49.2

Timber Wolves (also known as Grey Wolves) once roamed throughout Washington State, but they were virtually eliminated by ranch and farm expansion in the early 1930s. This past December, Washington completed a Wolf Conservation and Management Plan that’s science-based and aimed at giving wolves a tentative foothold in our ecosystem. It’s not perfect. We still have some inherited hatred towards these animals e.g. “The only good wolf is a dead wolf.” This attitude plus livestock concerns tempered the vision of the plan to “15 breeding pairs,” or only about 200 wolves, despite overwhelming support from our population at large. Wildlife experts believe this is the absolute minimum and may be too low for a sustainable population of wolves in our state. Right now, Washington has only 5 confirmed wolf packs totaling roughly 30-50 animals. I can only hope I’ll get a chance to photograph one in the wild.