Collared wolf killed; Murderer’s Creek AKWA discontinued
By Logan Bagett on Monday, February 5th, 2024 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon Top Stories
SENECA – The Oregon Department Fish and Wildlife has reported that the Murderer’s Creek wolf pack in Grant County has been dissolved. According to information from the ODFW, officials were able to lethally remove one collared male wolf from the Murderer’s Creek pack before a Bear Valley rancher’s lethal take permit expired on January 31st.
The male wolf was killed on January 27th by ODFW agents, and the agency reports the other accompanying wolf within the pack has not been seen in nearly three months, therefore, the Murderer’s Creek Area of Known Wolf Activity has been discontinued. The AKWA was formed in the spring of 2023 and consisted of just two wolves.
Find the release from the ODFW below, along with information regarding petitions to change the listing of gray wolves, below:
(From the Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife)
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced on Feb. 2, 2024 a not-warranted finding for two petitions to list gray wolves under the federal Endangered Species Act in the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Western United States. The result of this finding does not change the state or federal legal status of gray wolves. The USFWS also announced they will undertake a processes to develop a National Recovery Plan for gray wolves in the lower 48 states by December 12, 2025.
Wolf removed in Bear Valley area, lethal permits for Bear Valley area and Frazier Mountain Pack end, and Murderer’s Creek AKWA discontinued.
On Jan. 27, 2023 a radio-collared male wolf was lethally removed by ODFW staff in the Bear Valley area in response to chronic depredation of livestock (7 confirmed depredations since May). The Bear Valley area lethal permit provided to a livestock producer expired at midnight on Jan. 31, 2024 and is no longer in effect. Additionally, no wolves were removed under the permit authorized for the Frazier Mountain Pack on 12/21/2023. This permit also expired at midnight on Jan. 31, 2024 and is no longer in effect. Previously, there were two wolves documented in the Murderer’s Creek wolves AKWA. The second wolf has not been documented for almost three months. With the removal of the radio-collared wolf, the AKWA is discontinued.
