Press Release: Cascadia Wildlands Statement on Oregon’s 2022 Minimum Gray Wolf Population Count


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2023          

Today, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released its annual report of the minimum 2022 gray wolf population and pack count for the state, which shows a continuing pattern of very low growth. The 178 wolves documented in 2022 is only an increase of three wolves over year-end 2021 numbers, while the number of wolf packs increased from 21 to 24. The state’s minimum wolf population only grew by two wolves in 2021, from 173 to 175 wolves. The stagnant population numbers are a cause for great concern in a state with significant suitable –  yet unoccupied –  wolf habitat. Removal of state Endangered Species Act protections was predicated on an assumed steady population increase, an assumption that has proven false since 2020.

Opinion: Rewilding the West with wolves and beavers will curb climate change


by Bethany Cotton, Conservation Director for Cascadia Wildlands
Originally published in The Register-Guard, August 28, 2022.

As the Western U.S. again endures record-breaking summer heat and enters our third decade of drought, it’s time for us to adopt bold, regionwide solutions that will support climate-resilient communities, safeguard drinking water sources, reduce wildfire risk, protect remaining mature and old-growth forests and enhance wildlife habitat.  

Press Release: Lawsuit Challenges Washington’s Failure to Enact Wolf Management Rules


August 5, 2022 — Five conservation groups filed a lawsuit today asking a state court to enforce Gov. Jay Inslee’s order directing state wildlife officials to enact wolf management rules. The rules should have outlined what steps must be taken before wolves can be killed for conflict with livestock.

Press Release: 2021 Worst Year for Oregon’s Wolf Population Growth Since Return


April 20, 2022 — Conservationists are concerned about the plateau of Oregon’s wolf population in 2021, largely resulting from poaching and agency killings. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (ODFW) annual wolf population report, released late yesterday, shows Oregon’s wolf population grew by the lowest percentage (just over one percent) since wolves naturally returned to the state. The 2021 minimum population of 175 wolves increased by just two animals from the 2020 minimum count of 173.

Press Release: VICTORY! Wolves’ Endangered Species Status Restored


February 10, 2022 — Today, a federal court restored Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolf after they were eliminated by the Trump administration in 2020. The ruling orders the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to resume recovery efforts for the imperiled species. Today’s decision redesignates the gray wolf as a species threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states with the exception of the Northern Rockies population (map), for which wolf protections were removed by Congress in 2011.

A gray wolf’s epic journey ends in death on a California highway


OR-93 traveled further south than any wolf had in a hundred years. Even after death, he continues to inspire. Originally published December 5, 2021 in The Guardianby Katharine Gammon The … Continue reading A gray wolf’s epic journey ends in death on a California highway

Press Release: Death of 8 Wolves Confirmed to be by Poisoning


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 2, 2021       Contact:         Kelly Peterson, Humane Society of the United States, (503) 869-0422, kpeterson@humanesociety.org  Sophia Ressler, Center for Biological Diversity, (206) 399-4004, sressler@biologicaldiversity.orgBrooks Fahy, Predator Defense, … Continue reading Press Release: Death of 8 Wolves Confirmed to be by Poisoning

Press Release: ODFW Uses Tax Dollars to Kill 3.5 Month Old Wolf Pups


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 2, 2021 Contacts:Bethany Cotton, Conservation Director, Cascadia Wildlands, bethany@cascwild.org, 503.327.4923Samantha Bruegger, Wildlife Coexistence Campaigner, WildEarth Guardians, sbruegger@wildearthguardians.org, 970.531.6720 Outrage: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Kills Wolf … Continue reading Press Release: ODFW Uses Tax Dollars to Kill 3.5 Month Old Wolf Pups