'Wolf flowers' and wolves
Not just giant sequoias can be found in forests of Sierra Nevada
Volume 2, Number 2 - Monday, Aug. 14, 2023
Published twice a week, on Monday and Thursday
Perspective
LAST WEEK’S BIG NEWS about Sequoia National Forest wasn’t about trees, it was about wolves.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported on Friday that a new gray wolf pack has been confirmed on Sequoia National Forest and specifically in the area that’s in Tulare County.
No further details were provided as to where on the huge national forest the animals were found.
According to a news release from CDFW, this is the Golden State’s southernmost pack, and it is at least 200 air miles from the nearest known pack in northeastern California.
Gray wolves are native to California but were extirpated in the state by the 1920s, the state agency said. But in late 2011, a wolf identified as OR7 crossed the state line to become the first wolf in nearly a century to make California part of his range before returning to Oregon to form the Rogue Pack.
In July, CDFW received a wolf sighting report from a location on Sequoia National Forest. The agency investigated the reported location, found wolf tracks and other signs of wolf presence, and collected 12 scat and hair samples from the immediate area for genetic testing. CDFW’s Wildlife Forensics Laboratory performed DNA analysis to determine if the samples were from wolf, as well as sex, coat color, individual identity, relation to one another and pack origin. All 12 samples were confirmed gray wolf.
The new pack consists of at least five individuals not previously detected in California, including one adult female, who is a direct descendant of OR7, and four offspring (two females, two males). None of the samples collected came from an adult male. However, the genetic profile from the offspring indicates that the breeding male is a descendant of the Lassen Pack, the CDFW said.
These five known wolves are apparently living further north than a male wolf OR-93, a radio-collared male wolf from Oregon who first entered California on Jan. 30, 2021, and died after being struck by a vehicle along Interstate 5 in Kern County in November 2021.
That wolf made was reported to have traveled to the southern Sierra Nevada and then west to San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. He was the first reported wolf on the central coast in 200 to 300 years.
Wolves are protected under California’s Endangered Species Act and are federally protected in California under the federal Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to intentionally kill or harm wolves in the state.
Land management in the Sierra Nevada — including management of lands where giant sequoias grow — has been complicated enough. Although the public hasn’t been told exactly where these animals have been found, they are known to be wide-ranging. I imagine scientists at the national parks and forests in the southern Sierra will be provided with more detailed information (or may have provided it to CDFW in the first place).
For more information and to report potential sightings, visit CDFW’s Gray Wolf Program webpage at wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf.
Wildfire, water & weather update
It’s August, and higher temperatures are coming back, along with thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada. At my house in Tehachapi last evening, we had enough rain to wash my car, along with thunder and lightning that scared the dogs. From what I can tell, any related fires were knocked down quickly, but sometimes fires erupt later after lightning strikes. The best Sierra Nevada weather forecasts can be found at NWS Hanford, HERE, and NWS Sacramento, HERE.
Wildfire update: Here’s the federal Situation Report for today. Across the country this morning, there are 40 uncontained large fires, in addition to 59 fires being managed under a strategy other than full suppression. You can view the California map HERE (incidents load slowly). CalFire’s incident page this morning shows 4,123 wildfires this season, with 112,964 acres burned (the same as I reported last Thursday).
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Giant sequoias in the news
• If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to learn to fight wildfires, you’ll enjoy THIS ARTICLE from the Forest Service. Here’s an excerpt:
We surrounded the fire logs, energetically axing, raking, shoveling and stomping smoldering timber as if it were a cockroach in a diner. After 30 minutes, the fire appeared to be lifeless. That’s when the instructor challenged us to feel the soil with the backs of our hands. Despite our honest efforts, the ground still felt like a heating blanket on full blast.
• And from the National Park Service, an article with this subhead: “Depriving western old-growth forests of fire brought them to the brink. Now the fire they need also threatens them. To fix this, parks are returning to mechanical forestry methods.” The article was first published in Park Science Magazine. You can read it HERE.
• The wildfires in Maui aren’t even fully out but there’s plenty of argument already about whether they are the result of climate change or management practices. Sound familiar? Read more HERE.
• The Washington Post this morning has an article (gift link HERE) about wildfire risks rising across the country.
• GV Wire in Fresno recently published an opinion piece about the Save Our Sequoias Act that claims it would be a bi-partisan climate win. You can read it HERE.
Historic photo of the week
Thanks for reading!