Defending Gray Wolf, Canis Lupus

Critical for Wolf Recovery: Habitat and Co-Existence

Northeast Washington’s remote and rugged forests are the home and are critical to the continued survival of numerous rare and imperiled species. One of those majestic species is the endangered Gray Wolf.  The Gray Wolf came back from the brink of extinction over 35 years ago when they gained federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). They made their way to Washington naturally and a resident wolf pack was first documented in 2008 in Okanogan County. Under Washington State law, wolves were listed as endangered in 1980.

Washington’s wolf recovery activities are guided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Wolf Conservation and Management Plan, adopted in 2011 by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC). Under the plan, Washington state is divided into three recovery regions: Eastern Washington, the Northern Cascades, the Southern Cascades and Northwest Coast. In addition, WDFW approved Wolf-Livestock Interaction Protocol sets forth criteria for WDFW to collaborate with livestock producers to minimize conflicts with wolves.

Current Wolf Population Numbers

Since 2008 the wolf population has steadily increased until now. In 2024 – the population decreased for the first time in 16 years. In 2023 the minimum population count was 254, populating 2 of the 3 recovery zones. In 2024 the state’s minimum year-end wolf population had decreased to 230 wolves in 43 packs — a 9% decrease from 2023 minimum count of 254.

This decline follows four years of increased wolf kills, with 128 known wolf deaths reported from 2021 to 2024, compared to just 58 in the prior four years—an increase of more than 220%.  

Human-caused mortalities last year reached their highest level since 2008, with 35 known human-caused mortalities, including 19 wolves killed in tribal hunting, 7 known incidents of poaching, and 4 killed by the WDFW in response to livestock predations. The Eastern Washington Recovery Region has 31 packs, 13 of which were considered successful breeding pairs.  There were 37 mortalities, and 40 depredation events. Only 10 of the 43 packs were involved in at least 1 confirmed or probable livestock injury or mortality.

Recovery Zones

Wolf pack territories overlap public and private lands throughout the Eastern Washington Recovery Region encompassing Ferry, Stevens, Spokane, Pend Oreille, and eastern Okanogan counties in the northeast corner of the state and Asotin, Garfield, Columbia, and Walla Walla counties in southeast Washington, while the population continues to expand in Okanogan, Chelan, and Kittitas counties in the Northern Cascades Recovery Region. Although multiple wolves have dispersed to the south of I-90 into the South Cascades and Northwest Coast Recovery Region, three out of the four wolves documented in this region were killed unlawfully and there and no wolves were observed in this recovery region by year-end of 2024.

Poaching – Rewards Offered

The reward money – for information about the kills – in the South Cascades and Northwest Coast Recovery Region has been made public.  United State Fish & Wildlife Service offered $10,000, and the Non-profit organizations Conservation Northwest, Washington Wildlife First, and Center for Biological Diversity offered $30,000. America’s tradition of persecuting wolves has resumed.

Why Protect Wolves?

Science research classifies wolves and other large carnivores as keystone species critical for the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Human actions cannot fully replace the role of keystone carnivores. Additionally, increasing human encroachment into wolf habitat leads to habitat fragmentation, these patches of habitat lead to decreased biodiversity. This has significant impacts on wildlife, including reduced genetic diversity, increased competition for resources, and greater risk of disease and human-wildlife conflict. Another threat to all wildlife is climate change which leads to drought conditions and wildfires impacting biodiversity and ecosystem resiliency.

These facts, combined with the importance of maintaining resilient ecosystems, indicate that large carnivores and their habitats should be protected and restored wherever possible.

What We Are Doing to Protect Gray Wolf

Action: Kettle Rangers Testify for Wolves at Commission Meetings & the Legislative Session

We educate state legislators and the FWC about why conserving wildlife is critical for healthy ecosystems.  Washington state wildlife management has historically been dictated by politics. Wildlife advocates are deeply concerned that politics are escalating the destruction of nature.

Fish and Wildlife Commission Outreach

KRCG attend FWC meetings every month providing public input as well as submitting petitions and comments on state decisions concerning Gray Wolf Management and Best Available Science Policy.

Success for Wolves: Commission’s 2024 Vote to keep Wolves in Endangered Status

WDFW periodically reviews the status of protected species to determine whether each species warrants its current listing or deserves to be delisted or reclassified. On July 19, 2024  the FWC decided against WDFW staff recommendation to reclassify gray wolves as a protected sensitive species in Washington even though wolf recovery had not met delisting thresholds established in the peer-reviewed Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. As such, gray wolves remain listed as state endangered in Washington. This vote did not impact the federal classification of gray wolves, which remain federally listed as endangered in the western two-thirds of Washington and federally de-listed in the eastern third. Periodic reviews occur every 5 years.

Washington Legislative Session Outreach

Kettle Rangers tracked multiple bills, submitted comments, and stated our position for the record for multiple bills. Here are some of the Wolf Bills that died but will likely return next year. We will be monitoring.

Success For Wolves: Bad Bills Fail

HB 1311 – This bill would have prematurely downlisted wolves as a State Endangered Species.

It was introduced even though the Fish and Wildlife Commission voted last July by a margin of 5 to 4 to reject an agency staff proposal to prematurely downlist wolves from “endangered” to “sensitive.” The FWC chose to maintain Washington’s current levels of protection due in part to our and other statewide groups reminding them during public testimony that downlisting prematurely violated the state’s peer-reviewed Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.  Scientific evidence shows wolves have not met the recovery goals of the State Plan.

HB 1311 was on the fast-track through the legislature this session BUT through the collective voice of wildlife advocates opposing the bill, the bill was withdrawn before it was supposed to go to a vote before the House Agriculture Committee. Who knows why, but maybe word got out about the 2024 Annual Wolf Report data showing a decrease in the wolf population for the first time in 16 years had something to do with it.

HB 1442 and SB 5354 – Patchwork Wolf Management

These companion bills would have provided flexibility for WDFW to collaborate with local government to manage wolves – or what we called Patchwork Wolf Management. These bills would have allowed counties to override state protections for wolves, creating a fragmented and politically driven management system controlled by local government and anti-wolf special interests. Wolf survival depends on a coordinated, science-based approach, not local political decisions.

SB 5590 – Legalizing Wolf-Baiting

This bill would have allowed ranchers and their agents to leave out carcasses of domesticated animals, stake them out, and shoot the first wolf they see—effectively legalizing wolf-baiting. Science shows killing wolves destabilizes wolf packs and increases conflicts with domesticated animals. By stopping this bill in the Senate Agriculture Committee, wildlife advocates protected both wolves and domesticated animals.

SB 5171 – Increasing Compensation for Indeterminate Losses

This bill would have changed the formula by which compensation for wolf-related domesticated animal indirect losses (e.g., for reduced weight or pregnancy rates) would have been calculated, by comparing current year losses to the average annual losses during the year that the claimant experienced his or her first confirmed wolf depredation and the two years preceding that event. This change would increase compensation costs and would have attributed any indirect losses over that time to wolves, despite most livestock health and mortality issues being caused by non-predatory factors like weather, disease, and husbandry practices. This could lead to overspending and misallocated funds, as seen in Colorado in California.

HB 1930 – Putting Hunters and Anglers in Control of State Wildlife

HB 1930 would have changed requirements for state Fish & Wildlife Commissioners, who control all state fish and wildlife policy and rules. It would have required all Commissioners to hold hunting or fishing licenses during 3 of the past 5 years, effectively disenfranchising the more than 90% of Washingtonians who do not hunt or fish. It would also have empowered county authorities to nominate members of the Commission, fracturing the Commission by securing the appointment of Commissioners who represent only their county, rather than all the people of the state. Thanks to the efforts of Washingtonians who care about wildlife and wildlife advocates we partner with this bill died, preserving a commission that works for all of Washington’s residents.

We are gearing up for the 2025 Legislative session and partner with many groups in Washington state to ensure that science, not politics, is the voice in defense of our state wildlife and biodiversity.