Oregon Wolf watching in the Wallowas(Northeastern Oregon) establishes eco-tourism as a "stand tall" economic growth engine for this region........... In Yellowstone National Park, where wolves were reintroduced in 1995, more than 10,000 tourists visit(and spend $$$$) annually in hopes of catching a glimpse of Canis lupus..........Let us hope that Oregon and Washington State chart a more sane wolf management program than their neighbors have done in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming,,,,reaping the full benefits that wolves bring to the land and our pocketbooks

Going 'wolfing' in Wallowa County, Oregon

"Now this, without a doubt, is a wolf track," says Wally Sykes, our "wolfing" guide in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The last pelt bounty was paid in 1947, but wolves are trying to rebound in Oregon's northeastern tip, where they once thrived.

My son and two daughters, all in their 20s, and I crouch down, making a tight circle on a remote dirt road we've been hiking for hours. We've seen plenty of tracks: deer, elk, coyote, dog, but nothing like this. We stare at an obvious canine print in the soft soil. The track sprawls more than five inches long and four inches wide, easily twice the size left by our Rhodesian Ridgeback at home.

I stand and look around, scan the hills and valleys, peer into the dense forest of lodgepole, fir and ponderosa pine. At 4,500-feet elevation, snow-capped mountains loom high around us, the massive Wallowas to the west and the spiny spires of Idaho's Seven Devils to the east.

We've been told there may be a den nearby, perhaps containing April-born additions to the Imnaha pack, now down to only five confirmed members. No yellow eyes look back, but though I can't put a finger on it, I feel the pulse of their presence. Clearly, wolves bring a new dimension to the word "wild."

Recently, one group of B&B guests went wolfing -- and quickly saw four wolves crossing a nearby ridge. Other guests camped at Zumwalt Prairie, one of the nation's largest bunch-grass prairies, and were happily awakened by the legendary wolf howl.

Advice from experts

Visitors who hope to see wolves have several options. You can certainly search on your own. The vast Imnaha Roadless Area, bordered by the Zumwalt Prairie, the Wallowa Mountains and Hells Canyon, is the most likely spot to spot the Imnaha pack.

The Wenaha pack, in the natural ebb and flow of wolf society, is now at six confirmed members, and they're most likely spotted in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. Try the Wenaha River Trail, a scenic 31-mile path that runs alongside the river.

As wolves can travel 50 miles in a day, it may be best to consult an expert to improve your chances of spotting them. Check the Wolf Home Page on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife website for up-to-date information.

And local wolf advocates such as Sykes are glad to advise well-meaning visitors on locating wolves to help show that these predators can be an asset rather than a threat.

They are aware that eco-tourism stands to boost Wallowa County's economy. In Yellowstone National Park, where wolves were reintroduced in 1995, more than 10,000 tourists visit annually in hopes of catching a glimpse of Canis lupus.

Organized wolfing expeditions are being offered by Oregon Wild, a nonprofit dedicated to securing a future for wolves in our state. The fall trip is full, however.

The Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club has openings for a September excursion. Certified tracker David Stowe will lead the four-day quest for a sight of the Imnaha wolves.