A wolverine in Yellowstone National Park. Photo from National Park Service.

A researcher working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says she’s found the first ever confirmed wolverine tracks in Wallowa County.

Dr. Audrey Magoun found the tracks almost a week ago while hiking through the snow in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. She was able to follow them for about a mile. Judging by their size, she thinks they were left by a male.

This is not just the first set of tracks for Wallowa County, but one of the few signs of wolverines in Oregon in more than 75 years.

The wolverine tracks in the snow. Dr. Magoun’s glove is at left for size comparison. Photo from ODFW.

Wolverines are holdovers from the ice age, which is why they live at high elevations with cold and snowy climates. Magoun, along with her fellow researcher and husband Pat Valkenburg, began looking for wolverines in the Wallowas on a hunch that this area was good habitat for them.

“There is a breeding population in the Payette Forest in Idaho and a breeding population in the North Cascades in Washington,” she says. “In fact, we couldn’t believe wolverine wouldn’t be here. They travel large distances.”

What they don’t know is whether this is a lone wolverine just passing through the area – or if he’s here to stay – or if there are others who’ve formed a permanent population.

Wolverines were once widespread across North America, but probably not in great numbers. Trapping and poisoning killed off most of them and it’s believed only a few hundred remain in the lower 48 states. Oregon’s population was wiped out in the 1930s.

Despite their small numbers, they are not protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Researchers Dr. Audrey Magoun and Pat Valkenburg set up a typical wolverine camera site. Photo from ODFW.

The couple has set up more than a dozen baited remote cameras throughout the Wallowas for a visual capture of one of these elusive animals. So far, no luck. But they’ve photographed plenty of American marten and a few native red foxes.

They plan to return to Wallowa County next winter and continue their search.

Funding and logistical support for the survey comes from an Oregon Conservation Strategy Implementation Grant (federal State Wildlife Grant), The Wolverine Foundation, Inc., the Wildlife Conservation Society and private individuals including Magoun and Valkenburg, Alaska residents, who use their own plane for aerial surveys.

Shot on December 30, it gives us a close up look at three members of the Imnaha wolf pack in Northeast Oregon. That includes the alpha female and a pair of one year old pups. By now, the pups are full grown.

ODFW says it counted 16 pack members, bigger than previously believed. The agency thinks the pack produced six pups last year instead of four.

Courtesy ODFW

Pull out the traps – a federal appeals court says there won’t be any more killing of sea lions at Bonneville Dam.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a stop to the killing saying that wildlife officials didn’t really explain how killing sea lions is supposed to help salmon and steelhead.

At first look, the answer to that question seems obvious. Bonneville Dam is a big bottleneck for salmon working their way upstream to spawn. It forces them into a small area and makes them easy pickings for California and Steller sea lions.

But the legal standard appears to require a “significant negative impact” and the court says federal and state wildlife officials didn’t prove that’s what was happening.

The trapping and killing of sea lions at Bonneville began in March of 2008. Since then, 40 sea lions were euthanized.

This was a tricky issue from the start.

In the early 2000s, wildlife officials worried about the increasing numbers of sea lions arriving at Bonneville every spring. They’d hang out just below the dam for several months, feasting on salmon and steelhead. Just how many fish they ate depended greatly on whether the salmon were having a good year, or a bad one. In some years, the sea lions were eating more than 4% of the fish at Bonneville.

Plus, salmon and steelhead are listed species. So are Steller sea lions. California Sea lions aren’t listed, but they still have lots of legal protections. Does it make sense to kill one group of protected species to help another?

In this case, the appeals court said, “no”.

If you want to read the full opinion, click here.

Opinion for: HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED S V. CARLOS GUTIERREZ, 08-36038

Each year, BPA pays a bounty for northern pikeminnow caught in the Columbia River. The fish, according to BPA, eat millions of young salmon and steelhead.

For 2010, BPA will pay a total of $1.2 million for 173,112 pikeminnow.

Continue reading for the full press release.

Pikeminnow program pays off big and helps save salmon
Final fish count includes record-breaking catch

Portland, Ore. – Anglers hooked large payoffs during this year’s Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery Program, raking in over $1.2 million by catching 173,112 of the voracious salmon eaters.

The program provides cash for catching pikeminnow, a large member of the minnow family, in the Columbia and Snake rivers. These predators chow down on millions of young salmon and steelhead every year. Research shows that reducing the number of pikeminnow helps salmon and steelhead survival.

One angler earned $81,366 during the six-month season, breaking the individual record for catching specially tagged fish that are worth up to $500.  He hooked 13 tagged fish and earned $6,500 in the process.

“This program provides an opportunity to earn income, which is especially important during these tough economic times, and it’s good for salmon,” said Russell Porter, senior program manager for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. “We appreciate the effort of all those anglers who participated, and we look forward to another successful year in 2011.”

Anglers get paid $4 to $8 for northern pikeminnow nine inches and larger caught in the lower Columbia (mouth to Priest Rapids Dam) and Snake (mouth to Hells Canyon Dam) rivers. The more pikeminnow an angler catches, the more the fish are worth. The first 100 are worth $4 each; the next 300 are worth $5 each; and, after 400 fish are caught and turned in, they are worth $8 each. As an added incentive, specially tagged fish are worth $500.

The annual program started May 1 and was originally scheduled to close Sept. 30. Program managers extended the season by 10 days this year, allowing rewards through Oct. 10, 2010. The official fish numbers became available last week.

Since 1991, more than three million pikeminnow have been removed from the Snake and Columbia rivers through the sport reward program. Last year, anglers caught approximately 142,000 pikeminnow. As a result of these efforts, pikeminnow predation on juvenile salmon is estimated to have been cut by 40 percent.

The program is administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration.  Watch a video with fishing tips and program details. Get more information atwww.pikeminnow.org.

The Bonneville Power Administration, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a not-for-profit federal electric utility under the Department of Energy that operates a high-voltage transmission grid comprising more than 15,000 miles of lines and associated substations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It also markets more than a third of the electricity consumed in the Pacific Northwest. The power is produced at 31 federal dams operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation and one nuclear plant and is sold to more than 140 Northwest utilities. BPA purchases power from some smaller projects, including wind generators, and has more than 3,000 megawatts of wind interconnected to its transmission system.

This is the wolf that was found dead on September 30. The photo was taken in early August when it was captured and fitted with a radio collar. ODFW photo.

The reward for information about the illegal killing of a wolf in Northeast Oregon has increased to $10,000.

Conservation groups kicked in $7,500 on Friday. That’s on top of the $2,500 reward offered by the federal government.

After days of speculation and rumors, U.S. Fish and Wildlife confirmed that an adult male member of the Wenaha wolf pack was found dead in the Umatilla National Forest on September 30. The agency says it hasn’t determined how it died. But Oregon Wild claims the wolf was shot to death.

This is the third known poaching of a wolf in Oregon since they started returning to the state about 10 years ago. Gray wolves are protected by federal and Oregon endangered species laws. It’s illegal to kill one without a permit. The federal penalty alone could reach go as high as $100,000 and a year in jail.

Conservation groups say they’re appalled by the news.

“It’s infuriating when any animal is senselessly and illegally killed, but the facts in this case are especially egregious,” says Wally Sykes of Northeast Oregon Ecosystems of Joseph, Oregon. “The biologists had just fitted this endangered wolf with a hard-to-miss collar and sent out photos printed in newspapers and websites across the state. Whoever shot this wolf knew what they were doing and just didn’t care that it was illegal.”

The irony is that the Wenaha wolf pack hasn’t been a problem for Northeast Oregon ranchers. The pack keeps to itself in the high country and has never attacked livestock. The Imnaha pack, on the other hand, killed at least six or seven calves this year in Wallowa County.

And while some wolf opponents may praise the killing, the person responsible for the wolf’s death may not be doing them much of a favor. Oregon’s wolf management plan gives ranchers more freedom to deal with wolves as their numbers increase. Killing them now keeps them on the Endangered Species list at least a little bit longer, and puts off the day when ranchers have the legal right to act on their own.

This is the wolf Oregon Wild says was killed by a poacher. Authorities have not confirmed the information. ODFW photo.

Update: The Associated Press has ODFW on the record as confirming the death, and that it is the adult male shown on the left. But still no comment about how the wolf died.

Trying to sort out reports that one of Oregon’s wolves – a member of the Wenaha pack – has been found shot to death.

The LaGrande Observer reports that the wolf was found Thursday by an employee of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Umatilla National Forest near Jarboe Meadow.

OPB says the wolf is the same one shown in the photo to the left, an adult male that was outfitted with a radio collar in early August.

But the most disturbing claim comes from Oregon Wild. In an email, the group says the wolf was found shot to death, and blames a poacher for the kill.

Oregon Wild says this is the third kill of a wolf since they returned to Oregon.

So far, neither Federal or State officials have confirmed the news.

The senseless killing of any wolf is bad enough, but the killing of this particular wolf is especially egregious. Oregon has only two known packs. The Wenaha Pack has stayed in the high country and never caused any conflict with ranchers or livestock. The pack has three pups and the image of the silver male with his unforgettable eyes has been printed far and wide.

-Oregon Wild

If the LaGrande Observer is correct about the timing, the wolf was found the day before Oregon’s Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a new wolf management plan. The plan underwent a five year review during 2010, and the updated version makes it easier for ranchers to harass wolves and for wildlife officials to take lethal action against wolves.

Meanwhile, the Wallowa Chieftain says wolf attacks on livestock have resumed in Wallowa County. According to the paper, a total of ten calves have been killed by wolves this year. Consider that an estimate since wildlife officials don’t always agree on when wolves are responsible for livestock losses. Earlier this year, ODFW confirmed six kills while federal officials from USDA Wildlife Services claimed there were nine kills.

This male wolf from Wenaha pack was fitted with a radio collar on Aug. 4, 2010. ODFW photo.

On Thursday, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission takes a look at a new Wolf Management Plan.

For those who care about the future of wolves in our state, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The agenda includes time for comments from the public. Wolf supporters – and detractors – are hoping for a good turnout so the Commission can finally hear what Oregonians think about this very controversial issue.

For the most part, this new plan was put together behind the scenes. It’s true that ODFW staff talked with interest groups, such as environmentalists and ranchers. It’s also true that they asked for the public to send in comments. At last word, more than 22,000 Oregonians took the time to put their thoughts down on paper or email. But there were never any public hearings. And the release of the new plan was not well publicized or explained.

From what I know, there are no major changes in the new plan. As far as environmentalists are concerned, that’s mostly good news. They’re generally supportive of it, though they think ODFW makes it too easy to kill wolves that are suspected of attacking livestock.

Oregon Wild sent out this list of bullet points to supporters earlier this week.

• Most Oregonians value native wildlife and welcome wolves back. The wolf plan is already a major compromise and should be strengthened. We must not make it any easier to kill wolves.
• The wolf plan must be fully funded and prioritize non-lethal methods over killing wolves in all phases of the plan.
• Wolves on public land should not be killed.
• Wildlife Services has demonstrated their incompetence and uncomfortably close ties to those who wish to kill wolves. Their role in confirming depredations must be limited or eliminated.

-Oregon Wild email

Ranchers have never been happy with Oregon’s wolf plan and see it as something that’s been forced upon them. They want to make it easier to kill wolves that are caught attacking livestock, and to be able to hunt them in nearby areas. They also want to make it easier to delist wolves under state law. As they see it, wolves are “terrorizing” Eastern Oregon.

The updated wolf plan gives ranchers a little of what they want.

Details:

Fish and Wildlife Commission Meeting
Washington County Fair Complex
Cloverleaf Building
873 N.E. 34th Avenue
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124

The day long meeting starts at 8:00am, but the Commission isn’t expected to look at the Wolf Plan until after lunch.

Reading Material:

What Oregonians Really Think About Their Wolves

Oregon Wild: Bringing Wolves Back Home to Oregon

Oregon Cattlemen’s Association: Wolves In Oregon

(FYI: The Cattlemen’s page has a what appears to be a major factual error. It says nothing was done after wolves killed 25 head of livestock in Oregon. Those attacks took place last year in the Keating Valley near Baker City and the two wolves that were responsible were hunted down and killed. See Oregon Wolves Killed By Wildlife Officials. It also says that wolves in Wallowa County are killing livestock “every few days.” While that’s true for the month of May, the last reported attack was on June 4. Despite the factual errors, I respect the group’s point of view on the issue and included the link for that reason.)

The three photos, released late Wednesday afternoon, show the two pups born this year to the Wenaha wolf pack in Northeast Oregon.

ODFW captured, weighed and measured, then released the pups last Friday.

As far as anyone knows, these are the first two pups born in the Wenaha pack. ODFW says they appeared healthy. They were too young to be collared, but an adult in the pack was outfitted with a radio collar earlier this month.

There are three photos to show you.

In this image, wildlife officials are weighing one of the Wenaha pups. ODFW photo.

One of the two Wenaha pack wolf pups. ODFW photo.

A Wenaha wolf pup being released. ODFW photo.

Combined with the four new pups in the Imnaha pack, Oregon’s small population of wolves has at least 20 members, up from 14 last year.

Related Stories:

New Photo of Oregon’s “Lost” Wolf

Two New Wolf Pups In Eastern Oregon

What Oregonians Really Think About Their Wolves

The alpha male of the Imnaha wolf pack is in the foreground, still wearing his radio collar. The alpha female is in the background. The image was recorded by a trail camera on August 11, 2010. ODFW photo.

ODFW just released this photo showing the alpha male of the Imnaha pack in Wallowa County. The photo was taken a couple of weeks ago as he and the alpha female stepped  in front of a trail camera.

If you’ve been following the wolf news this summer, you’ll remember that his radio collar stopped transmitting in late May. He went missing just as the controversy over wolf attacks on livestock was reaching the boiling point. So there was some concern he’d been killed by a poacher. ODFW was saying all along that a broken collar was a far more likely explanation. Turns out they appear to be correct. You can see him wearing the collar in the photo.

Still waiting for photos of the two new wolf pups in the Wenaha pack.

The alpha female of the Imnaha pack, also known as OR 200. ODFW photo.

On the same night, the camera snapped a new photo of OR 200, the alpha female of the Imnaha pack.

So far this year, we’ve seen photos of the alpha pair, plus four adults and four pups of the Imnaha pack. Hopefully that’s a sign they’re doing well.

And there’s some good news to report on Oregon’s other wolf pack. After being missing for almost three months, the alpha male of the Imnaha pack has been located.

This adult male from Wenaha pack was fitted with a radio collar on Aug. 4, 2010. ODFW photo.

The Wenaha Pups

ODFW says Wolf Coordinator Russ Morgan captured the pups on Friday. They were weighed and measured, appeared to be in good health, and then released. Although Morgan trapped two pups, it’s possible there are more. ODFW believes the Wenaha pack has three or four adults.

The uncertainty over the numbers shows how little we know about the Wenaha pack. That’s why ODFW was so excited a few weeks ago when one of the adults was captured and wildlife officials were able to outfit him with a tracking collar. The collar makes it much easier to monitor the pack. It may have been a big reason why ODFW was able to locate the pups.

ODFW says it will release the photos of the two Wenaha pups later today. I’ll post them as soon as I get them.

The alpha male of the Imnaha pack before receiving a collar. Photo from ODFW.

The Imnaha Alpha Male

As for the alpha male of the Imnaha pack, he’s finally been recorded on a trail camera. The image is the first we’ve seen or heard of him since May 31st. ODFW says the photo shows him wearing his tracking collar. So it’s a safe bet that the collar is broken and wasn’t able to transmit information about his location. ODFW also plans to release that photo later today.

Oregon’s Growing Wolf Population

Today’s news means that Oregon’s wolf packs have produced at least six pups this season. That brings the total number of wolves in the state from about 14 to about 20, almost a 50% increase.

There are probably a few lone wolves roaming the state, too. There were some very credible wolf sightings in the Cascades this winter near the Santiam Pass.

It’s been an incredible year for Oregon wolves.

Back in March, ODFW kicked off a six month review of the state’s Wolf Management Plan. It’s been taking comments from the public and interest groups since then. Agency staff will present proposed changes to the Fish and Wildlife Commission when it meets on September 2.

Later in the spring, wolves killed at least six calves near ranches in Wallowa County. That sparked a huge controversy over what to do when wolves kill livestock. To prevent further losses, ODFW eventually hired USDA Wildlife Services to hunt and kill two wolves in the Imnaha pack. ODFW kept extending the hunt, long after the attacks stopped. So four of the state’s environmental groups went to court and Wildlife Services agreed to stop the hunt.

Early this month, Oregon wolves were put back on the federal endangered species list. A federal judge in Montana ruled that the Obama Administration was wrong to delist wolves in Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, Montana and Idaho – but to keep them listed in Wyoming.

Related Stories:

What Oregonians Really Think About Their Wolves

Catch And Release. ODFW Captures Another Wolf In Northeast Oregon.

Oregon Wolves Back On The Federal Endangered Species List

PHOTOS: Four New Wolf Pups Born In Oregon