May 23, 2006 Wolf Guardian Field Report

Wolf supporters: The Buffalo Ridge pack needs your help!

Wolf Guardian Field Notes:

May 23, 2006. In the quiet hamlet of Clayton, Idaho, population 26.

Since 2002, the Buffalo Ridge wolf pack has returned annually to their den site in sagebrush covered hills, just north of town. And for good reason too – this is prime wolf country. Elk and deer wander the rolling hills and pine forests. Streams and rivers rush through nearby lush meadows. Bordered almost entirely by the Salmon-Challis National Forest, the pack’s territory is remote and typically peaceful. Until May, however, when significant changes occur.

Each spring, ranchers bring their cattle to graze on the rich green grasses on pastures less than a mile from the den site. While the elk move deeper into the forest; the wolves remain steadfast at their den – their pups still too young to move. This period, ranging from a few weeks to a few months, is the most likely time for conflicts to occur. If the wolves kill livestock, the entire pack can be killed. If the pack is killed, more wolves would move into the open territory and the entire cycle of conflicts repeats.

Mitigating wolf-livestock conflicts has been a primary concern for Defenders of Wildlife and members of the Wolf Guardian program. Through the assistance of our private supporters and The Bailey Wildlife Foundation Proactive Carnivore Conservation Fund in past years we provided alternative feed for the livestock until late June. By then, the pups were old enough to move with the pack, following the elk deeper into the forest and away from the young cattle. By using these proactive nonlethal alternatives, no livestock or wolves were killed as a result of these conflicts.

However, this spring, due to heavier snow conditions, the cattle have been moved earlier to these pastures. The wolves have four small pups at the den, only a month old, and we are using a nonlethal deterrent method known as "fladry" (a type of flagging barrier used to deter wolves) and alarm systems to discourage the wolves from coming too close to the cattle. Rick Williamson, Idaho wolf specialist for Wildlife Services and Defenders’ April Wildlife Hero is guiding the project in cooperation with Defenders’ Wolf Guardian Coordinator Consuelo Blake. Together, they are working with local residents to install over 3 miles of fladry between the cattle and the wolves’ den site. Over the next month, volunteers and staff will diligently maintain the fladry and monitor wolf activity in the area. We will also increase the deterrents by installing a new type of fladry called "turbofladry," which utilizes electrified wire to discourage wolves from crossing into the livestock pastures.

If you would like to help, please send a donation today to our Idaho office:

Buffalo Ridge Wolf Project
Defenders of Wildlife
P.O. Box 773
Boise, Idaho 83701

Please make your donation payable to: Defenders of Wildlife but identify the donation "for the Buffalo Ridge Wolves".

It is the successful resolution of situations like this that demonstrate that wolves and ranching can co-exist – when people are willing to use adaptive tools like grazing alternatives and nonlethal methods.

Thank you for your help.

Consuelo Blake
Wolf Guardian Project, Defenders of Wildlife