#damthesalmonwolves Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

A Wolf In Northeastern Washington Was Killed Illegally. Here’s Why It’s A Big Deal

By NWPB News July 8, 2021

A sign on the side of trailer in Stevens County, Washington, near Chewelah off U.S. Highway 395 prompts people to report "dangerous wildlife" like cougars and wolves. CREDIT: Scott Leadingham/NWPB

Wolf poachers go mostly undiscovered — but that hasn’t stopped nonprofit organizations from putting up significant cash rewards for information about these incidents. While rewards generally don’t lead to convictions, Defenders of Wildlife’s Gwen Dobbs says reward offers in cases of wildlife poaching can help raise public awareness, “hopefully serving as a deterrent Read More

A Push To Revive Federal Protections For Wolves After New State Laws Allow More Killing

By NWPB News May 26, 2021

In this Feb. 1, 2017 image provided the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, a wolf pack is captured by a remote camera in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area in northeast Oregon near the Idaho border. Wildlife advocates pressed the Biden administration on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators. CREDIT: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

Wildlife advocates are pressing the Biden administration to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators.Read More

One Idea To Remove Snake River Dams May Be Dead In The Water. Inslee And Murray Oppose It

By Courtney Flatt May 14, 2021

Tribal canoeists on the Memorial Bridge in Lewiston, Idaho, on the Clearwater River just before the confluence with the Snake River. The group joined the larger Free the Snake "flotilla" demonstration, Sept. 7-8, 2018. CREDIT: MIKE BEISER

A wide-ranging proposal to save wild salmon by removing the four Lower Snake River dams may be dead in the water. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray say any proposal for the controversial dams needs a “science-based,” “community-driven” approach.Read More

Governor Signs Bill Allowing For Killing Of Up To 90% Of Wolves In Idaho

By NWPB News May 7, 2021

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law a measure that could lead to killing 90% of the state’s 1,500 wolves in a move that was backed by hunters and the state’s powerful ranching sector but heavily criticized by environmental advocates.Read More

Ex-Wildlife Managers Want Governor To Veto Bill Poised To Eliminate 90% Of Wolves In Idaho

By NWPB News April 29, 2021

Nearly 30 retired state, federal and tribal wildlife managers sent a letter Wednesday to Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little asking him to veto a bill backed by agricultural interests that could cut the state’s wolf population by 90%.Read More

Wolf Numbers Continue To Grow In Washington, But Still No Hunting As Idaho Allows

By Tom Banse April 25, 2021

A gray wolf in the Teanaway pack in central Washington. CREDIT: WDFW

The number of wolves in Washington state rose strongly last year, according to an annual report from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife released Friday. The rate of increase was more than double what Oregon reported earlier in the week for its wolf population in 2020.Read More

States Look To Ramp Up Wolf Kills Following Previous Administration’s Move To Ease Protections

By NWPB News March 8, 2021

The timing of the Wisconsin hunt was bumped up following a lawsuit that raised concerns President Joe Biden’s administration would intervene to restore gray wolf protections. The group behind the suit has close links to Republican political circles including influential donors the Koch brothers and notable Trump loyalists — Kris Kobach, a former U.S. Senate candidate from Read More

Idaho Congressman Hopes Politics Align In Proposal To Remove Snake River Dams In Washington

By NWPB News February 16, 2021

In this May 15, 2019 the Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax, Wash. In early 2021, Republican Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho proposed removing four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River in Washington as part of a sweeping plan to save salmon populations and provide aid to farmers and others. CREDIT: Ted S. Warren

This month, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho issued a bold plan that called for removing those same dams to save the salmon. In between those two acts were decades of litigation that show no sign of ending and $17 billion worth of improvements to the dams that did little to help fish.Read More

Idaho Congressman Proposes $33.5 Billion Plan For Breaching Snake River Dams In Washington

By NWPB News February 8, 2021

A $33.5 billion stimulus package would breach the four dams by 2031. Much of the funding would go toward solutions for what would be lost, including hydropower, less access to irrigation, grain transportation and economic development for Lewiston and the Tri-Cities.Read More

Wolves Will Lose Federal Protections In The Northwest, Conservation Groups Vow A Fight

By Courtney Flatt October 29, 2020

A wolf from the Snake River Pack passes by a remote camera in eastern Wallowa County, Ore. A wolf advocate group in Colorado is challenging the model for U.S. wildlife management. CREDIT: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP

The federal government says it will remove endangered species protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48. The move will reduce protections for the predators in the western two-thirds of Washington and Oregon. Read More

State Wildlife Agency Kills Final Two Wolves In Northeastern Washington Wedge Pack

By NWPB News August 17, 2020

Most of the wolves in Washington are in the northeastern part of the state. A bill by Republican state Rep. Joel Kretz proposes a wolf sanctuary on Bainbridge Island. CREDIT: WASHINGTON DEPT. OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Washington state has killed the last two known wolves in the so-called Wedge pack in Stevens County, which had been preying on livestock, the Department of Fish and Wildlife said Monday.Read More

Federal Study Recommends Keeping Snake River Dams In Place, With Congress Having Final Say

By Courtney Flatt August 1, 2020

The Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. CREDIT: BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

Debates have dragged on for decades about whether to remove or alter the four dams. The Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration received almost 59,000 comments on the draft EIS this spring. The agencies are expected to finalize this plan by Sept. 30.Read More

‘Fatal Attraction’: Seen On Movie Screens … And In Northwest Carnivores, Study Shows

By Courtney Flatt March 30, 2020

Wolves on a trail camera near Republic, Wash., in Ferry County. Courtesy of University of Washington

Even though large predators sometimes leave food that smaller predators scavenge, turns out, it’s actually dangerous for smaller animals to eat the leftovers. Read More

Meetings On Future Of Snake River Dams Now Teleconferences: Here’s How To Access

By Courtney Flatt March 17, 2020

Fish advocates say sending water through spill bays is the best way to ensure fish survival through dams in the Columbia and Snake rivers. CREDIT: CASSANDRA PROFITA

If you want to attend public hearings on the federal government’s plan to manage the Columbia and Snake River dams, you’ll have to do it by phone. The previously scheduled in-person meetings are now teleconferences.Read More

Draft Federal Plan Recommends Keeping Lower Snake River Dams In Place

By Courtney Flatt February 28, 2020

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration laid out a range of six alternatives in a draft environmental impact statement. The most controversial measure would have been to remove or alter the four Lower Snake River dams.Read More

Colorado Voters Are Set To Decide If Wolves Should Be Reintroduced To The State

By NPR News February 11, 2020

In November, Coloradans are set to vote on whether to return wolves to the state. The ballot initiative may be the first time voters in any state could force reintroduction of an endangered species.Read More

Dams Vs. Salmon: Workshops Aim To Get Past ‘My Study Can Beat Up Your Study’ On Snake River

By Courtney Flatt January 8, 2020

Protesters call for the removal of dams on the Snake River to help salmon spawn — and consequently feed Puget Sound orcas. The protest came outside a meeting of the governor’s orca task force in Wenatchee on Tuesday. CREDIT: ELLIS O'NEILL/KUOW/EARTHFIX

More than 300 people showed up to hear speakers talk about why it’s important to either keep or alter the dams. The panel stems from a Washington state study that will guide the state’s position on dam removal.Read More

Public Invited To Clarkston-Pasco-Vancouver Workshops On Question Of Snake River Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 4, 2020

Upcoming public workshops will examine a draft report that gauges how people in Washington want to deal with the fate of the dams. At the workshops, officials will present the report’s findings, followed by a panel discussion. People can submit written and online comments on the draft report through Jan. 24.Read More

Tribes Say Fish Passage Above Grand Coulee Dam Is Possible

By Courtney Flatt June 12, 2019

Grand Coulee Dam File Photo - CREDIT Bureau of Reclamation

A team of researchers presented their findings on Tuesday to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. In short, they said, salmon can survive in the upper reaches of the Columbia Basin, and fish passage needs to happen above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams.Read More

Oregon Approves New Plan For Managing Gray Wolves

By Tony Schick June 9, 2019

This Feb. 2017, file photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows a gray wolf of the Wenaha Pack captured on a remote camera on U.S. Forest Service land in Oregon's northern Wallowa County. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE/AP

Oregon fish and wildlife commissioners approved a new management plan Friday for gray wolves, a long-awaited document that sets protocols for potential hunts and new thresholds for when the agency may kill wolves after attacks on cattle and sheep.Read More

Washington Wildlife Head Supports Ending Federal Wolf Protections In Entire State

By NWPB News May 9, 2019

Wolves should be removed from the federal endangered species list throughout Washington state, Washington Fish and Wildlife Director Kelly Susewind wrote in a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released this week.Read More

Washington Legislature Allocates Funds To Study Snake River Dam Removal

By Courtney Flatt April 30, 2019

Tucked into Washington’s $52.4 billion operating budget passed Sunday night by the Legislature is controversial funding for a “stakeholder group” tasked with looking into what would happen should the four Lower Snake River dams be removed or altered.Read More

The Way Deer Escape Wolves Could Change How Hunters Hunt

By Courtney Flatt March 3, 2019

Mule deer taken from a trail camera near Republic, Washington. As wolves return to Washington state, deer have taken notice. Researchers found deer change how they react when wolves are near – and that could eventually change how hunters hunt. Courtesy of the University of Washington

As wolves return to the Northwest, deer have taken notice. Researchers found deer in Washington change how they react when wolves are near – and that could eventually change how hunters hunt.Read More

Washington’s Wolf Population Likely Larger Than Estimated, Researcher Says

By NWPB News February 5, 2019

The breeding female of the Walla Walla Pack in northern Oregon's Umatilla County. A University of Washington researcher says the number of wolves in adjacent Washington state is likely much higher than estimates. CREDIT: OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE/AP

The number of wolves in Washington state is likely much higher than previously thought, according to a University of Washington researcher who spent two years studying the animals using scat-sniffing dogs.Read More

To Help Orcas Catch More Salmon, Washington Plans To Increase Spill At Dams

By Courtney Flatt January 30, 2019

A young resident killer whale chasing a Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island. Image obtained from a small drone that was flown more than 100 feet above the whales for research under NMFS permit #19091.

In an effort to help imperiled salmon, Washington officials are proposing more water be spilled at dams during fish migration. The hope is that this would also increase the amount of food for orcas in Puget Sound.Read More

Hungry Like The … Bainbridge Wolf? Bill Highlights Differing East/West Views On Washington Wolves

By Emily Schwing January 30, 2019

A bill in the Washington state House of Representatives would create a wolf sanctuary on Bainbridge Island. And while the bill’s sponsor, Republican Joel Kretz, knows it’s unlikely to even get a hearing, he said he introduced it to make a point.Read More

Agreement On Dams Aims To Help More Salmon Survive Columbia And Snake River Journey

By Cassandra Profita December 19, 2018

A new agreement aims to help more young salmon make their way past dams along the Columbia and Snake rivers. The agreement, reached this week, spells out new strategies for spilling more water over the dams — and sending less water through power-generating turbines — each spring. Read More

Here A Wolf, There A Wolf, Everywhere A Wolf, Wolf. Public Sightings Abound In The Region

By Tom Banse December 4, 2018

Two wolves from the newly discovered Middle Fork Pack on U.S. Forest Service land in the Imnaha WMU in Wallowa County in December 2017. CREDIT: ODWF 2017

An online map of wolf sightings from the public includes unconfirmed reports of wandering wolves from the Idaho border to the Pacific beaches, not to mention inside major cities such as Seattle and Tacoma.Read More

More Wolf Kills Authorized By Wildlife Managers In Northeastern Washington

By Courtney Flatt November 8, 2018

This Togo pack wolf, an adult male shown when he was radio-collared in early June, is now marked for death by Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife. CREDIT: WDFW

Washington officials have authorized the killing of wolves in two more of the state’s packs. Conservationists oppose the move. They say it could only worsen wolf-livestock conflicts. The order comes after wildlife officials confirmed wolves preyed on four cows in one attack and six in another this past fall.Read More

Lost No More: Coho Salmon Return To Oregon’s Lostine River After 40 Years

By Courtney Flatt November 2, 2018

Coho salmon have returned to Oregon's Lostine River in late 2018. CREDIT: RICK SWART/OREGON DEPT. OF FISH & WILDLIFE

For the last 40 years, something has been missing from Oregon’s Lostine River: coho salmon. Now, 42 coho have made it to the waters in the last two weeks.Read More

Orcas Need Salmon. Dams Hinder Salmon. Remove Snake River Dams? Feds Say It’s Not So Simple

By Courtney Flatt October 5, 2018

As the Northwest’s killer whales have gained worldwide attention, more calls are being made to bolster the population of salmon they eat. One big way to do that, supporters say, is by removing Lower Snake River dams. But the federal government isn’t so sure that’s the answer.Read More