Reflections on the Twin Peaks Pack Controversy
March 23, 2000
Perhaps by now all the wolves in the Twin Peaks Pack, except the alpha pair are dead. The alphas are safely deep in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, where they have moved just a short distance since their release.This has been an emotional situation -- the elimination of an entire pack, but an action that was probably necessary once they set to seriously killing livestock. The situation has been greatly aggravated, however, by the whining, hostile, and threatening tone of some of the locals. Most of you by now have seen the photo on the Clayton, Idaho Mercantile's front door -- "Kill all the Goddamn Wolves and the People Who Put Them Here."
That is not the only such sign in the area. I should add, however, there are good people in Challis, Clayton and Stanley, but they generally don't seem to be listened to by the Idaho politicians or reported in the media.
When folks visit this scenic area this summer, you might want to look for signs and ask about wolves before you make a purchase or book a trail ride or float.
My experience with this kind of attitude in the area came early -- back in 1972. At the first roadless area hearing (yes, the issue has been around almost 30 years now), a silver miner from the Challis area told me and the chair of the economics department at the university, that he was going out to his rig to get his gun to shoot us. He didn't like our testimony. This was in the city of Idaho Falls. We moved to the background, but he drove away.
In the mid 1990s, U.S. Senator (then U. S. Representative) Mike Crapo, organized roadless area "consensus" meetings in communities around eastern Idaho. Things went fairly well, with progress made until the Salmon meeting. There, we were called lazy Sun Valley "trustfunders" who didn't have to work for a living and dirty hippies by the local state legislator as she preened her long unbroken fingernails. After that meeting Crapo abandoned his efforts and insists he will continue only if consensus is somehow achieved.
A number of interesting questions can be posed.
Why did this wolf pack leave the nearly complete safety of Loon Creek and Warm Springs Creek in the nearby Frank Church Wilderness and move over and down into this area where there are plenty of deer and elk in the winter, but also a number of small, marginal ranches, many inhabited by hostile folks? Is there a depletion of prey in the Loon Creek area? Did an uncollared rival wolf pack move in? Or was it just an urge to move that only the wolves could explain?
Why did the wolves only kill livestock on Hurless' small piece of leased property? There are other small ranches up and down the Salmon River. Was there an attractant?
At the beginning of 1999, three wolf packs had occupied almost all of the eastern Salmon River Mountains from their SE corner at Challis/Clayton northward to where the Main Salmon River runs directly through the mountains across central Idaho at Salmon/North Fork. Now the SE-most pack -- Twin Peaks -- is gone; and so is the most northerly of three -- Jureano Mountain (due to illegal and legal killing and unexplained deaths). The central pack, Moyer Basin, is intact despite the death of two members by illegal poisoning. Will packs reform and occupy the same areas as the extinct packs? Will Moyer Basin change its range? How soon will this occur?
Is local human aggression going to make the area a de facto wolfless zone?
Wolves are spreading out across Idaho. Sociologically the most interesting case is the Big Wood River Valley, home of many wealthy people (Sun Valley/Ketchum/Hailey), and a source of intense resentment from the economically marginal Challis and Salmon, Idaho area. A wolf killed an elk at the southern end of the Wood River Valley two weeks ago. More than one is probably present. How will the wealthier valley respond? Will it be with fear and aggression like Challis/Clayton or will the wolves be welcomed? A mixture? If there is a difference, what does it signify for wolf recovery? What would it mean about Idaho and the rural West?
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Copyright © 2000 Ralph Maughan
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