From a recent press release, we learn that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed a wolf pack is living in Stevens County. WDFW has named this group of wolves the Huckleberry pack. It is Washington’s seventh documented pack.

WDFW also suspects that there are an additional five packs in the state, but these have not been proved. A map showing wolf packs both confirmed and suspected – in Washington is available on the web at the WDFW website. http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/gray_wolf/ By looking at the map, it is easy to see that Stevens County is surrounded by known wolf packs and now is officially home to at least one pack.

Steve Pozzanghera, a regional WDFW director and leader in wolf policy says, “The primary goal of the new management plan is to protect gray wolves as they naturally re-establish themselves in Washington. But the plan also provides for compensation when landowners lose livestock to wolf depredation.” Pozzanghera urges ranchers who believe they have lost livestock to predation by any kind of wild animal to contact WDFW immediately at 1-877-933-9847.

The state’s management plan calls for removing listed status protection for gray wolves when a total of 15 successful breeding pairs are sustained in three defined areas of the state for three consecutive years. The state can also delist wolves if a total of 18 successful breeding pairs are confirmed in those areas at any point in time.

Earlier in our history wolves were treated as dangerous predators and the law allowed them to be hunted to near extinction. Now the people of our state have passed laws to protect and re-establish these animals. This re-establishment of wolves will be primarily to the central and eastern Washington mountains. The re-establishment of the species is a policy goal of the state, and the plan is working, but that also means there will be more attacks on livestock and game animals. Wolf population puts pressure on other animal populations because wolves kill them.

At the same time that the Huckleberry pack was documented, the WDFW documented a wolf attack on sheep in the Nine Mile Falls area. Also, not long ago there was a young moose was killed by wolves in the Fruitland area. A northern county rancher has lost cattle to wolves. Hunters report a decrease in elk populations as wolves increase.

Wolves are here and more are coming. This is the future. Their presence will impact folks more and more. Wolves are protected by law and people must respect the law, but the law also respects the right of people to protect themselves and their property. People have inherent right to protect their property from an immediate threat so long as they act reasonably.