Weekly Progress Report
Week of November 23 - November 29, 2002
HOPE YOUR THANKSGIVING WAS A GOOD ONE
Monitoring
NEW WEB ADDRESS - See http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov/ for maps of wolf pack locations and home ranges, tables of wolf numbers and depredations, and summaries of scientific studies.
The 2 gray female wolf pups recently collared in the northwest Paradise Valley are staying in that area and seem to be doing fine. Radio locations indicate they are with a new pack, which if confirmed will be named the Lone Bear pack.
Male wolf #229, was shot by a hunter in B.C. on Nov. 16. in the Bull River Valley, a tributary of the Kootenai River north of Lake Koocanusa. Congratulations to the hunter for turning in the radio collar and we thank him for promptly reporting his successful hunt. The yearling wolf was one of the Gravelly pack pups that, in addition to their mother and a yearling male were temporarily held in captivity near Bozeman before being relocated to the Yaak Valley in NW MT in 2001. Both adults both independently traveled into Canada and have not been located recently. Of the 6 relocated pups, 3 have been legally shot in Canada and one was accidently killed in a snare set for coyotes in Montana. The two remaining pups are still using the Yaak Valley. The fate of the Gravelly wolves shows that holding wolves in captivity tended to reduce homing instincts and that wolves can be very vulnerable to hunting.
The Service is once again asking for help from big game hunters in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming during the big-game hunting season. Please report any sightings of wolf activity to the nearest U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state Fish and Game Agency, Forest Service, BLM, Tribal, or USDA Wildlife Services office. We thank everyone for their cooperation.
Livestock Depredations & Management (control)
Wolves from the apparently now split Washakie pack were routinely visiting a corral with new foals near Dubois, WY. The ranch has had sporadic problems in this and in past years. A shoot on site permit for a wolf was issued to the ranch manager.
Research
The 30-day winter study in Yellowstone is continuing and kill rates seem typical for early winter.
Information, Education & Law Enforcement
Wyoming released its state wolf management plan for public comment and began a series of public meetings throughout Wyoming about the plan. Contact Wyoming Game and Fish for further information at 307-777-4600 or at wgfwolf@wgf.state.wy.us
Call for papers: Papers are now being accepted for the 2003 North American Interagency Wolf Conference, April 8 - 10, 2003 at Chico Hot Springs, Pray, MT. Please submit a one page single spaced abstract which includes your full contact information, affiliations, and authors, by email to Joseph Fontaine at Joseph_Fontaine@fws.gov. Topics include, but are not limited to, wolf biology and conservation, conflict management, predator and prey relationships, law enforcement, forensics, population status, state wolf management planning, national wolf reclassification and delisting, ethics, environmental education, and public outreach. Please submit a digital picture related to your research or topic to include in the agenda and on the website. We can also scan images sent by mail. Registration for the conference will begin November 1, 2002 and you may contact Suzanne Laverty at SLaverty@defenders.org for details.
The CENTRAL ROCKIES WOLF PROJECT is pleased to announce that registration has begun for the WORLD WOLF CONGRESS 2003 - BRIDGING SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY, to be held at the Banff Centre (Banff, Canada) from September 25-28, 2003. Please visit www.worldwolfcongress.ca for complete information.
This congress will be a world-class event with a host of high-end presentations and discussions focusing on wolf conservation and wolf management. The list of speakers will be diverse and excellent.
Call for Papers: If you wish to make a proposal to deliver a presentation at the congress, please download our Call for Papers from the web site. Queries regarding papers can be sent to papers@graywolf.ca.
Queries regarding registration can be sent to registration@graywolf.ca. General congress queries can be sent to congress@graywolf.ca
The weekly wolf report can be viewed at the Service's Region 6 web site at westerngraywolf.fws.gov.
Contact: Ed Bangs (406)449-5225 or Internet - ED_BANGS@FWS.GOV
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