Gray wolf sighting in Lake County sparks hopes of continued California comeback

The recent sighting of an endangered gray wolf in northern Lake County has energized wildlife experts who say the animal's arrival marks a crucial development for the species' recovery in California, nearly a century after wolves disappeared from the state.

The wolf was spotted Aug. 25 or 26 in the Mendocino National Forest, west of Interstate 5 and far from the established packs in California's northeastern counties. The location represents a potentially important expansion into territory where wolves have been absent for generations.

"This is incredibly exciting news — the news we in wolf recovery for decades have been waiting for," said Amaroq Weiss, a former senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. "For it to get to the west side of I-5, where we know is the best habitat in the state."

So far, it is the only confirmed sighting of the animal west of the Sacramento Valley, said Axel Hunnicutt, state gray wolf coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Diversity Program. But it is a sign, Hunnicutt said, that the wolf is still dispersing and looking for other wolves.

"The fact that there is a wolf over there is a sign that they're continuing to expand their range," Hunnicutt said. "Evidence of wolves in that part of the state is a good thing."

Gray wolves were wiped out in California by the 1920s and remained absent for decades before beginning a natural return to the state. A wolf known as OR-7 crossed into California from Oregon in 2011, and the Shasta Pack became the state's first modern wolf pack in 2015.

The wolves returned on their own rather than through a government reintroduction program. As of July, state wildlife officials counted a minimum of 50 wolves in 11 confirmed packs.

Why Interstate 5 crossing matters

Most of that recovery has taken place east of Interstate 5, making the Lake County sighting particularly significant, experts say.

Interstate 5 is a dangerous barrier for gray wolves navigating their way south from Oregon or west from established packs in California's far northeastern counties. Natural and human-made barriers, from freeways and other infrastructure to traffic and development, further complicate their journey south and west.

Getting across the interstate could open substantially different habitat. West of Interstate 5, the wolves can find an abundance of elk and other natural prey, experts say, with fewer conflicts with humans or livestock than in northeastern California's cattle country.

The sighting also is evidence, advocates say, of the legal protections that have helped gray wolves recover after they were nearly eradicated from the state.

"The recovery entails so much more than population," said Shannon Labuschagne, an associate attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "It's moving toward a more resilient future. It's an encouraging sign of the recovery."

It's unknown whether the wolf traveled from Oregon, following traditional routes along the Cascade Range into California, or whether it separated from established California packs, such as the Whaleback pack of central and eastern Siskiyou County .

"It could have come from anywhere, but it is exciting. Mendocino and Lake counties have more diversity of elk and deer. There are only a few dispersing wolves to the west and leaving a scent trail for other wolves," said Susan Dewar, president of the Rocklin-based California Wolf Foundation . "It's a new geography that hasn't realized that wolves are returning to the state. It's a good time to help elevate and resolve conflicts in those new areas."

The wolf's movement into new territory also brings the possibility of conflicts with ranchers who have had little recent experience with the predators.

Mendocino County officials discussed the wolf at a Sept. 1 Board of Supervisors meeting, where Supervisor Madeline Cline said the California Department of Fish and Wildlife had confirmed its presence. Agricultural Commissioner Angela Godwin said her office was exploring a bi-county wolf task force to prepare for potential livestock predation.

White House orders review of wolf protections

The local concerns come as the federal government is reconsidering protections for wolves nationwide.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday directing the Interior secretary to determine within 90 days whether gray wolves and Mexican wolves have met recovery criteria for removing or reducing their protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. If the secretary determines the criteria have been met, the order directs the department to begin that process.

The order, titled "Supporting America's Ranchers," also directs federal officials to consider changes to criteria for authorizing lethal removal of wolves that threaten livestock or human safety. It calls for a review of federal programs that compensate producers for livestock losses attributed to wolves.

The executive order does not itself remove the gray wolf's federal endangered species protections. Wolves also are protected separately under California's Endangered Species Act.

Beyond potential conflicts with livestock, the wolf's arrival has raised concerns among advocates about the roads and more populated communities it could encounter if it continues moving south.

"I've heard some fears that it could come to areas more densely populated," wolf advocate Weiss said.

"Roads can be deadly for wolves. People feed them and they get acclimated. It's really important that if people see them to leave them alone, leave them alive, and leave them safe," Weiss continued. "The hope is that, because it's in northern coastal California, where there's a higher density of elk, they will find them abundant and will prey there."

The arrival also comes as the federal government is reconsidering protections for the species nationwide.

But these are early days for the gray wolf west of the interstate. State wildlife experts are still determining what the discovery means for the species' comeback in California.

"It might be a once-off, or, the start of something where we see more and more wolves," said Hunnicutt, the state gray wolf coordinator. He said state fish and wildlife teams continue their work alongside Mendocino National Forest experts to learn more about the endangered wolf.

For now, the sighting leaves wildlife officials watching to see whether the wolf continues its journey alone — or whether its path west eventually will be followed by others.

"I'm very excited to learn the origin story of this individual, what their journey was like. It's a journey that's incredibly perilous," Labuschagne said. "They are able to establish territories, build a pack, raise their young, while having to navigate natural barriers, man-made barriers. It's something that's very moving."