Tuleyome's Science Corner: Some Good News About Gray Wolves

Kristie Ehrhardt • February 28, 2022

Collared Gray Wolf OR -7 (Photo by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife)

The Gray Wolf is a species native to California but it is believed that they were extirpated (eliminated) in the 1920’s. Nobody knows for sure how the population declined so drastically but was most likely the result of habitat disturbance and hunting to reduce possible predation on livestock. Their historic range in California is thought to have included the Sierra Nevada, the southern Cascades, the Modoc Plateau, the Klamath Mountains and possibly the Northern Coast Range. They also may have occurred in the Central Valley to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. The Gray Wolf has been provided protection under the California Endangered Species Act since 2014 and although they have not been reintroduced into the state, Gray Wolves are returning to California as individuals disperse from other populations in nearby states. OR-7 famously entered California from Oregon in 2011. Since then, several other radio-collared wolves have dispersed into California resulting in three breeding packs; the Shasta Pack, the Lassen Pack and the Whaleback Pack which produced its first litter in 2021.


The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus), also known as the Timber Wolf, is the largest member of the Canidae (dog) family. It is thought that they were first domesticated in East Asia several thousand years ago and through selective breeding and the passage of time, produced dogs. There are many subspecies of the Gray Wolves in North America, Eurasia and Africa. Extremely powerful jaws armored with large canine teeth and the ability to run down prey at nearly 40 miles per hour have allowed wolves to become top predators no matter where they live. Gray Wolves average from around 30 to over 100 pounds and are about six and a half feet in length, depending on geographical location. The largest wolves are found in Canada, Alaska and northern Asia. Their coat color also varies depending on their geographic location. It is usually gray but may also be brown, black, red or white with their bellies usually being light yellowish-white. Those found in the Arctic regions tend to be lighter colored. Hunting occurs mostly at night and prey species are large herbivores such as deer, elk, moose, bison, caribou and bighorn sheep, again depending on their location. Although wolves seldom kill livestock or domestic animals, deaths attributed to wolves are increasing as the wolves’ range increases. Many states offer compensation for the loss of livestock when evidence of a wolf kill is present.


Gray Wolves live in tight family groups called packs from ten to two dozen individuals. The pack usually consists of a breeding pair (also called the alpha male and female) and their offspring and they form very strong social bonds. The alpha male and female continuously assert their dominance and guide the activities of the entire pack. The alpha female cares for and defends the pups while the alpha male manages foraging, feeding and travel for the pack. Both the alpha male and female track and take down prey. The pack’s territory ranges from about 30 and 1,200 miles depending on prey availability and is forcefully defended. Wolves communicate by facial expression, body and tail posture, vocalization and scent marking. Howling strengthens social bonds and keeps the pack in contact with each other. Scent marking warns other packs and intruders to stay away. Interestingly, intruders are usually killed but in some circumstances are accepted into the pack.


Breeding usually occurs between February and April and five or six pups are born two moths later. The young nurse for about eight weeks, after which they emerge from the den and become the center of attention for all members of the pack. As they grow, they are moved frequently and when fall approaches and the pack begins to wander, the pups are near adult size and are old and strong enough to keep up.


After about two years, the young may leave the pack to search for a mate and establish their own territory and pack. Some collared wolves that leave their pack are documented to have traveled almost 600 miles. The young that stay with the pack may eventually replace a breeding adult. Some larger packs have more than one breeding female.


Wolves rarely attack humans and usually avoid contact with them. They can live to the age of 13 in the wild but most die long before that. The same diseases that domestic dogs are vaccinated against also affect wolves, although humans are their main cause of death.

Being on the Endangered Species List isn’t typically a good thing but, inclusion on the list does provide some protection for the listed species. On February 8, 2022, a U.S. District Judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by the Human Society and other wildlife organizations against the United States Department of the Interior last January that removed the Gray Wolf from the Federal Endangered Species List.


To lean more about Gray Wolves in California please visit California Department of Fish and Wildlife's website.


-Kristie Ehrhardt; kehrhardt@tuleyome.org


Tuleyome Land Conservation Program Manager


RECENT ARTICLES

Wildfires and California Oaks – Nature and You Lectures

By Geoff Benn • October 7, 2026
Blue oaks on the Berryessa Peak Trail. Photo by Geoff Benn. Our September Nature and You speaker was Tuleyome Education Associate Geoff Benn, who gave a lecture on one of his favorite subjects, California’s amazing oaks. In the lecture, Geoff discussed how California’s oaks evolved and how they deal with a range of challenges, including drought, fire, and diseases. If you missed it, be sure to check out his talk here. 

Welcome Interns!

By Geoff Benn • October 7, 2026
Interns Deana Martinez, Yaquelin Gonzalez, Gabriella Limon, Ben Hubbard, and Keira Lazaro at Woodland Regional Park Preserve. Tuleyome is excited to welcome our largest ever cohort of interns, including four Horticultural Interns and one Communications Intern! Our Horticultural Interns are paired with volunteer mentors at Woodland Regional Park Preserve where they learn about managing invasive plants and monitoring populations of rare native plants. This year’s mentors are Jennifer Hogan and Teri Barry, both longtime volunteers and leadership team members at the Preserve. Our Communications Intern works closely with Program Director Nate Lillge to shape and execute our communications, including social media, e-newsletters, and more. Keep reading to meet each of our interns: Horticultural Intern Yaquelin Gonzalez has lived within the bounds of Sacramento County her whole life, where her mother’s garden and love for rock collecting sparked her appreciation for nature. Her desire to enter the environmental field was further fueled via nature-based field trips during elementary school. After high school, she began studying at American River College and eventually transferred to the University of California, Davis in 2025 to study Environmental Science and Management, focusing on Ecology, Biodiversity, and Conservation. Here, she has gained an interest in soil science as well as plant ecology and hopes to pursue a research career in restoration ecology. In her spare time, she likes to go on nature walks, play the guitar, read, bake, and listen to podcasts. Horticultural Intern Ben Hubbard grew up in Roseville, California where he spent a lot of time outdoors with friends, competing in sports, hiking, as well as instructing elementary school field trips about the environment, specifically wetlands. He just recently transferred from Sierra College to the University of California, Davis and is working towards completing his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management with a specialization in Ecology. When he completes his education, he hopes he can make a difference in the world and help to preserve wildlife and natural land for the next generation to enjoy as much as he has. When he’s taking a break from studying you can find him practicing with his recreational sports team, grabbing a coffee, hiking, enjoying a good story, or just hanging out with friends. Horticultural Intern Keira Lazaro is a third year undergraduate at University of California, Davis where she majors in Environmental Toxicology. She’s specializing in pharmacology and biotechnology with hopes to work in a research lab on specific pathogens that attack native California crops. She is also a part of the University Honors Program in Davis and is taking the first couple of steps towards her fourth year signature work on the oxidation chemistry behind electronic cigarette devices, specifically with exposure in indoor environments. Keira grew up in Los Angeles County and hopes to find a career in Southern California once she graduates. When she is able to go back home she spends most of her free time at the beach or hiking. Communications Intern Gabriella Limon grew up in Bishop, California, within the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley where she became connected with wildlife and stewardship. She spent her later teenage years in Southern California and committed to the University of California, Davis, where she is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning with a focus on conservation management. In addition, she is also a scholar staff member of the UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center where she provides STEM-based programming and academic support to students of marginalized identities. Gabby is especially passionate about wildlife justice, land protection, and environmental education. She spends her free time writing, playing video games, tide pooling, hiking, and logging critters. Horticultural Intern Deana Martinez grew up in Arbuckle, California, surrounded by rice fields and almond orchards, which grew her interests in agriculture. She is currently in her 4th year at the University of California, Davis, where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a Soil Science minor. Along with classes, she is involved in a Nematology research lab, working with plant parasitic nematodes and their interactions with common crop systems in California. She has also held a student position with the Plant Biology research greenhouses as a technician for the past 3 years. Outside of school and work, Deana enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Policy Corner: California Fights Back on Endangered Species Protections

By Shai Demus • October 7, 2026
California’s condors and sea otters are two of conservation’s great comeback stories – species that were once on the brink of extinction and have rebounded thanks in large part to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That 50-year-old law is now facing one of the most significant rollbacks in its history, and California is fighting back in court. Last week, Attorney General Rob Bonta, joined by a coalition of 21 state attorneys general, filed two lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s recent changes to the ESA. At the center of the fight is a single but enormously consequential change: the administration rescinded the longstanding definition of “harm” under the Act – a definition that, since the early 1980s, has made it illegal to destroy or damage the places endangered species live, breed, and feed. Without it, habitat destruction itself may no longer count as illegal “harm” to a species, even though most biologists agree habitat loss is the single biggest threat facing endangered species today. The changes don’t stop there. The administration is also making it easier for federal agencies to avoid designating “critical habitat” for at-risk species, and it has eliminated automatic protections for newly-listed threatened species – meaning wildlife officials must now write custom protection rules for each species one at a time. That’s a heavy lift for an agency that has reportedly lost more than a third of its staff, and which currently has 400 species waiting for a protection decision. Why this matters here at home California is home to more threatened and endangered species than any other state. It’s natural to assume the state’s own Endangered Species Act would fill any gap left by federal rollbacks – but legal experts point out that California’s law, as written, doesn’t clearly protect habitat at all. It primarily prohibits killing or injuring individual members of a listed species, not damaging the places they live. That means the very thing under threat federally – habitat protection – may not have a reliable backstop at the state level either. What this means for our work At Tuleyome, so much of what we do, protecting oak woodlands, wildlife corridors, and watershed habitat across our region – depends on the basic principle that a species' home matters as much as the species itself. A condor or a Clear Lake hitch can’t survive court-ordered protection from hunting alone if the habitat it depends on is quietly bulldozed, drilled, or logged out from under it. This lawsuit is about defending that basic principle at the federal level, and it’s a reminder of why local land protection and legislative advocacy matters now more than ever – because the safety net above us may have real holes in it.