1930s, but the echoing,
spine-tingling howls of a pack in full cry recently showed they're coming
back on their own.

State Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists believe a wolf pack might
now live in western Okanogan County.

Biologists heard adult and juvenile wolves howling during a July 8 survey.
The biologists howled and the wolves howled back.

Howling is how wolves and wolf packs communicate and stake out territory.

People have reported seeing wolves in the area, heard their howls and have
photographs of possible wolves taken with the remote cameras that are
popular with hunters and wildlife watchers.

Rocky Beach, Fish and Wildlife wildlife diversity manager, says he's pretty
sure the Okanogan wolves migrated into the state from British Columbia.

"And there is no doubt that individual wolves have moved in and out of
Washington from expanding packs in Montana and Idaho," Beach said.

But no one knows whether the pack will stay, and the state has a lot of work
to do before everyone can say wolves once again live in Washington.

Gray wolves have federal protection west of U.S. Highway 97 and state Route
17. Wolves have state protection in every part of Washington.

Beach said biologists have to:

. Determine whether the pack is breeding pups for at least three years.

. Capture a live wolf, take DNA samples and then outfit it with a radio
collar so it can be tracked.

The DNA must show that the wolf is not a hybrid dog/wolf combination.

In case the wolves are here to stay - and there is no reason to believe that
they are not - Fish and Wildlife already is preparing a plan to manage
wolves.

A wolf work group has completed a report, and it will go through scientific
peer review and public comment through the rest of 2008, Beach said.

Fish and Wildlife has not released wild wolves and has never had a plan to
do so. However, wolves coming into the state from Canada, Montana or Idaho
are protected under state and federal law.

Managing wolves is a big challenge, as they will prey on horses, cattle,
sheep and other livestock, Beach said.

Management plans should deal with paying farmers and ranchers for lost
animals, Beach said. A private group - Defenders of Wildlife - pays
compensation for livestock losses in areas where wolves are under federal
protection.

Biologists have to track wolf packs with radio collars to keep tabs on the
animals - and where they are going.

"The key is to minimize conflict between wolves and people," Beach said.

Wolves will find plenty of deer and elk in many parts of Washington, and
hunters might worry about having a tougher time finding animals, Beach said.

Studies in Montana have shown that elk move more when wolves are around -
but human hunters have adapted to the changes and still take animals, Beach
said.

"You don't see a vast reduction in elk herds," Beach said. "You do see
changes in behavior."

Will we one day see - or hear - wolf packs in South Sound?

Beach isn't sure, but wolves still are far away from Capitol State Forest.

"You find wolves where you have prey," he said.

Wolves are not a danger to humans most of the time. Wolves have roamed
Yellowstone National Park since their 1996 reintroduction. There are now 171
wolves in 11 packs in Yellowstone, and the animals have not attacked humans.

"Wolves are hard-wired to fear man," Beach said. "The chances of being hurt
by a wolf are extremely remote."

Deer, elk and bison are more likely to harm humans than wolves, Beach said.

I've spent a lot of time in Yellowstone during the past 20 years, and I've
seen wolf tracks, seen wolves hunting a crippled cow elk in the Lamar Valley
and heard them howl.

It's a wonderful sound - the sound of wild country.