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

WOLF NEWS

7/18/08: Wolf Protections Restored
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A federal judge in Montana has ruled that "Endangered Species Act protections are hereby reinstated for the northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf" pending final resolution of a federal lawsuit challenging the delisting of wolves. That means state management of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming is over, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service back in charge. Hunters in the predator area of Wyoming, you may no longer take wolves.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/18/08: Details of the Wolf Decision
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The federal court ruling this afternoon was on a motion for a preliminary injunction, which sought to have federal protections for wolves reinstituted while the full case is heard in court. The judge approved the injunction, noting: "In my view, Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the majority of the claims relied upon in their request for a preliminary injunction. .... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/18/08: WG&F Responds to Wolf Decision
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A decision issued today in federal court will have significant impacts on the way wolves are managed in Wyoming. Judge Donald Molloy issued an injunction to suspend the removal of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains from the federal Endangered Species List. Wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains were removed from the Endangered Species List in March 2008. A number of environmental groups are challenging the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s delisting decision. Today’s injunction effectively returns management authority for wolves in the region to the federal government while these legal challenges are heard..... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/14/08: Wolf killed in Upper Hoback
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports that one adult male wolf was killed by USDA Wildlife Services last week in response to domestic sheep depredations. This makes the number of wolves killed in Wyoming since delisting 21, including those killed by hunters in the predator area, as well as those killed in response to livestock kills... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/9/08: Barrasso squares off with DOI over wolves
(By US Senator Barrasso) U.S. Senator John Barrasso , R-Wyo., took aim at the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) for snubbing hard-working ranchers whose livestock are killed by wolves. Barrasso’s comments came during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on a bill he sponsored with Senator Jon Tester, D-Mont., to authorize federal matching money for state trust funds to reimburse livestock owners whose animals are killed by wolves. DOI testified at the hearing that management of the wolves is entirely a state issue, and that the federal government should not be involved in providing compensation. Barrasso responded: "It seems to me that Washington wants to have it both ways. On one hand, federal officials want to have a seat at the table when it comes to managing the wolves, yet they want nothing to do with the financial responsibility of putting them in our state." .... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/9/08: Bush Administration opposes wolf compensation
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The CBS4Denver.com newswire is reporting that the Bush Administration is opposed to the wolf compensation bill put forth by Wyoming's U.S. Senator John Barrassso and Montana's Senator John Tester. .... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/1/08: Alaska shoots wolves to save caribou
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Fairbanks Daily News Miner reports that Alaska wildlife biologists recently undertook an aerial gunning program for wolf control. A total of 28 wolves were killed last month on the calving grounds of the struggling Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd. Research on this herd has shown a major population crash from more than 4,000 animals to about 600 in six years, with wolves the major culprit in calf deaths.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

7/1/08: Idaho investigates wolf death
(By Idaho Fish and Game Department) Idaho Fish and Game is investigating the death of a wolf shot northeast of Stanley. The carcass was retrieved on June 16. As in all wolf shootings under state law, this incident is being investigated. Among other incidents, officials on June 24, found a 25-pound male and a 23-pound female wolf pup dead along Highway 21 near Lowman, apparently hit by a vehicle. On June 24, Wildlife Services investigated a report that wolves attacked and injured some sheep on private land west of McCall.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

6/27/08: Wyoming wolf kill tally stands at 20
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Since wolves were delisted on March 28, there have been 20 wolves legally killed in Wyoming, either by hunters in the predator management area, or in control actions in response to livestock depredations. Here's a summary of the kills by county.... (Click on the link to the story for a complete tally)

6/27/08: Four wolves killed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Four more wolves have been killed this month in Wyoming in response to depredation problems. All four were killed by USDA Wildlife Services specialist in two separate incidents in Park County. Wolves killed a yearling heifer and a calf.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

6/15/08: Waiting for word on wolf injunction
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) As wolf advocates await a federal judge’s decision whether or not to issue an injunction against state management of wolves in the Northern Rockies, federal officials argued that the injunction is unnecessary. The federal government argued that the environmental and animal-rights advocates had an “incorrect notion that the states’ laws permit unregulated wolf killing that will radically diminish” prospects for a functional wolf metapopulation.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

6/13/08: Studies based on winter kills may underestimate wolf impact
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wildlife researchers often study wolf predation rates during the winter and use that data to estimate the effect of wolf predation on ungulate populations based on those kill rates. But recent research indicates that this technique has serious flaws. A recent article challenges reliance on winter estimates: "So far the vast majority of studies on large carnivore predation, including kill rates and consumption, have been based on winter studies. Because large carnivores relying on ungulates as prey often show a preference for juveniles, kill rates may be both higher and more variable during the summer season than during the rest of the year leading to serious underestimates of the total annual predation rate.” ... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

6/12/08: Researchers examine wolf effect on big horns
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A group of researchers is studying the effect of wolf reintroduction on bighorn sheep in Yellowstone National Park. According to an abstract of a research paper recently published in the journal Wildlife Biology, "the presence of wolves did not prevent the bighorn sheep population from increasing slowly during the decade following reintroduction."... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

6/12/08: WildEarth Guardians on wolf mission
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Santa Fe-based WildEarth Guardians was formed earlier this year when Forest Guardians and Sinapu combined to become one environmental advocacy organization. Now they've set their sights on "Keeping the West Wild." The group says they are committed to weaving wolves back into the American West. Their campaign letter ends with a plea for money to "Help make sure the livestock industry and the Fish and Wildlife Service don't push the wolf over the edge of extinction." ... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

6/6/08: Wolf specialist hired
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports that it has hired personnel for its three permanent wolf management specialist positions. These positions will be supervised by Mike Jimenez, the department's wolf coordinator, and will focus on conflict resolution, research, monitoring and public hunting. Specialists will begin July 1 at the specified location: Scott Becker, Cody; Kenneth Mills, Pinedale; Bob Trebelcock; Lander.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/28/08: Wyoming proposes wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has released a proposal for a 2008 wolf hunting season in Wyoming’s Trophy Game area. The structure of the season will be an Area Harvest Quota Limitation, in which the season for each wolf hunt area will close when the harvest quota for that area has been reached. The proposal will establish wolf seasons and harvest quotas in four hunt areas in the Trophy Game Area of northwest Wyoming. The season proposal is open for public comment until July 3, 2008. All comments must be in writing and must be submitted at the public meetings or mailed.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/28/08: Idaho opines on wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho Fish and Game Director Cal Groen wrote an op-ed about wolf management. He commented, in part, “Without the support of hunters, anglers and other conservationists, there would be little wildlife in Idaho. Big game animals were mostly eliminated by the time a voter initiative established the Fish and Game Department in 1938… Today we can hunt 10 species of big game; wolves will make it 11… In my opinion, without active management, including hunting, we will have even more predation, more conflict and more injury to elk herds, livestock, and hunter opportunity and related economies…” (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/28/08: Habituated wolf killed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that Montana wildlife officials shot and killed a habituated wolf near West Yellowstone this week. The wolf was exhibiting aggressive behavior towards people and dogs and had been seeking out campgrounds and residential areas during the past two weeks. The wolf was destroyed on Tuesday.

5/22/08: Idaho sets wolf hunting season
(By Idaho Fish & Game press release) The Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopted the first regulated hunting season on gray wolves in the state's history. The commission set a wolf population goal of 518 wolves and adopted hunting seasons, limits and rules for the 2008 hunting season. The season would be open from September 15 in the backcountry and from October 1 in all remaining areas and run through December 31. A hunter can kill one wolf with a valid 2008 hunting license and wolf tag.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/16/08: Wyoming wolf illegally killed
(By Wyoming Game & Fish Department) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information about an illegal wolf kill in northwest Wyoming. On April 21, Game and Fish personnel responded to a call about a wolf carcass found near Highway 26/287 in the Buffalo Valley, east of Moran Junction and west of Togwotee Pass. They found the female wolf carcass about 25 feet from the main highway, where it had apparently slid down an embankment. The cause of death was not apparent, so the carcass was sent to the Game and Fish Laboratory in Laramie for further analysis. A necropsy found small traces of a bullet in the carcass and wounds suggesting the animal had been shot at least once.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/14/08: Sixteen wolves killed in Wyoming since delisting
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) There have been 16 wolves killed in Wyoming's predatory zone since the species was removed from federal protection on March 28.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/14/08: Wyoming wolf update
(By Wyoming Game & Fish Department) The state of Wyoming officially assumed management authority for wolves on March 28, 2008. Wyoming Game and Fish Department personnel continue to closely monitor wolves and wolf activity throughout northwest Wyoming. The department is working with USDA Wildlife Services and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to place radio collars on wolves in the Trophy Game Area. One male wolf was reported killed on May 5 in the Predatory Animal area near Daniel. The department’s information and education staff continued to answer numerous calls from the media and public. Most calls related to the lawsuit filed in US District Court in Montana challenging the wolf delisting decision. The State of Wyoming filed as an intervenor in the lawsuit filed last week in US District Court in Montana challenging the wolf delisting decision. The department is reviewing applications for three permanent Wolf Specialist positions and will be conducting interviews soon. ... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/14/08: Montana discusses wolf kills
(By Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued a wolf update that addresses concerns about the number of wolf control actions occurring in that state since wolves were removed from federal protections at the end of March. Confirmed damage by wolves based on an investigation by USDA Wildlife Services is required prior to implementation of any lethal control, and control efforts are terminated after a maximum of 45 days or upon removal of the pre-determined number of wolves, which ever is sooner. Montana has not authorized any more lethal control across southern Montana than would have been the case if wolves were still listed or was the case during the same 30-day period in 2007. Neither FWP nor Montana citizens have abused the transition from the federal legal framework to the state legal framework. ... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/14/08: Montana wolf update
(By Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks issued its first wolf update report about wolf - livestock activities. A late start to spring has kept wintering ungulates and wolves in lower elevations mostly along winter range later than in previous years, creating more potential for wolves to be in close proximity to cattle calving or sheep lambing operations on private lands. Wolves were delisted on March 28, 2008... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/8/08: Wolf injunction hearing set
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The lawsuit filed in federal district court in Montana over wolf delisting is moving forward. The environmental and animal rights groups filing the suit have requested the court issue a preliminary injunction to stop wolves from being killed as has happened in Wyoming's predator zone. The court has set the date for the injunction hearing for May 29.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/4/08: Idaho seeks comments on wolf hunting rules
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has scheduled a series of public open house meetings around the state to seek comments on the proposed 2008 wolf hunting season framework. The meetings will be announced by regional offices. The plan calls for managing wolves at a population level of between 500-700 wolves for the first five years following delisting. The plan includes hunting as part of the methods of maintaining the population levels. When the statewide quota is reached, all hunting would stop. When quotas in individual zones are reached, hunting in those zones would stop.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

5/4/08: Two more Wyoming wolves killed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports that one male wolf was reported taken in the Predatory Animal area near Daniel on April 26. In addition, one male wolf was reported taken in the Predatory Animal area on Dry Creek in the Oregon Basin on April 28. That's two more, bringing Wyoming's total to 15 since wolves were removed from federal protection. In other wolf news, the State of Wyoming is preparing to file as an intervenor in the lawsuit filed this week in US District Court in Montana challenging the wolf delisting decision... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/30/08: Governor's office fields wolf calls
(By Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal's office) A national environmental group's campaign to generate opposition to Wyoming's Wolf Management Plan prompted hundreds of calls to Governor Dave Freudenthal's office Tuesday, with just two from Wyoming. The campaign continued Wednesday and as a result, Wyoming constituents attempting to contact the Governor's Office by phone may experience problems in reaching members of the governor's staff. More than 600 calls from individuals, many saying they were reading from a script provided by the Defenders of Wildlife, were answered by the Governor's Office on Tuesday. The Governor’s office issued a statement to the public saying t he volume of out of state contacts may affect the office's ability to answer constituent calls from Wyoming.. . . (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/29/08: Injunction to stop wolf hunts requested
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Environmental and animal advocate organizations that filed a lawsuit challenging the delisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies also filed a request for an injunction. In order to issue an injunction, the court must decide that the plaintiffs have a probability of success on the merits of its claims. The brief argues that delisting harms individual members of the organizations that filed the lawsuit because they enjoy seeing and hearing wolves in the wild, but opportunities for these activities are decreased with delisting. . . (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/29/08: Idaho ponders wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Idaho Fish and Game Department issued a media release saying the state will be considering wolf hunting rules and seasons to help control numbers in areas where there are high wolf-livestock conflicts. Many depredation incidents are occurring in areas without historically high levels of depredations including locations on private ground far from core wolf areas. . . (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/29/08: Tri-state has 34 dead wolves in one month
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Not all intentional, or legal. Since wolves were delisted on March 28, here’s the numbers: Idaho (17), Montana (4), Wyoming (13). . . (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/29/08: Wolf lawsuit details
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Twelve groups signed on to have Earthjustice file a lawsuit challenging the removal of federal protections for wolves in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. The complaint filed in federal court seeks to have federal protection for wolves restored and state management of wolves eliminated unless/until state plans are changed to provide more protection for wolves across a broader range of the region, with the result being even more wolves than we have now. . (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/28/08: WYG&F responds to wolf lawsuit
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department issued a statement in response to a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court in Missoula, Montana, challenging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recent decision to remove wolves from the federal List of Threatened and Endangered Species in Wyoming. The lawsuit has been filed by a coalition of environmental and animal-rights groups. “The Wyoming Game and Fish Department considers today's lawsuit both unnecessary and unproductive. Wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains are doing extremely well,” the statement said in part.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/28/08: Wolf delisting lawsuit filed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Earthjustice filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the federal government’s decision to remove the northern Rockies gray wolf population from the list of endangered species. Wolves should not have been delisted, the groups argue, because they remain threatened by biased, inadequate state management plans, as well as by the lack of connections between largely isolated state wolf populations. Earthjustice filed the lawsuit on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, The Humane Society of the United States, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands Project, Western Watersheds Project, and Wildlands Project.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/25/08: Sublette County Predator Board to meet April 30
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Sublette County Predator Management District Board will hold a business meeting on Wednesday, April 30 at 2 p.m. in the Sublette County Extension office in Pinedale. The board will discuss wolf control and plans for future predator control in the county.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/25/08: Jimenez gets WF&F wolf job
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has hired Mike Jimenez as its new Wolf Program Coordinator. Jimenez has been the Wyoming Wolf Recovery Project Leader for the US Fish and Wildlife Service since 1999. He will begin his new duties with the department on April 28 and will be based in Jackson... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/18/08: Congress eyes compensation
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) U.S. Senators Jon Tester, D-Mont., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., teamed up to introduce legislation that would compensate livestock owners whose animals are killed by wolves. The bipartisan plan is a response to the federal government’s March 28 decision to remove gray wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho from the Endangered Species List—a decision that handed wolf management to the states. The legislation, called the Gray Wolf Livestock Loss Mitigation Act, would authorize federal money for state trust funds to reimburse livestock owners whose animals are killed by wolves. The Gray Wolf Livestock Loss Mitigation Act would also allow federal grants for states to help lower the risk of wolf kills by improving fencing and grazing practices, using guard dogs, and other means. “The federal government put these wolves in Wyoming and Montana,” Barrasso said. “This bill will make them take financial responsibility for the damage they cause.” Approximately 1,500 gray wolves now roam across Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/15/08: Idaho issues wolf reports
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) With the removal of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains from the federal endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is no longer compiling its weekly wolf reports. The states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are going to try to keep the wolf weekly going as individual states. Idaho's weekly wolf reports, in addition to other wolf information will be posted on the Idaho Fish and Game website. (Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/15/08: Wisconsin wants a wolf hunt
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Associated Press reports that Wisconsin hunters voted 4,848 to 772 that a hunting season for wolves should be established in their state. Sportsmen attended spring Conservation Congress hearings in all 72 counties to vote on the issue. The vote's recommendation now goes to Wisconsin's Natural Resources Board. Click on the link to read an article for more information on this story.

4/15/08: Finland's wolf population shrinking
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Finland's dwindling wolf population may be faced with the dangers of inbreeding, similar to that of the wolf population in Sweden. In Sweden, the wolf population's inbreeding has resulted in congenital bone disorders. Click on the link to read an article detailing the situation with these two wolf populations.

4/11/08: Weekly wolf report
(By Wyoming Game & Fish Department) Reported Wolf Kills, Depredation Investigations, Information and Education, and other news about wolves this week from the Wyoming Game & Fish Department....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/7/08: Four wolves killed for livestock depredation
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal animal damage control officials, working closely with a rancher, his personnel and the Sublette County Predator Board, killed four wolves Monday morning in the Cora/Pinedale area. The control effort was in response to livestock predation on the ranch, in which four calves have been killed and the wolves continued to return to the calving pastures during the night since at least last Thursday....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/4/08: WG&F issues first wolf report
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department issued its first weekly wolf report and posted it on the agency's new wolf page on its website. The state of Wyoming officially assumed management authority for wolves on March 28, 2008. This report covers the period from March 28 through April 4....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/4/08: Two Wolves killed in South Pass area
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Two wolves were killed in the predator management portion of the South Pass area on Thursday. The location of where these kills occurred is unknown at this time, but appears to be along the western flank of the southern Wind River Mountains, where the Prospect wolf pack has roamed in the past. Hunters have 10 days to report wolf kills to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/4/08: Wolves killing calves in Cora country
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The early morning check of the calving pasture this morning was not a good one for a ranch in the Cora area of Sublette County this morning. At least two or three calves were killed by wolves overnight on the ranch. Fresh tracks in the snow indicate that two wolves are responsible for the predation. This is a different ranch from the one reporting problems with wolves in the calving pasture last week, where one was killed last Friday.....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/4/08: Idaho wolf investigation ongoing
(By Idaho Fish & Game press release) Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers are investigating the shooting of two wolves on April 1 by a private landowner west of Ashton. He contacted the local conservation officer shortly after the incident, which still is under investigation. The law allows anyone to protect their animals using any nonlethal method they deem necessary. But it doesn't allow a livestock owner, employee or agent to kill a wolf if it is merely in the vicinity of their animals but not molesting or attacking them. It is also illegal for anyone to pursue and kill a wolf away from the site when the wolf no longer is molesting or attacking the livestock or domestic animals. The law requires livestock owners to get a permit from Fish and Game to kill wolves not actively molesting or attacking animals....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/3/08: Wolf management in Montana
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Federal rules require Montana to maintain a minimum of 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs. Today, about 420 wolves inhabit Montana in about 73 packs and 39 breeding pairs. The population is increasing an average of 28 percent per year. With delisting, the line separating Montana into the northern Endangered Area and the southern Experimental Area no longer exists. Montana will have one legal classification of wolves as a “species in need of management.” Montana laws protect wolves. Wolves can only be legally killed: During an official hunting or trapping season; If the wolf is killing or threatening to kill pets or livestock; To protect human life. Such incidents must be reported to FWP in 72 hours.....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/3/08: Don't shoot the messenger
(By Dawn Ballou, Editor, Pinedale Online!) The wolf delisting issue is very controversial and highly emotionally-charged. We understand and appreciate that there are those who vehemently disagree with the delisting and the next step which has allowed shooting of wolves for any reason. We read many of the blogs and know every time a new article gets posted on us that tells of another wolf being killed it makes some people hopping with rage. We want to point out that we aren’t making the news here, we are just reporting it. In addition, we aren’t the ones who make the laws which govern wolf management in Wyoming. Pinedale Online encourages debate on any of our stories and the issues that face those of us who live in Pinedale. We welcome Letters to the Editor if you think any of the content in Cat’s articles is factually inaccurate. E-mails full of personal attacks do nothing to further the debates. We welcome your comments, but ask that you “don’t shoot the messenger because you don’t like the news.”...(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/3/08: Wolf management in Idaho
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) On Friday, March 28, Idaho took over management of gray wolves throughout the state. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission adopted a wolf management plan on March 6. State management plans, laws and protocols will govern wolf management in Idaho. No hunting seasons have been set. Wolf packs range from the Canadian border south to Interstate 84, and from the Oregon border east to the Montana and Wyoming borders. Dispersing wolves occasionally have been reported in previously unoccupied areas. Though wolf management has passed to Idaho, the U.S.D.A.'s Wildlife Services will continue to handle wolf depredation problems. During 2007, biologists documented 83 resident wolf packs in Idaho. A minimum population was estimated at 732 wolves. In addition, 13 documented border packs counted for Montana and Wyoming had established territories straddling the Idaho state boundary and probably spent some time in Idaho....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/2/08: Make that five wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Apparently there have been five wolves killed in Sublette County, in the predator management area, since wolves were officially delisted on Friday. Three were killed in the Daniel area, one near Cora, and one in the Middle Piney area....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/2/08: Editorializing or reporting?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Removing wolves from federal protection has certainly generated excitement. We’ve heard from people happy for the hunting opportunity and those outraged that it’s occurring. I generally don’t like to editorialize on this site. Readers need to remember that I’m happy to receive emails with news tips, but this is not a blog in which arguments are going to take place. We don’t post comments and opinions – no matter which side is talking. Go somewhere else for that. This is a news site. We’ll try to keep you informed about what’s really going on with wolves in this corner of the world. We invite those living in areas inhabited by wolves to contact Cat with news tips, photographs, or other information. We also invite those who want to support this endeavor to sign on as sponsors, and for our readers to support those sponsors....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/2/08: Sterilization as wolf population control
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A University of Toronto student as published a thesis on the use of fertility control to manage wolf populations. She studied 17 surgically sterilized wolves in seven wolf packs and found that the wolves "maintained existing pair bonds, defended their original territories, and exhibited denning behavior." The student, Christine Elizabeth Spence, modeled the use of various techniques to control wolves and found that fertility control can help augment moose and caribou population increases, "but lethal control is required to initiate the recovery of a critically small caribou herd."....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

4/1/08: Wyoming wolf update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) WG&F reports today that four wolves have been officially reported as killed in Sublette County since wolves were officially delisted on Friday. All the wolves were legally killed in the predator area of the county. Under state regulations, hunters are required to report these kills to WG&F within 10 days. The Wolf Watch webpage ( www.pinedaleonline.com/wolf) will attempt to keep the public informed about the success of wolf hunts, as reliable information is received. We won’t be printing the names of hunters or livestock producers who kill wolves, even if we are aware of this information. Any hunter who wants to talk about their hunt, show photos, exercise their bragging rights, etc. is encouraged to contact Cat at Pinedale Online. (Email: cat@pinedaleonline.com). We can still tell your story without printing your name. Anyone wanting to complain about the wolf hunts, or wanting specific information about where packs are located, is discouraged from contacting Cat at Pinedale Online.....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/31/08: Report wolf kills
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Sportsmen may kill wolves in the Predatory Animal area of Wyoming at any time without a license or permit, and do not need to contact the Wyoming Game and Fish Department before doing so, but must report certain information to the department within 10 days ....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/31/08: Lethal control permits issued for wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports that a lethal take permit to kill four wolves has been issued to a landowner in the South Fork region near Cody. Wolves have repeatedly harassed the landowner's cattle, so WG&F issued the rancher a permit to kill the animals. This location is within the region of Wyoming where wolves are classified as trophy game animals....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/31/08: Hunters take three Daniel wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Hunters shot three wolves in the Daniel area of Sublette County over the weekend, including one that was wearing a radiocollar. In addition, a rancher in the Cora area shot a wolf in his calving pasture....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/30/08: One wolf killed Friday
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) One Sublette County cattleman who is busy calving shot a lone wolf in his calving pasture Friday night. The ranch has been the location of repeated wolf problems. The location of the wolf kill was within the predator management area. It is believed this was the first wolf shot since wolves were removed from protections of the Endangered Species Act earlier in the day on Friday....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/28/08: After 35 years, wolves finally delisted
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) After 35 years of federal protection for wolves in Wyoming, today, Friday, March 28, wolves are now finally back under state jurisdiction. Effective today, wolves have dual classification in the state, both as trophy game animals in northwestern Wyoming, and predators in the rest of the state. Portions of Sublette County include both classifications....(Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/28/08: FWS Statement on delisting
(US Fish and Wildlife Service press release) Today, Friday, March 28, 2008, the northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf is officially removed from the federal list of endangered species. The States of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming will assume full management authority for the continued conservation of the gray wolf. This wolf population has exceeded its recovery goals for the past several years and is now thriving. Presently, there are more than 1,500 wolves and at least 100 breeding pairs in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. The Service and States will cooperatively monitor the wolf population for the next five years. .... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/28/08: Wolf population estimated at 359
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates Wyoming's wolf population at 359 wolves at the end of 2007 - that's an increase of 15 percent from 2006's 311 wolves. To read the complete Wyoming Wolf Recovery 2007 Annual Report, click on the link above...

3/25/08: Wolf delisting means little change for Idaho
(Idaho Fish and Game press release) Barring legal challenges, the federal rule removing wolves in Idaho and the rest of the Northern Rocky Mountains from the endangered species becomes final Friday, March 28. When it does, Idaho Fish and Game will take over management of wolves, but little will change noticeably until hunting seasons begin.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/19/08: County agrees to fund wolf control
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Sublette County Commission agreed to fund limited wolf control in Sublette County. The commission as unanimous in granting the Sublette County Predator Board’s request to fund wolf control for livestock producers who experience problems with wolves in the predator management area once wolves are delisted later this month. Barring a legal injunction, wolves will be delisted on March 28, 2008.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/17/08: Wolves reported at Utah border
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that in early March a pilot in Utah reported he saw five wolf-like canids [2 black and 3 gray] just east of Flaming Gorge reservoir a couple of miles south of the Wyoming/Utah border.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/17/08: Wolf delisting set for March 28
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf delisting is slated to officially take place on March 28. Because the Wyoming wolf management law and plan are now fully in effect, the final delisting rule published on February 27, 2008, will become effective on March 28, 2008. Read the press release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.. (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/10/08: Wolf killed near LaBarge
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that on March 5, USDA Wildlife Services specialists removed a single radio-collared adult male wolf near LaBarge. According to FWS the lone wolf had been involved in numerous livestock depredations over the last two years, killing more than 3 calves, 1 yearling, and 18 sheep.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/9/08: New federal wolf rule in effect
(US Fish & Wildlife Services media release) The 2008 revised special rule (10j) under the Endangered Species Act governing the management of gray wolves introduced in the Central Idaho and Yellowstone areas of the northern Rocky Mountains is now in effect. In general, the revised 10(j) special rule expands the circumstances under which wolf removal is allowed in order to meet management goals for wild elk and other ungulates, and enables individuals on private or public land to lethally take a wolf that is in the act of attacking their stock animals or dogs, under certain circumstances. Once the final rule to delist the northern Rocky Mountain population becomes effective, this special rule becomes moot. However, if the delisting rule is enjoined, this special rule will remain in effect.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/9/08: Canadians study sterilizing wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Edmonton Journal reports that the University of Alberta plans to kill wolf pups and sterilize adult wolf pack members in order to study the technique as a method of population control. The plan has generated controversy..... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/5/08: WG&F starts wolf line/webpage
(By Wyoming Game and Fish Department ) The Wyoming Game and Fish Department established a Wolf Information phone number and an online list of Frequently Asked Question to address questions and concerns regarding wolves and wolf management in Wyoming. They will continue to provide updated information and news as delisting progresses... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/5/08: Wolf delisting on track
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Wolf delisting is proceeding forward, with state management of wolves set to go into effect on March 28. State officials have requested that the state's wolf lawsuit be dismissed, and have also provided the certification that allows Wyoming's wolf law to go into effect and the state plan to be implemented. The final wolf delisting rule was published in the Federal Register on February 27, 2008 and will take effect in 30 days, on March 28, 2008, barring a court injunction. Environmental and animal rights organizations have sent their notice of intent to sue over wolf delisting, but there is a required 60-day period before the lawsuit can be filed. Whether they seek an emergency injunction from a federal court to halt the state plan from going into effect, or to keep hunters from killing wolves, is yet to be seen.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

3/1/08: Wildlife Services talks wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Merrill Nelson of USDA Wildlife Services told members of the Upper Green River Valley Cattlemen’s Association that he believes that legal challenges will hold up the wolf delisting process. Although the state is set to take over management of wolves on March 28, Nelson said he doesn’t think delisting will occur for three to five years because of litigation. Nelson gave a rundown of where wolves are currently thought to inhabit Sublette County.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/28/08: Eleven groups challenge wolf delising
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Earthjustice attorneys notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that delisting wolves in the Northern Rockies would be a violation of the Endangered Species Act. Earthjustice's action came as a 60-day notice of intent to sue over the delisting rule announced by FWS. Earthjustice submitted the notice letter on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, The Humane Society of the United States, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Clearwater, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands Project, and Western Watersheds Project... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/24/08: No shooting of wolves (YET!)
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Once wolves are officially delisted, then they will be trophy game animals within the trophy game area of western Wyoming, so there will be seasons and licenses required. Outside of that trophy game area, they will be predators, subject to take similar to that of coyotes, but with reporting required. Although FWS announced it was issuing a rule delisting wolves, the rule won't be published until Feb. 27. The actual delisting won't go into effect until 30 days from then, so it looks like March 28 is the earliest the rule could take effect.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/21/08: Wolf delisting rule final
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The gray wolf population in the Northern Rocky Mountains is thriving and no longer requires the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett announced today. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will remove the species from the federal list of threatened and endangered species... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/14/08: Defenders pledges Montana wolf money
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Defenders of Wildlife announced its commitment to contribute $100,000 over a two-year period to the state of Montana for use in a new state-managed program to compensate livestock owners for losses of livestock due to wolf predation. The grant from Defenders will be used to reimburse documented, confirmed losses of livestock due to wild, native wolves, and for the implementation of nonlethal methods to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/12/08: Idaho wolf plan contemplated
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will consider a proposed Idaho Wolf Population Management Plan during its March meeting. The Boise meeting, March 5, 6 and 7, will be at Fish and Game headquarters, 600 S. Walnut St. A public comment period is planned at 7 p.m. March 5 at the DoubleTree Riverside on Chinden Boulevard in Boise. The wolf management plan covers how Fish and Game will monitor and manage wolves when they are removed from the endangered species list..... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/12/08: Mangy wolf killed near Cody
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) On Feb. 7, Wildlife Services confirmed a calf was killed by a lone wolf on private property west of Cody. A single mangy black wolf was killed by Wildlife Services at the depredation site. The wolf was in very poor condition suffering from severe mange and injured hip..... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/12/08: Dog saves family from wolves in Canada
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Two Fort Nelson, British Columbia families were out recently playing in the snow, pulling the kids on a toboggan behind an ATV, having a great time. Until two hungry wolves moved in, intent on the children. The family dog saved the day, but read all the details in this harrowing encounter in the story linked below.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/11/08: Wolf watching in the Upper Green
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Residents and recreationists have reported sightings of at least three wolves in the Upper Green River region north of Cora. Wolves have been spotted near the elk feedground at lower Green River Lake and near Forty Rod at the Bar Cross and Willow Creek ranches. So far, there have been no reported livestock losses in the area.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/11/08: Wolves to drive caribou to extinction?
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) A long-time Canadian caribou researcher has proposed that unless wolf populations are controlled, two distinct caribou populations will fall to extinction. The Southern Mountain and Boreal Woodland Caribou are facing extinction from increased predation, pre-dominantly wolves and coyotes. The researcher asserts that if these populations go extinct, it is not because we didn't know what to do to keep it from happening, but rather we lacked the political will to do it.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2/6/08: Mike Jimenez's phone number update
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Since wolves are still federally protected, livestock producers need to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if there are problems with wolves. Mike Jimenez, our FWS contact in Wyoming, has had the same change in cell phone service the rest of us are cursing about. His old phone number at (307) 330-5620 is no longer a working line due to the phone company canceling all their analog phones. Mike Jimenez can be reached at (307) 330-5631 and his FAX number at: (307)733-7096..... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

1/28/08: Wolf lawsuit filed
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The first lawsuit has been filed over the new rules allowing more control actions when it comes to wolves causing problems. Earthjustice filed a lawsuit in federal district court on behalf of a coalition of seven environmental groups in an effort to bar states from aerial gunning and other state-sponsored wolf management and control efforts.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

1/26/08: Idaho wolf found in northeastern Oregon
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife repots a female gray wolf from Idaho’s Timberline Pack has been positively located in Oregon, using radio signals from her tracking collar. The wolf, a two- to three-year-old female identified as B-300, has been wearing the collar since she was captured northeast of Boise by Idaho biologists in August 2006. She’s now traveling in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest near the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, between Medical Springs and Wallowa. Biologists have observed evidence of wolves in this area over the past six months. This is the fifth confirmed wolf to have been found in the state.... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

1/26/08: Environmentalists pledge wolf lawsuit
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The Natural Resources Defense Council issued a press release soon after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released rules allowing more management flexibility, and the ability to kill more wolves, in the Northern Rockies. Conservation groups say they will file a lawsuit in federal court immediately to block a rule announced today by the Bush administration that will allow the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to kill most of the threatened wolves in the Northern Rockies. “The Bush administration is giving a blank check to the states to slaughter wolves for doing what they need to do to make a living – which is eating deer and elk,” said the NRDC’s Louisa Willcox... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

1/26/08: Dubois environmentalist responds to Barrasso on wolves
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) Dubois environmentalist Robert Hoskins sent a letter to United States Senator John Barrasso responding to Barrasso's suggestion that certain other U.S. Congressman need to "butt out" on the wolf issue in our area. Not surprisingly, Hoskins used the opportunity to slam ranchers and livestock grazing. Click on this link to read what Hoskins had to say to the Senator ... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

1/24/08: New Federal wolf rules announced
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today revised special regulations under the Endangered Species Act governing the management of gray wolves introduced in the Central Idaho and Yellowstone areas of the northern Rocky Mountains. The revision allows states and tribes with approved wolf management plans more flexibility to manage these wolves to ensure the health of wild populations and herds of elk and other ungulates, as well as to protect private property... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

1/23/08: Confirmed wolf predations decline
(By Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online!) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing its end of the year accounting for wolf management in Wyoming in 2007, but here's a short summary: Total number of confirmed livestock depredation in WY decreased >55% from 123 cattle and 38 sheep in 2006 down to 55 cattle and 16 sheep in 2007... (Click on the link above for the complete article)

2007/2006 Story Archive