We are very excited to finally have made it through winter here in the northern hemisphere and to be moving into spring. As the weather turns warmer, we hope you all get to enjoy more time outside, and we hope for continued and increased safety for our wolves as they enter pupping season.

Possible New Pack in Nevada May be the First in the State Since the 1920s

Eight years ago in 2016, a single wolf was spotted in Nevada, the first wolf sighting in the state since 1922. While conducting a moose survey by helicopter last week, state wildlife biologists noted three suspected wolves traveling in northeast Nevada near Merritt Mountain. 

If biologists are able to confirm a pack, this would be the first in the state in over one hundred years! Though it is still to early to determine a permanent wolf presence in Nevada, as wolf populations in neighboring states stabilize, packs may begin to spread into their previous native region.

US District Court Limits Wolf Trapping in Idaho Grizzly Territory

On Tuesday March 19th, in a win for Idaho’s wolf and bear populations, a federal judge banned wolf trapping and snaring in grizzly bear habitat in the Idaho panhandle and around the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon river regions. The ban will span from March 1st – November 30th.

Despite this enormous win for Idaho’s wild carnivores, the director of Idaho’s Fish and Game, Jim Fredricks is considering legal action to reinstate the long trapping season that the state allows.

Northern Cascades Grizzly Release ESA Finalized

Grizzlies roamed much of the west before colonization. A keystone species, bears are known to till and aerate soil as they search for potato-like roots like Alpine sweetvetch, munch on berries, and later deposit the seeds in their scat. The omnivores love to snatch salmon from rivers and will steal kills from other predators.

Place names in the north Cascades recognize indigenous peoples’ long coexistence with the bears. Stetattle Creek was derived fromm stəbtabəl’ (stub-tahb-elh), or “grizzly bear,” in the Lushootseed language spoken by the Upper Skagit People who lived on these lands for at least 10,000 years. 

Over time, white settlers wiped the bears off the landscape. Beginning in the mid-1800s, they killed more than 3,000 for their pelts while miners and homesteaders killed countless others. The bid brown bears, with a hump of heavy muscle in their shoulders, never bounced back.

The final ESA report for the proposed rerelease of grizzlies to the norther Cascades in Washington state can be seen on the NPS website.

Poaching in Oregon

US Fish and Wildlife Service is still seeking information regarding the poaching of three wolves around Bly in southern Oregon. One of the wolves killed was an adult breeding female and the other two were subadults, on of them collared. 

Speak for Wolves is contributing to the $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of this crime. If you would like to contribute to toward the reward, please find the link to our PayPal here, or click the button below.

Action Alert! Keep Wolves on the Endangered Species List

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering making the alarming decision to reclassify wolves from endangered to sensitive. Already stripped of their protections in the northern Rockies, it is imperative that Washington maintain its protections for wolves or risk their populations in the western United States. 

Take a moment to write to Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission and let them know that you oppose this proposal. NARN has organized talking points to help you organize your letter to continue strong protections for our wolves.

Action Alert: Urge US Fish and Wildlife to Release the “Caldera” Pack

“Asha” the Mexican Gray Wolf has been taken into captivity (again) for venturing across the human-drawn boundaries of the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area in northern New Mexico. She is currently being held with two other male Lobos, even though she has been roaming the Jemez Mountains without incident.

Please take a moment to write to the US Fish and Wildlife Service urging them to release this unofficially named “Caldera” pack to allow the continued revival of Mexican Gray Wolves.

Speak for Wolves Tenth Anniversary Conference Videos Now Available on YouTube!

We’re happy to announce that recordings from the 2023 conference are now available on our YouTube channel! You can revisit your favorite speakers and topics as often as you like!

Visit the Speak for Wolves Online Store

The Speak for Wolves online store is still stocked! Check out what we have in stock, from shirts and hoodies to books and stickers!

If you are looking to add a few items to your wardrobe, we have many clothing items on sale from previous conferences and we are down to just 14 remaining Tenth Anniversary hoodies! 

Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.