Wolves in the Pacific West: A Chronology

1843: The first wolf bounty is established in Oregon at an Oregon Wolf Association meeting in the Willamette Valley. The bounty for a large wolf is set at $3.00.

1924: California’s last known naturally occurring wild wolf is trapped and killed in Lassen County.

1930’s: Wolves are generally considered eliminated from Washington, although occasional sightings persist into the 1950s. Washington’s last known wolf is killed in a coyote trap in the Colville National Forest.

1946: The last wolf to be submitted for a bounty in Oregon is killed in the Umpqua National Forest in southwest Oregon.

1947: Defenders of Wildlife is founded.

1974: Wolves are federally protected as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

1990s: Defenders (along with Washington Senator Norm Dicks) supports efforts to explore the biological and social feasibility of wolf reintroduction in Washington’s Olympic National Park. The resulting scientific research shows that this area could support a small wolf population (~56 wolves), but the population would be genetically isolated. The Point No Point Treaty Council, representing area tribal interests, is also concerned that there may not be sufficient prey base for wolves.

1990: Wolves with pups are documented in the U.S. portion of the North Cascades Ecosystem in western Washington.

1991–1992: Federal funds in the amount of $135,000 are allocated to Washington for wolf recovery-related initiatives. Specifically, funds are to support wolf surveys, a wolf sighting hotline, information gathering for a wolf recovery plan, and ultimately, the initiation of recovery activities. At the same time, the Washington Gray Wolf Steering Committee is established, drawing upon representatives from scientific, conservation, livestock, and tribal communities.

1994: Remains of a radio-collared wolf from northwestern Montana are found on private commercial forest property in northeastern Washington.

1995: Federal funding for Washington wolf recovery is diverted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to support wolf-related activities in Idaho. The Washington Gray Wolf Steering Committee is discontinued.

1999: A female wolf is spied in Oregon. She made it as far west as the city of John Day.

2002: A wolf is killed by a vehicle on Interstate 84. Another wolf was found shot near Pendleton, OR

2007: A wolf was found shot and killed in late May in a forested area north of La Grande, eastern Oregon, apparently the fifth known wolf to arrive in the state.

2007: In June, Washington state biologists capture a picture of a wild wolf on a tree-mounted camera.

2007: A mature female wolf was found dead on private land near Elgin, Ore. Federal wildlife forensics examiners notified agency staff at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife that the wolf had originated from the Idaho wild wolf population. Press release

2008: In January, a female gray wolf from Idaho’s Timberline Pack is positively located in Oregon, using radio signals from her tracking collar. The wolf, a two- to three-year-old female identified as B-300, has been wearing the collar since she was captured northeast of Boise in the summer of 2006. Press release.