Defenders' Experts
Wolves in Washington
Although wolves once occurred throughout most of Washington (learn more), they were considered a “pest” by early settlers and had been nearly eliminated by the early 1900s (see Chronology). Records document that 14,810 wolf pelts were traded among five Washington posts between 1827 and 1859.
Biologist Olaus Murie, based at Washington’s remote and rugged Olympic Peninsula from 1916–1917, reported that wolves may have been almost extinct there by that time. Two animals were killed on the Peninsula around 1920, and were the last confirmed wolves from the area. Unverified sightings have continued to date.
Given their proximity to wolves in British Columbia and Alberta, Washington’s North Cascades and Selkirk Mountains offer strong potential for wolf recolonization—if a sufficient number of wolves come across the border. Unregulated wolf hunting and trapping in these parts of Canada may be an impediment.
In the late 1980s, it was determined that several wolf packs denned and raised pups in North Cascades National Park/Ross Lake National Recreation Area on the Canadian border. Several wolves have also made their way to northeastern Washington from northwestern Montana/Idaho.
The Olympic Peninsula, which includes Olympic National Park and the adjacent Olympic National Forest, has also been recognized as potential wolf habitat. A study conducted in 1999 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that the Olympic Peninsula provides suitable habitat to support roughly 60 wolves. Wolf recovery in this region, however, would require relocating animals from elsewhere, as development in the Seattle area would hinder dispersing wolves from traveling through on their own.
|
|
