State's fourth wolf pack identified in Teanaway area
by Scott Sandsberry
Photo courtesy of Conservation Northwest
A wolf was photographed in the Teanaway area of Kittitas by this remote camera. This images, and similar ones, began an investigation by state and federal agencies to confirm the presence of wolves in the area.
CLE ELUM, Wash. -- State wildlife managers have been finalizing Washington's wolf management plan, knowing wolves would be moving in from neighboring states and Canada and taking residence here sooner or later. It turned out to be sooner. And right here. On Tuesday, federal and state authorities announced the presence of a fourth Washington wolf pack, and it's just up the road in Kittitas County. The Teanaway Pack -- named for the rugged, wooded country north of Cle Elum and west of U.S. Highway 97 -- became official when DNA testing confirmed that a suspected wolf that was radio-collared early last month by state biologists was indeed a wild gray wolf.
And it was a lactating female -- meaning she was nursing pups. The pups have not been seen or located, and the total number of wolves in the pack has yet to be determined.But they're out there somewhere. "I didn't know about the DNA tests, but it's not unexpected that we'd have wolves in the Teanaway, because at some point they were going to disperse down the Cascades," said Bob Tuck of Selah, a former state wildlife commissioner and a member of a 17-member citizen panel helping draw up the state's wolf management plan. "It was only a matter of time. I guess I'm surprised it's so soon."
There were already three verified, established Washington packs -- the Lookout Pack in the Methow Valley, discovered in 2008, and the Diamond and Salmo packs in Pend Oreille County in the state's northeast corner, leading state officials to estimate the state's resident wolf population at 25. But Bellingham-based Conservation Northwest had been reading anecdotal reports of wolves in the Teanaway on hunters' blog-sites for at least two years. "Because of these types of stories," said Mitchell Friedman, Conservation Northwest's executive director, "it was clear the Teanaway was something to check out." In cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Conservation Northwest last year installed remote, motion-sensor cameras in the Teanaway. By September 2010, the remote cameras had captured still photos of what appeared to be at least one wolf. But because the Teanaway has been known to have wolf-dog hybrids -- bred as exotic pets -- state wildlife biologists were determined to find out what they had
A trapper contracted by the state captured the lactating female wolf, which was then radio-collared, and tissue samples were sent to the University of California-Davis for testing. The news that it was a wolf -- and, because of its circumstances, obviously one with cubs -- was big news indeed. "It's surprising how soon they showed up here," said Anthony Novack, a deer-and-elk conflict specialist with the state wildlife department who has done extensive wolf research in Idaho. "It actually knocks my socks off to know that not only are they here, but they've paired up and they're already breeding this soon after finding the Lookout Pack." But the Teanaway, Novack said, would be a natural draw for wolves, with "a prey base there all winter long including elk and mule deer."
State wildlife officials did not say Tuesday whether the DNA indicated where the female wolf had originated. Some speculate she might have come from the Lookout Pack, which lost two of its members to poaching in 2009; a third member -- a breeding female -- disappeared earlier this year under what state wildlife authorities have called "definitely suspicious" circumstances. "When we got the DNA back on Lookout, we knew instantly about the ancestry," Friedman said. "So I'm assuming we're going to hear an interesting family-tree story soon about Teanaway."
Having wolves confirmed in this part of the state for the first time in at least six decades, Tuck said, "points up the challenges that we face in terms of management of this species. They're in Central Washington, and hopefully the wolf management plan will be adopted in the not-too-distant future so we have the tools as a society to manage the species."The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to vote in December on the state's management plan, created by the wildlife department and its citizen panel.
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WASHINGTON DEPT. OF FISH AND WIL
An April 30 photo from a remote camera shows a gray wolf in Teanaway River basin, north of Cle Elum. The wolf is part of what is believed to be the state's fourth pack since 2007-2008.
There were already three verified, established Washington packs -- the Lookout Pack in the Methow Valley, discovered in 2008, and the Diamond and Salmo packs in Pend Oreille County in the state's northeast corner, leading state officials to estimate the state's resident wolf population at 25. But Bellingham-based Conservation Northwest had been reading anecdotal reports of wolves in the Teanaway on hunters' blog-sites for at least two years. "Because of these types of stories," said Mitchell Friedman, Conservation Northwest's executive director, "it was clear the Teanaway was something to check out." In cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Conservation Northwest last year installed remote, motion-sensor cameras in the Teanaway. By September 2010, the remote cameras had captured still photos of what appeared to be at least one wolf. But because the Teanaway has been known to have wolf-dog hybrids -- bred as exotic pets -- state wildlife biologists were determined to find out what they had
A trapper contracted by the state captured the lactating female wolf, which was then radio-collared, and tissue samples were sent to the University of California-Davis for testing. The news that it was a wolf -- and, because of its circumstances, obviously one with cubs -- was big news indeed. "It's surprising how soon they showed up here," said Anthony Novack, a deer-and-elk conflict specialist with the state wildlife department who has done extensive wolf research in Idaho. "It actually knocks my socks off to know that not only are they here, but they've paired up and they're already breeding this soon after finding the Lookout Pack." But the Teanaway, Novack said, would be a natural draw for wolves, with "a prey base there all winter long including elk and mule deer."
State wildlife officials did not say Tuesday whether the DNA indicated where the female wolf had originated. Some speculate she might have come from the Lookout Pack, which lost two of its members to poaching in 2009; a third member -- a breeding female -- disappeared earlier this year under what state wildlife authorities have called "definitely suspicious" circumstances. "When we got the DNA back on Lookout, we knew instantly about the ancestry," Friedman said. "So I'm assuming we're going to hear an interesting family-tree story soon about Teanaway."
Having wolves confirmed in this part of the state for the first time in at least six decades, Tuck said, "points up the challenges that we face in terms of management of this species. They're in Central Washington, and hopefully the wolf management plan will be adopted in the not-too-distant future so we have the tools as a society to manage the species."The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to vote in December on the state's management plan, created by the wildlife department and its citizen panel.
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New wolf pack confirmed — a short drive from Seattle
Seattle Times environment reporter
PREV
WASHINGTON DEPT. OF FISH AND WIL
An April 30 photo from a remote camera shows a gray wolf in Teanaway River basin, north of Cle Elum. The wolf is part of what is believed to be the state's fourth pack since 2007-2008.
State biologists confirmed Tuesday that a new pack of gray wolves has taken up residence in Washington state — this time not far from Cle Elum, about 90 miles east of Seattle.The nearest pack, the Lookout Pack, formed in 2007 or 2008 in the Methow Valley outside Twisp, Okanogan County — more than 100 miles to the north. That pack has been so devastated by poaching that it may no longer exist.
Biologists had presumed wolves forming new family groups simply would leapfrog their way down the Cascades, setting up home bases in the closest areas with good food. But gray wolves are highly mobile and easily can travel 100 miles in a day. "Wolves are going to do what wolves are going to do," said Rocky Beach, another biologist with Fish and Wildlife. "That's wildlife for you."
Nor does it mean the wolves will be headed west next. "Does this mean we'll have a wolf pack next year around Mount Adams? Or around the north fork of the Snoqualmie River? Maybe," Friedman said. "But I'd be a little surprised if wolves showed up closer to Seattle any time soon." Wolf prey simply isn't as plentiful on the west side of the Cascades along Interstate 90, he said.
The arrival of the Teanaway Pack comes as the state is working to finalize a management plan for wolves — and as the same conflicts that followed wolves in the Rockies have begun to emerge in the Northwest. Livestock owners and some hunters fear the predators will kill too many deer and elk or cattle.
Jack Field, with the Washington Cattleman's Association, said he sees the appearance of new wolves as good news and bad. Their increased presence raises the ire of his constituency, but every new wolf makes removing state and federal protection for wolves likely to come sooner. "The question now is, does the state have ability to manage these wolves?" he said. "I guess we'll see."
It's not clear how many wolves are in the Teanaway or whether they are related to animals in British Columbia — like those in the Methow Valley — or wolves from the Rocky Mountains, like those found in the Salmo and Diamond packs in the northeast corner of the state. Results of additional DNA tests should help explain where the wolves are from — and how they likely got there.
Nor does it mean the wolves will be headed west next. "Does this mean we'll have a wolf pack next year around Mount Adams? Or around the north fork of the Snoqualmie River? Maybe," Friedman said. "But I'd be a little surprised if wolves showed up closer to Seattle any time soon." Wolf prey simply isn't as plentiful on the west side of the Cascades along Interstate 90, he said.
The arrival of the Teanaway Pack comes as the state is working to finalize a management plan for wolves — and as the same conflicts that followed wolves in the Rockies have begun to emerge in the Northwest. Livestock owners and some hunters fear the predators will kill too many deer and elk or cattle.
Jack Field, with the Washington Cattleman's Association, said he sees the appearance of new wolves as good news and bad. Their increased presence raises the ire of his constituency, but every new wolf makes removing state and federal protection for wolves likely to come sooner. "The question now is, does the state have ability to manage these wolves?" he said. "I guess we'll see."
It's not clear how many wolves are in the Teanaway or whether they are related to animals in British Columbia — like those in the Methow Valley — or wolves from the Rocky Mountains, like those found in the Salmo and Diamond packs in the northeast corner of the state. Results of additional DNA tests should help explain where the wolves are from — and how they likely got there.
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