Wolves are continuing to make a California comeback.
State wildlife officials have confirmed the presence of two new gray wolf packs in Northern California, and estimate there are now at least 70 of the endangered apex predators roaming the state — up from 44 documented last year.
The freshly minted Diamond pack is roaming terrain about 50 miles north of Lake Tahoe, while the other new pack — as yet unnamed — is ranging just south of Lassen Volcanic National Park, according to Axel Hunnicutt, state gray wolf coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Four years ago, there was just one pack. Now there are nine, according to a map released by CDFW this month. And with 30 pups born this year, more are expected to form.
“The population has grown significantly, and we’re really at an inflection point where the number of animals that are reproducing on the landscape is significant,” Hunnicutt said.
Experts say the broad-muzzled canids can help balance the ecosystem and conservationists are celebrating their resurgence. But their presence ushers in challenges like the need to protect livestock, prompting the state to invest in research to inform management for the expanding species.
The Diamond pack, in the state’s mountainous Sierra Valley, is made up of two wolves, one of which is known to be female, Hunnicutt said. There’s no evidence that the wolves are a breeding pair.
The unnamed pack comprises two adult wolves and at least two pups, he said. They are ranging in an area that straddles Shasta, Lassen, Tehama and Plumas counties.
Images of both new packs were caught on camera traps.
The Golden State’s gray wolves were hunted and trapped to extirpation a century ago. The last documented wild wolf in California was shot in 1924 in Lassen County.
The species’ stunning recolonization of California began just 13 years ago when a wolf from northeastern Oregon known as OR-7 ventured into the Golden State.
It didn’t stay, and the first verified pack didn’t take hold until 2015, Hunnicutt said.
The population started to take off two years ago and is now poised for “almost exponential” growth in light of the number of pups born this year, he said.
A 2016 state conservation plan estimated that the landscape north of Interstate 80 could support roughly 370 to 500 wolves.
Gray wolves in the lower 48 states, and particularly California, tend to weigh about 75-80 pounds. They’re fairly tall, with snouts that are broader and ears that are rounder than the coyotes they’re often mistaken for.
“People send us reports, and it’s interesting because they’ll describe this magnificent experience that they had, and then they’ll also say it was 150 pounds, ‘It was the largest dog-like animal I’ve ever seen,’” he said. “And that’s usually not a wolf. Wolves are not massive.”
Many reports they receive come from Los Angeles, he said, where there are no known wolves.
Having more wolves brings changes to the ecosystem, which the state is seeking to better understand.
Hunnicutt expects coyote numbers, which are “artificially high,” to drop in areas where wolves are established. The same goes for mountain lions, which are currently the top dog, so to speak.
But wolves also feast on cattle and other livestock, which can threaten the livelihood of ranchers. Livestock conflict is increasing as the wolf population rises, he said.
That and other complex issues related to the polarizing species prompted the state wildlife agency to partner with UC Berkeley to conduct research it hopes will fill in knowledge gaps and guide management. The multi-year California Wolf Project got off the ground earlier this year.
“As wolves move into more areas, newer areas, and more and more people are dealing with these animals on the landscape, I think more information is needed in order to support sound management decisions, as well as support the people whose day-to-day lives and livelihoods and all of that are potentially changing — good, bad or otherwise,” said Christina Winters, a masters student and field lead for the project.
There will be two primary areas of study: exploring the ecological and sociological implications of the pack animals’ return to the state.
Winters is leading the field work on the ecology side, which involves deploying a massive camera trap grid in areas where wolf packs reside in addition to collecting scat and investigating areas where the predators have spent a certain amount of time.
The sociology portion will entail surveying the public, including asking livestock owners about their thoughts on nonlethal deterrence and experiences directly interacting with wolves, she said.
Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, called wolves’ continued California resurgence “wonderful news” — and a testament to the protections afforded them. They’re listed as endangered under state and federal law.
But some of the safeguards could soon be under attack.
Wolves were federally delisted during Donald Trump’s first presidency, and the move was defended by the Biden administration. Although protections were restored after a court struck down the decision, the ruling was appealed this year.
“Every single time there is a change in administration, we see attempts to strip wolves of protections,” under both Republican and Democratic leadership, Weiss said.
Weiss anticipates that federal wildlife officials will once again try to strip protections, and there may be efforts made in Congress as well.
State protections would remain in place, but she said they’re “gearing up for a fight” against presumed federal actions.