The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Donates $25,000 to State for Wolf Management
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/76eb87d345d54272896fb1bad2776209/MT--Wolf-Management-Donation"The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated there were 625 wolves in 147 packs in Montana in 2012. FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim says the agency's new population model predicted more than 800 wolves in 165 packs."
As part of the FWS May 9, 2008 Response to Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Preliminary Injunction (to halt wolf management by the three states) Mech wrote the following in his 22-page “Declaration under penalty of perjury:”
“Every year, most wolf populations almost double in the spring through the birth of pups [Mech 1970]. For example in May 2008, there will not be 1,500 wolves, but 3,000! (Wolf population estimates are usually made in winter when animals are at their nadir*. This approach serves to provide conservative estimates and further insure that management remains conservative).”
(*lowest point)
“70% Kill Needed to Reduce Wolf Population”
http://idahoforwildlife.com/files/pdf/georgeDovel/The%20Outdoorsman%20No.28%20May%202008%20FWS%20Biologist%20Says%20Wolf%20Numbers%20Underestimated%20Mech%20Says%203,000%20Wolves%20Exist%20in%20ID,%20MT%20&%20WY.pdfWashington state wolf population grows by 1
Washington’s wildlife agency reported Saturday that its annual survey tallied 52 endangered gray wolves in the state at the end of 2013, one more than in 2012. The results come as conservation groups urge the state to pull support from a federal effort to roll back protections for the predators.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife also found five successful breeding pairs in 2013, the same number as reported in the 2012 count.
The wolf population has been controversial because the predators returned to the state much faster than expected. In 2008, there were only a handful of wolves. Last March, there were an estimated 50 to 100 animals in 10 confirmed packs, all in Central and Eastern Washington.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023091714_wolfpopulationxml.html