Defenders' Experts
Pacific West Wolves Background and Recovery
The extensive extermination campaigns of the late 1800s resulted in the elimination of wolves from the Pacific West landscape, which has not seen a breeding population of this species since the 1930s. Nonetheless, wolves dispersing from the Northern Rockies have recently made their way into both Washington and Oregon, where there is ample habitat to support wolf recovery. Potential wolf habitat remains in California as well (see Map below and How Will Wolves Return?).
Map of Potential Wolf Recovery Areas in the Pacific West
Wolves in California
California’s last known wild wolf was trapped and killed in 1924 (see Chronology ). Although there have been no confirmed wolf sightings in recent years, many biologists believe that suitable wolf habitat remains in this state (see Map).
A study conducted by the Conservation Biology Institute, funded in part by Defenders, indicated that as many as 470 wolves could live in a complex of wild lands that includes the Modoc Plateau of California and Oregon and the southern Oregon Cascades. California’s northern Sierra Nevada mountains also offer potential habitat for wolf restoration.
At present, the FWS has no plans to restore wolves to California, and intends to remove legal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies —the nearest wolf-occupied region of the United States.
This issue is now more important than ever. Wolves from Idaho have recently wandered into Oregon, indicating that dispersing animals could eventually end up in California. Yet there are no legal mechanisms in place to ensure that gray wolves can safely return to California and maintain viable population levels.
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