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This video shows a 3-minute presentation that group member Geoff Willard delivered as a finalist in the UCSB "Grad Slam" in April 2016.
Geoff briefly describes the history of wolves in the West, and summarizes the major results of the research project featured on this website. |
Natural History
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Gray wolves (Canis lupus) are apex predators and have a big impact on their ecosystems. Their wild prey (like elk and deer) learn to avoid parts of the landscape where they can be easily hunted. This prevents elk from eating young woody plants like aspen, willow and cottonwood. This in turn allows for the growth of new, healthy groves that stabilize stream banks and create habitat for countless species of birds, insects, fish, small mammals and more.
In this way, wolves can have a great effect on the structure and function of ecosystems they inhabit, and can cause a kind of passive ecosystem restoration when they return to their native habitat. |
Source: Tracy Brooks/USFWS
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Human History
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Though wolves historically lived throughout almost the whole United States (including California), humans had exterminated them from most of the country by the early 20th Century. In 1995 and 1996, the US Fish and Wildlife Service moved 66 wolves from Canada into Yellowstone and part of Idaho. Since then, wolf packs have spread into many of the wild parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon. The population is now almost 2000 wolves.
Livestock producers in these locations were not used to living near wolves, and some have lost livestock to wolves. So concerned agencies have tested and used a variety of methods that support safe coexistence with wolves. This requires partnership between scientists, ranchers and their communities. In recent years, a few wolves have traveled from Oregon into California, beginning in 2011 with a GPS radio-collared wolf (recorded as "OR-7") that roamed the state for over a year. It returned to Oregon's Rogue River region, found a mate, and started a pack close to the California border. In 2015, camera traps discovered a resident pack (two adults and five pups) near California's Mount Shasta. We can expect more individuals from Oregon's growing wolf population to join them. Check out our NEWS page for updates on the Rogue Pack, Shasta Pack and more. |
"OR-7" roamed California for a year and then returned to Oregon, found a mate, and started a new pack.
Source: USFWS
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Current Research
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Scientists all over North America have been studying wolves for many decades. Much of what we know about wolf behavior, movement, and the prevention of conflicts with humans comes from their research.
For more info about wolf research, see these helpful websites: |
Russ Morgan of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife with a wolf. Source: ODFW
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