Wolf pack living west of Cascade Mountains for first time in decades

Western Washington has its first wolf pack in decades, an indication that wolf recovery is on track and a sign that the canines are expanding their range in a healthier ecosystem, wildlife officials say. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced Thursday that biologists had documented a pack of the animals living in Skagit County, west of the Cascade crest. A male wolf, which had been captured in the county and given a radio collar in 2017, was joined this winter by a female wolf, according to according to wildlife officials. Biologists named the pair the Diobsud Creek Pack. The two have been spending their time near Diobsud Creek, in an area south of Baker Lake and north of Highway 20 near the town of Marblemount. “It’s great we have another year of upward numbers,” said Ben Maletzke, a statewide wolf specialist for WDFW. “Wolves are definitely a keystone species out there, and they are recovering and expanding in Washington. They need a healthy prey population to expand.” That the animals are settling west of the Cascades could also mean that wolves are filling their territory in Eastern Washington. Advertising “The eastern part of the state is […]

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