Thu., Nov. 16, 2017, 5:30 a.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- An Arizona-based environmental group is suing the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for access to some public records on wolf deaths in the state. The Center for Biological Diversity is seeking records about the killing of a wolf from the Smackout...
Thu., Nov. 9, 2017, 5:14 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A rancher has killed an adult female gray wolf as it was caught in the act of attacking livestock on private grazing grounds in northern Ferry County. The livestock producer reported the incident on Oct. 27, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife...
Thu., July 27, 2017, 5:27 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- One wolf from the Smackout Pack in Stevens County has been killed by a ground-based government shooter in an effort to change the behavior of a pack that's killed at least five cattle since September. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials...
Mon., July 17, 2017, 5:17 p.m.
PREDATORS -- Gray wolves killed a record number of livestock in Wyoming last year, and wildlife managers responded by killing a record number of wolves that were responsible, according to a new federal report. The report released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and...
Thu., March 30, 2017, 1:44 p.m.
WILDLIFE -- Two bighorn sheep rams that were in immediate proximity to domestic sheep near Challis were euthanized Thursday, March 30, to prevent the bighorns from potentially carrying disease back to the wild herd, the Idaho Fish and Game Department reports today. One ram was...
Mon., March 27, 2017, 7:02 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A wolf researcher who's specialized in studying cause and prevention of wolf attacks on livestock has issued a media release today recommending that Washington should demand more precautions from producers who might want lethal control of wolves. Robert Wielgus said he's making...
Fri., March 17, 2017, 11:47 a.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Gray wolves continued their steady increase in population and range in Washington last year despite the deaths of at least 14 animals, according to a 25-page annual report on the endangered species’ recovery. The state’s minimum estimated wolf population increased by about...
Mon., Feb. 20, 2017, 12:54 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A bill that would exempt from public disclosure personal information about people who report or respond to wolf attacks in Washington state has cleared a House committee. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and other supporters cite death threats received by...
Thu., Sept. 29, 2016, 2:34 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Despite preventative measures and monitoring by a model range rider project, cattle on a grazing allotment northeast of Colville have been attacked by wolves. As one wildlife biologist said on my Facebook page, "Bummer. They were doing so well (staying out of...
Thu., Sept. 29, 2016, 12:05 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Two Washington wolf packs have made documented kills on livestock in northeastern Washington recently. The attacks have been attributed to the Smackout Pack on the Stevens-Pend Oreille county border area as well as the remaining wolves in the Profanity Peak Pack of...
Tue., April 19, 2016, 3:12 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolves recently killed a 4-day-old calf in Asotin County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed today. "The department’s investigation determined that the calf was killed by one or more wolves yesterday (April 18) in a 90-acre fenced calving area on...
Fri., Jan. 29, 2016, 12:45 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A northeastern Washington wolf pack is under scrutiny after rural residents fired shots to scare at least five wolves away from a confrontation with their two dogs. "We’re taking this incident very seriously," said Donny Martorello, who heads the Washington Fish and...
Mon., Jan. 25, 2016, 11:23 a.m.
PREDATORS – Aggressively dealing with wolves that kill livestock works better than a gradual approach, according to research in Montana. When a group of wolves gets a taste for sheep or cattle, trying to kill a few of the offending wolves was not effective, the...
Mon., Dec. 28, 2015, 8:01 a.m.
PRAIRIE GROUSE -- Ranchers could get some help in modifying operations to steer sage grouse off a course toward endangered species protections. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture recently announced it will invest $40 million in FY 2016 to help ranchers and other partners restore and...
Fri., Dec. 4, 2015, 6:01 a.m.
PREDATORS -- While the number of livestock killed by wolves, coyotes and grizzly bears has declined in Montana, the state is paying a record amount this year to reimburse livestock growers' for losses. The Montana Livestock Loss Board was established by the state Legislature in...
Mon., Oct. 19, 2015, 1:51 p.m.
WILDLIFE -- A Virginia woman has come to Idaho's Capital City to sacrifice herself at the Governor's office in the name of wolves. I'm not sure what her complaint is -- Idaho boasts one of the most successful endangered species reintroduction efforts in U.S. history,...
Thu., Sept. 10, 2015, 4:51 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolves in the range of the Teanaway Pack, which is pushing the western edge of wolf recovery in Washington, is confirmed to be involved in a second attack on livestock. Following are the details just posted from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Thu., Sept. 3, 2015, 12:10 p.m.
PREDATORS -- Livestock producers in France have issues with wolf management not unlike ranchers in Stevens County, Washington. Here's the latest development in the French Alps. Around 50 angry farmers have kidnapped the chief of a national park, demanding he take action against repeated wolf...
Tue., July 21, 2015, 5:28 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- A cow on a grazing allotment near Cle Elum, Washington, was killed by a wolf, federal officials say. The cow’s carcass was discovered last Thursday by a Washington State University graduate student doing research on wolves. The kill was in the range of...
Thu., July 16, 2015, 3:50 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- The number of cattle killed by wolves in the Chewelah Creek area of Stevens County in the first nine days of July has been increased from two to four, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said today. No cattle have been...
Mon., July 13, 2015, 1:05 p.m.
PREDATORS -- Is there some science behind it, or are Washington wildlife managers stepping up lethal pressure on mountain lions simply because they have limited options for controlling wolves? The question is explored in a story by Sandi Doughton, Seattle Times science writer: Conservation groups...
Fri., July 10, 2015, 3:21 p.m.
ENDANGERED SPECIES -- Wolves killed two adult cows near Chewelah this week, state wildlife officials confirmed today. The cattle were found dead on Thursday and today in the upper portion of the North Fork of Chewelah Creek in the Dirty Shirt Pack territory, said Nate...
Tue., April 21, 2015, 12:31 p.m.
PREDATORS -- Eleven wolves were killed in the Southern Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia during a winter effort to reduce predation on endangered woodland caribou that range in Canada as well as in Idaho and Washington. Another 73 wolves were killed farther north to boost...
Mon., April 13, 2015, 6:01 a.m.
PREDATORS -- There's no way and no reason to count every single wolf in Idaho. But some environmental groups that need to stay in the headlines to keep the outrage and money flowing are contesting Idaho's recently released 2014 year-end wolf population estimates. Despite the...
Mon., March 16, 2015, 6:01 a.m.
WILDLIFE -- Several of the wolf-related bills introduced in the 2015 Washington Legislature are still alive. Here's an update from the Wenatchee World: OLYMPIA -- State lawmakers in both the house and senate passed bills dealing with wolves that are sponsored by Republicans from northeastern...
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.