State Project To Advance Science and Management of Gray Wolves

Sonora, CA – State wildlife officials praise a new wolf project for its contributions to conflict reduction strategies for rural communities and livestock producers.

The launch of the California Wolf Project (CAWP) is a long-term partnership between UC Berkeley’s Rausser College of Natural Resources and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to advance the science and management of gray wolves in California. The project combines UC Berkeley’s expertise in ecology, sociology, economics, and environmental policy with the university’s extensive network of agency, non-profit, landowner, and tribal relationships. Tuolumne County was visited twice by a young male gray wolf in 2021, as reported here. The CAWP team uses innovative and interdisciplinary methods to gather data on wolf spatial ecology, diet, predator-prey dynamics, and recolonization within California, contributing to conflict reduction strategies for rural communities and livestock producers.

“It is exciting to see wolves back in California, but there are a lot of questions about where they fit amongst a rapidly changing landscape with new challenges for agencies and livestock producers,” said Arthur Middleton, CAWP co-lead and Goertz Professor of Wildlife Management at UC Berkeley. “We hope our growing team can provide new support to those interested in and impacted by the state’s growing wolf population.”

The gray wolf has returned to California after nearly a century of absence following its extirpation in the 1920s. As of 2024, CDFW has reported at least seven wolf packs across California, with CAWP initially focusing on the Beyem Seyo in Plumas County, Harvey in Lassen and Shasta counties, Lassen Lassen and Plumas counties, and Whaleback in Siskiyou County packs. As reported here last December, a new wolf pack was discovered in Tulare County that summer and named the Yowlumni Pack. The project has expanded its work to include that pack, with the help of CDFW’s Central Region staff.

“Given the wolf population increases we’ve recorded in the last few years and the management challenges that have resulted, there’s no better time for this partnership between CDFW and UC Berkeley,” said Axel Hunnicutt, the State Gray Wolf Coordinator at CDFW. “There are so many important management questions relating to the ecological, economic and social effects of wolf recolonization in the state that already impact California’s ecosystems and people. The formation of CAWP is expanding our capacity to address these questions in earnest.”

California’s wolf packs utilize large expanses of habitat, presenting challenges for monitoring the population and questions regarding the availability of prey noted by CDFW officials. “CAWP is a timely initiative complementing the state’s efforts with rigorous research and an outreach strategy for collaborating with local communities affected by wolf activity.”

State wildlife officials shared that the path of wolf recovery in California has the potential to shape national and global perspectives on wildlife restoration and large-scale conservation.

“The Wildlife Program at UC Berkeley is committed to fulfilling our university’s mandate to support the people, economies and nature of California with science, education and outreach. CAWP embodies those priorities and embraces the diversity of perspectives that accompany the recovery of large carnivores,” said Justin Brashares, CAWP co-lead and Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at UC Berkeley.

Click here to read more about the return of gray wolves in California or to report a sighting and here regarding the project.