Stanley wolf pack treads thin ice
Fourteen sheep dead following incident last week
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
The Stanley wolf pack took another step toward an uncertain future when
pack members reportedly preyed on 14 sheep in the Sawtooth Valley last week.
According to Idaho director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Wildlife Services, Mark Collinge, wolves killed the sheep either late Thursday night or
early Friday morning. Wildlife Services confirmed that the sheep were killed by wolves
late Friday after the incident was reported.
The 2,300-sheep band is owned by Dietrich resident Dennis Lehman, and they
were grazing in the foothills of the White Cloud Mountains. Lehman was not immediately
available for comment.
In response to the incident, Wildlife Services has set traps for the
wolves, so some pack members can be relocated, Collinge said.
Also, according to a Sawtooth National Recreation Area range specialist,
Seth Phalen, the sheep are going to be moved, sometime this week, to another grazing
allotment on the Challis National Forest, northwest of Stanley.
"Oh yeah, it’s the thing to do," Phalen said.
Lehman was not scheduled to trail his band to the Challis National Forest
allotment until July 15, but because of the warm conditions this spring, the area is ready
for grazing earlier than usual, Phalen said.
When asked if the early move could set a precedent for range management in
wolf country, Phalen said he’s not sure. Options are usually limited, he said.
"There are certain things we can do. We may have flexibility if
there’s sufficient range within an allotment. In this situation it was just
fortuitous that (Lehman) had another allotment to go to.
"On most of our allotments, we really don’t have the
flexibility."
Wildlife Services official Collinge said he wasn’t surprised to hear
of problems developing in the White Clouds.
"Everybody expected it," he said.
Last summer Stanley Pack members preyed on three cow calves and 13 sheep,
according to the Nez Perce Tribe’s wolf recovery leader, Curt Mack. One wolf was shot
by Wildlife Services and another was relocated to the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness Area.
"If they have another year like they did last year, we’re going
to have some unfortunate control actions there," Mack said in an interview earlier
this spring. "They’ve been such a good pack that we kept giving them fourth and
fifth and sixth chances. If we continue to have repeated depredations in the Stanley
Basin, we won’t have a choice but to go in and continue with control actions."
Mack was unavailable for comment this week.
The Stanley Pack was founded by two of 20 wolves that were released by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River valley in 1996.
They were released as part of federal reintroduction efforts in
Yellowstone National Park, Mont., and in Idaho in 1995 and 1996. Thirty-five wolves, in
all, were relocated from Canada to Idaho.
This latest round of livestock depredations in Idaho punctuates a winter
rife with wolf controversy and control.
In April, wolves were shot and the White Cloud wolf pack was disbanded in
the East Fork of the Salmon River valley when pack members were confirmed to have preyed
on cattle in the area.
Earlier in the winter, several members of the Twin Peaks wolf pack, also
near the East Fork river valley, were shot for similar reasons.
Though it may make sense to keep livestock out of wolf territory, Collinge
said the environmental impact statement under which wolves were reintroduced to Idaho
mandates that land use decisions should not be reflective of wolf management.
"It might make sense if you could do it," he said, "but
it’s not unexpected that you’re going to have problems."
In a Monday interview, Boulder White Cloud Council conservationist Lynne
Stone said she is fearful for the Stanely wolves’ future. Were sheep not to be moved,
"their death warrant has been signed," she said.
Until the sheep are moved, Stone said, the White Cloud Council is willing
to help guard from further wolf attacks. In fact, White Cloud Council wolf pack associate
Don Jackson spent Monday night and Tuesday morning with the sheep.
Phalen said that there is still plenty potential for conflicts between
wolves and livestock this summer.
About 20 ranchers graze livestock in the Sawtooth Valley, within the
wolves’ home range, he said.
Sleepless Night On Wolf Watch
Don Jackson didn’t get much sleep Monday night.
Instead of bedding down at his Sawtooth City home, he spent the night with
sheep herders in the Fisher Creek area, guarding a band of 2,300 sheep from wolf attacks.
Jackson is a wolf pack associate for the Boulder White Cloud Council, a
Ketchum-based conservation group.
At 3 o’clock Tuesday morning, the White Cloud foothills began
resounding with the unmistakable sound of wolf howls, Jackson said in a Tuesday morning
telephone conversation.
Then, a wolf dashed through the band, apparently trying to get the woolly
animals to disperse, he said. One sheep died, but wasn’t attacked by the wolf,
Jackson said.
"You’re on high alert all night," he said.
"We could hear other wolves howling prior to the attack, but it would
be an undetermined number. The sheep obviously get nervous with the howling."
Jackson applauded the efforts of the two shepherds and five guard dogs.
"They’re really good guard dogs. When the wolves howl, the dogs
bark. When the wolves actually come in, the dogs’ barks change. All we’ve had to
do so far is get our flashlights out and walk around. The human presence, so far, has been
enough to deter the wolves."
Jackson said he’ll help trail the band of sheep to another grazing
allotment northeast of Stanley in the coming days, which should take about three days to
complete. There, the sheep should be our of harm’s way.
"These herders have been great," Jackson said.
"They’ve openly welcomed us, and the rancher (Dennis Lehman) was openly
sympathetic. This is an example of everything going right, and people working
together."
