Snow delays Oregon wolf count, management plan update

SALEM – Heavy snow in Oregon in recent months has caused problems for wildlife officials in charge of tracking the state’s wolf population.

The Capital Press reported Wednesday that the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says winter weather in northeast Oregon, the region in which most of the state’s wolves live, has delayed surveys of wolf packs. As a result, the annual wolf report will be delayed a month.

The report will be delivered to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission on April 21. It is usually released in March and includes updates on wolf population numbers and information on breeding pairs in the state. That information helps inform the state’s Wolf Management and Conservation plan.

ODFW spokeswoman Michelle Dennehy says the heavy snow may have delayed surveys, but it likely did not hurt the wolves.