In brief: Wolves making comeback in California wilds

The Oregon wolf, OR-7, first explored the landscape in California in 2011-2012 and now the first settlers have moved into Siskiyou County.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife released remote camera images last week as evidence of five gray wolf pups and two adults in Northern California.

The first wolf pack documented in California in nearly a century has been named the Shasta Pack for its proximity to the prominent Cascades volcano.

After trail cameras recorded a lone canid in May and July, multiple photos have been obtained showing five pups, which appear to be a few months old and others showing individual adults.

“This news is exciting for California,” said agency Director Charlton H. Bonham in a statement. “We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state and it appears now is the time.”

Indeed the news was greeted with enthusiasm by wildlife advocates, but also with concern by hunters and livestock producers.

“This is an Endangered Species Act success story in the making,” Pamela Flick, with the Defenders of Wildlife conservation non-profit, told the San Jose Mercury Times.

“If the public wants wolves, maybe they should support the people that are helping feed the wolves,” Jim Rickert, who owns a ranch nearby, told the Sacramento Bee.

Wild wolves historically inhabited California, but were extirpated. Before OR-7’s confirmed visit in December 2011, and then these new wolves, the last confirmed wolf in the state was in 1924. OR-7 has not been in California for more than a year and is currently the breeding male of the Rogue Pack in southern Oregon.

In 2014, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to list gray wolves as endangered under state Endangered Species laws. The gray wolf is protected in California under the federal Endangered Species Act.

State wildlife officials are completing a Draft Wolf Management Plan and will release it soon on its Gray Wolf webpage. It’s being hammered out with participation of many stateholders, as was the case with Washington’s 2011 Gray Wolf Management Plan.

The adult wolves are suspected to be from Oregon but wildlife authorities do not believe they are descended from OR-7, the one that wandered into California in 2011. DNA samples have been sent to a lab in Idaho to determine the clan’s origin.

State wildlife officials say they are very interested in where these wolves come from and from which pack they originated.

Program explores Lake Roosevelt

Tips on exploring Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area’s camping, paddling, fishing, climbing, swimming as well as the history, ecology and other activities will be presented tonight, 7 p.m., at the Spokane REI store.

The program is one in a series of Find Your Park programs.

Lake Roosevelt, which backs up nearly 150 miles from Grand Coulee Dam upstream past Kettle Falls, is managed by the National Park Service. The reservoir is graced with 22 boat launches, 27 campgrounds, 10 swimming beaches plus hiking trails and boat-in camping areas.

Sign up online to reserve a free spot for the program at rei.com/learn.

Waterfowling dates corrected

The waterfowl hunting season dates for north Idaho were incorrectly reported in an Aug. 13 story.

Idaho’s general duck season in the Panhandle will run Oct. 17-Jan. 29. Goose hunting also will open in north Idaho Oct. 17-Jan. 29.  

The youth waterfowl season is set for Oct. 3-4.

Idaho’s general season will open a week later than the 2014-15 season in response to hunters who prefer to hunt as late into winter as possible to take advantage of flights coming out of the north.

Mountain biking skills classes offered

Certified mountain biking coaches from Evergreen East cycling club are offering a wide range of mountain bike skills classes starting this weekend into October at Camp Sekani near Upriver Dam:

• A Fundamentals Class is set for Sunday followed by a repeat on Sept. 20 and a women’s-only class on Oct. 3.

• A two-part Intermediate Class is set for the evenings of Sept. 14 and 21.

• An Intro to Freeride Class is set for Sept. 12 at Silver Mountain.

Costs range from $50 to $100.

Preregister for the classes online, evergreeneast.org/ skillsclasses.