inShare2 Lone wolf wanders near California border; last known wolf in state killed in 1924

By Mike Taugher Contra Costa Times Posted: 12/17/2011   A lone gray wolf from an Oregon pack has wandered within 30 miles of the California border and could become the first wild wolf in the Golden State in almost 90 years. State wildlife officials believe wolves are almost certain to cross into California in the coming years, but it is unclear how they might fare when they get here. The Oregon wolf, known as OR7, came closest to California about a month ago but has since traveled northeast and is now about 50 miles from the border in an area between Upper Klamath Lake and Crater Lake, said Mark Stopher, an adviser to the California Department of Fish and Game director. For whatever reason, the wolf appears to have settled into that area. "If he decided to come to California, he could be here in two days," Stopher said. Stopher said he considers it highly likely that a wolf will venture over the border some time in the next several years. Whether a male and female come into California and start a pack is less certain. "We won't have a wolf pack at least until several years after the first wolf shows up," Stopher said. The last wolf known to inhabit California was killed in Lassen County in 1924. That wolf had already lost one of its legs to a trap. Wolves were eliminated from the West by landowners and government agents by the 1930s, and remain controversial among ranchers because they occasionally kill livestock. "Right now, I don't know that one wolf is a huge concern," said Stevie Ipsen, spokeswoman for the California Cattlemen's Association. "It's something that we're definitely keeping an eye on. Should he reach California, it would be a concern." In 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced gray wolves to central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. Today, there are about two dozen wolves in four packs in Oregon and about 1,500 wolves in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, said Suzanne Stone, Western wolf specialist for Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation group active in wolf recovery. She considers the likelihood of a wolf pack forming in California to be more remote than Stopher does. OR7, a 2-year-old male, split off from one of four packs in northeastern Oregon. Young wolves often do that to look for mates or a new pack to join. Using GPS information transmitted from a radio collar, wildlife officials have traced his travels, which have led him 300 miles as the crow flies from his former pack. No other wolf is believed to have wandered as close to California since the species disappeared from the state, Stopher said. Although good information is lacking, wolves at one time were probably found throughout California but not in large numbers, Stopher said. Mexican wolves, or lobos, likely were found in the southeastern part of the state and gray wolves elsewhere. In California, even in the northern corners of the state, wolves would face more dangers from roads and human development than they do in Oregon and other states. California also has fewer elk than other states, and wolves in the northern Rockies have shown a preference for elk over deer, Stopher said. This summer, endangered species protection was lifted for wolves in most of their range, but any wolf entering California would be protected under the law, said Stopher.  source