Wolf Pack Found In Western Washington, First One In Decades

CONCRETE, WA — The state's wolf population made history in 2018, reaching the highest total number since recovery began more than a decade ago, and appearing for the first time west of the Cascades crest.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife released the results of its annual wolf census on Thursday. There are an estimated 126 wolves in 27 packs and 15 breeding pairs. That's a small increase over 2017 numbers, but state officials are seeing signs that wolves are spreading across the state.

Two wolves formed a new pack in Skagit County northeast of Concrete. State biologists have dubbed the pair the Diobsud Creek pack. That's a milestone for wolf recovery because the state's wolf conservation plan calls for at least four successful breeding pairs in all of Western Washington.

The state also observed more wolves living in Okanogan County and the southeast part of the state. The state's wolf population began to rebound in 2008 after being hunted to extinction in the 1930s. There were just five wolves a decade ago.

"Packs and breeding pairs are the building blocks of population growth," WDFW wolf policy lead Donny Martorello said in a statement. "It's reassuring to see our wolf population occupying more areas of the landscape."

But wolves in the state mostly live in Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties north of Spokane. Their growth there has been controversial. Wolves have preyed on livestock, prompting outcry from residents who feel they're bearing the burden of wolf recovery. In turn, lawmakers are pushing Fish and Wildlife to remove wolves from the endangered species list.

In 2018, wolves killed 11 cattle and one sheep, and injured 19 cattle and two sheep. The state paid out about $13,500 in wolf damage claims last year.

State Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, introduced a bill in 2019 that would require Fish and Wildlife to review the wolf population this year, and make a decision on de-listing by June 2020. The bill has passed in the House.

(Kretz also introduced a symbolic bill in 2019 that would turn Bainbridge Island into a wolf sanctuary "where they can be protected, studied, and, most importantly, admired by the region's animal lovers.")

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission set standards for removing wolves from the endangered list in 2011. The lowest bar — downgrading wolves from "endangered" to "threatened" — requires six breeding pairs in the state for three consecutive years and at least two breeding pairs in each of the state's three recovery regions. Those regions include Eastern Washington, the North Cascades, and a region encompassing the southern Cascades and Northwest Coast.

The state does allow lethal removal of wolves in certain circumstances. Four wolves were killed in 2018 by the state after livestock deaths. Another two were killed illegally, and six were killed legally by tribal hunters. At least one wolf left the state for Idaho.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission will be briefed on the annual wolf census at a meeting Friday in Olympia.