Wyoming Gray Wolf Recovery Status Report
From: USFWS Wyoming Wolf Recovery Project Leader, Jackson, WY
Subject: Status of Gray Wolf Management in Wyoming and the NRM
WYOMING WOLF WEEKLY- March 9 through March 13, 2009
Web Address – USFWS reports (past weekly and annual reports) can be viewed at http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov . Weekly reports for Montana and Idaho are produced by those States and can be viewed on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Idaho Department of Fish and Game websites. All weekly and annual reports are government property and can be used for any purpose. Please distribute as you see fit.
Annual Reports
The Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2008 Annual Report will be completed by mid March 2009 and will be available at: http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov .
Status of the NRM wolf delisting rule
On March 6, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar affirmed the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the list of threatened and endangered species in the western Great Lakes and the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Idaho and Montana and parts of eastern Washington and Oregon and a small part of north central Utah. Wolves will remain a protected species under the Act in all of Wyoming because Wyoming state regulatory framework does not meet the adequate regulatory mechanism requirements of the ESA. The NRM & WGL delisting rules will be published in the next week or two and will become effective 30-days later.
Monitoring
Eleven wolves recently captured near Jackson, WY were tested for Brucella abortus and brucella canis. All samples were negative for brucellosis. Six of the wolves live and den on the National Elk Refuge and 4 other wolves live immediately adjacent to the refuge. The seroprevalence rate of brucellosis for the refuge portion of the Jackson elk herd since 1980 averaged approximately 28%.
A recent sighting and photo of a wolf taken by a state agency biologist confirmed > one black wolf north of Kemmerer, WY. Tracks on the ground indicate there may be a pair of wolves in the area.
In early winter 2008, a female wolf dispersed from SW Montana and traveled through Wyoming, SE Idaho, NE Utah, and Colorado. Recent location data indicate the wolf is traveling through south central Wyoming. Locations will be reported in the USFWS Weekly Report every 2 weeks and can be found on the USFWS website @http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov
Control
Nothing to report at this time.
Research
Nothing to report at this time.
Law Enforcement and Related Activities
Nothing to report at this time.
Outreach and Education
On March 7th, Bangs gave a banquet presentation at the Alberta Chapter of The Wildlife Society. About 150 people attended and several excellent papers on wolf related management program and research were presented.
Further Information
To request an investigation of livestock injured or killed by wolves, please contact the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Wildlife Services at (307)261-5336.
For additional information, please contact:
Ed Bangs (406)449-5225 x204 or Ed_Bangs@FWS.GOV
