post-recovery planning in Washington Washington wolf history - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Wolf post-recovery planning in Washington

Department of Fish and Wildlife

• 1930s: Extirpated from WA
• 1973: Receive federal protection
• 1980: Wolves receive state protection
• 2008: First resident pack

documented in Okanogan County

• 2011: Federally delisted in eastern third
• f WA (part of Northern Rocky Mt

Distinct Population Segment)

• 2011: WA Wolf Conservation and

Management Plan adopted

• 2013: Wolf Advisory Group formed
• 2018: Min. 126 wolves, 27 packs, 15

breeding pairs in WA

Washington wolf history

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Wolves are returning to and recovering in Washington

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington’s wolf population is connected to and part

• f the larger, healthy

wolf populations in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Canada. ~1,700 wolves

Department of Fish and Wildlife Department of Fish and Wildlife

2018 Washington Wolf Packs

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington Wolf Plan Objectives

• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations
• 2. Maintain healthy ungulate populations
• 3. Manage wolf – livestock conflicts
• 4. Develop public understanding and

promote coexistence

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Assessing statewide recovery

• 15 successful breeding

pairs for three consecutive years, OR

• 18 successful breeding

pairs for one year, WITH

• At least four breeding

pairs in each recovery region and six pairs anywhere in WA

• No known packs or

breeding pairs in Southern Cascades/NW Coast region

• Federal listing status
• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations

Department of Fish and Wildlife

WAC 220-610-110

• WAC language: a species may be delisted from

endangered, threatened, or sensitive when it meets the recovery plan goals or when it is no longer in danger of failing, declining, is no longer vulnerable to factors such as limited numbers, disease, predation, exploitation, or habitat loss or change, and when it no longer meets the definitions of Sensitive, Threatened, or Endangered

• Periodic Status Review will evaluate these factors
• If a change in listing status is recommended, this would

initiate a public engagement/Commission process (no earlier than 2020)

Assessing statewide recovery

• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Annual population counts

• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations

5 14 19 35 51 52 68 90 115 122 126

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

• Min. number individuals

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Trend in number of wolf packs

1 2 5 7 10 13 15 17 19 22 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 5

5 10 15 20 25 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

• Min. number of packs

E Washington N Cascades S Cascades and NW Coast

• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Trend in number of successful breeding pairs

1 1 4 4 3 4 7 8 13 12 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 3

2 4 6 8 10 12 14 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

E Washington N Cascades S Cascades and NW Coast

• Min. known number
• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Washington Wolf Population Summary

Year

• Min. count

Known no. packs SBP Growth rate Known mortality Depredating packs (%) 2008 5 1 1

• 0%

2009 14 2 2

• 0%

2010 19 3 1 36% 2 0% 2011 35 7 5 84% 0% 2012 51 9 5 46% 9 33% 2013 52 13 5 2% 5 8% 2014 68 16 5 31% 10 13% 2015 90 18 8 32% 7 22% 2016 115 20 10 28% 14 20% 2017 122 22 14 6% 14 23% 2018 126 27 15 3% 12 19% Avg 28% 13%

• 1. Restore self-sustaining wolf populations

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Wolf post-recovery planning

• What is a post-recovery plan?
• Doesn’t WDFW already have a wolf plan?
• Why does WDFW need to develop a new wolf

plan now?

• How will WDFW develop a wolf post-recovery

plan?

Photo: Tom Meier, NPS

Department of Fish and Wildlife

What is scoping?

• State Environmental Policy

Act (SEPA)

• Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS)

• First step of a multi-year

SEPA process

• Range of proposed actions,

alternatives, and impacts to be discussed in EIS

• Narrow EIS to the

relevant/significant issues

• Encourage cooperation and

early resolution of conflicts and improve decisions

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Wolf conservation and monitoring Wolf management areas Wolf classification/status Wolf-livestock conflicts Wolf-ungulate interactions Wolf interactions with other species Wolf-human interactions Cultural and/or tribal significance of wolves Ecotourism/intrinsic value Wolf hunting Habitat connectivity/land management Information and education Research Reporting and evaluation Goals, objectives, strategies, tasks Costs and funding priorities Economic analysis Translocation

Initial impact topics to be considered in EIS

Photo: Julia B. Smith

Department of Fish and Wildlife

How to provide comment

• 1. Submit comments electronically at:

wdfw.wa.gov/wolves-post-recovery (preferred method)

• 2. Mail comments to:

Lisa Wood SEPA/NEPA Coordinator, WDFW Habitat Program, Protection Division P.O. Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504-3200

Please submit comments by November 1, 2019 at 5 pm. We cannot accept or record verbal comments.

Department of Fish and Wildlife

For general information on wolves in Washington: https://wdfw.wa.gov/species- habitats/at-risk/species-recovery/gray- wolf If you are interested in receiving e-mail notifications of wolf activity updates, you can sign up here: https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/lists Stay up to date by visiting WDFW .WA.GOV/WOLVES-POST-RECOVERY

Department of Fish and Wildlife

Questions? Thank you! wildthing@dfw.wa.gov