In the same year that Yellowstone National Park marks the 25th anniversary of gray wolf reintroduction, Colorado voters will have the power to pass or reject an initiative that would require its state wildlife division to reintroduce wolves by 2023.

“For the first time, voters will determine whether they want the state to reintroduce wolves to that state,” said Jonathan Proctor of the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife, which sponsored the signature gathering for the initiative.

“If this goes as we hope and we pass this, we will have wolf connectivity across the entire Rocky Mountains from Alaska to Mexico,” he added. “Colorado is the missing link.”

Yellowstone

That link began to be rebuilt on Jan. 12, 1995. On that day under tight security, eight wolves that had been live-trapped in Canada were hustled into a secret enclosure inside Yellowstone where they would be kept to acclimate to their new surroundings.

In March 1995, the wolves, along with another group of 14 more Canadian wolves, were released into the park where they have since thrived at a level of about 100 wolves. The same year four wolves were released into Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.

There’s no doubt in Mike Phillips’ mind that the wolf reintroduction was the most important wildlife restoration project ever conceived and executed in the United States. As the park’s lead biologist at the time, Phillips oversaw the work, calling it an “historic conservation success.”

Given the controversy surrounding wolves — which were slaughtered into extinction in the early 1900s — not everyone shares Phillips’ perspective. Even after 25 years some landowners, hunters, outfitters and legislators continue to disparage the animal.

No comfort

The continuing animosity for gray wolves and other wildlife has been deeply troubling for Phillips in his work as a state legislator. Bills he has introduced to protect wandering park wolves and outlaw running over coyotes were rejected by his committee opponents who held the majority.

“I’ve always been intrigued by legislators who proclaim such great faith” in God but treat nature with contempt, said the Democrat from Bozeman, Montana. “I think their God would hold wildlife in great regard.”

The rejection of such bills became so galling that he no longer prays with the Senate during the Legislature, choosing instead to step into the hall and pray alone.

“I couldn’t find enough comfort,” he said.

Myths

Phillips said reintroduction of wolves in western Colorado would fulfill the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s goal of recovery by restoring the animals to a significant portion of their range. Without Colorado, he predicted the agency will face lawsuits in trying to claim the species has recovered.

Proctor, of the Defenders of Wildlife, said polls show a majority of Coloradans support wolf reintroduction in the state. He said that’s partly because Yellowstone’s wolves during the past 25 years have provided an example of the species’ effect on other wildlife and habitat, as well as helped to dispel naysayers’ myths.

For example, Proctor said, wolves have not decimated Montana’s or Wyoming’s elk herds; although the population of elk did decline substantially in the park.

Wolf watchers have injected an estimated $5 million into the economy of towns near the park and tourism numbers have climbed to new heights in Yellowstone.

Scientific study of wolves in Yellowstone has demonstrated their impact on other species, as well as the natural environment. Wolf kills feed other animals. A reduction in elk may have helped restore some vegetation.

Some ranchers have learned to coexist with wolves through preventative programs coupled with livestock reimbursement programs for documented wolf kills.

“We had all of the fear mongering” when wolves were proposed for reintroduction, Proctor said. “But the reality of what’s happened on the ground has been largely positive.”

Politics

The re-establishment of wolves in the Northern Rockies has been as much about politics as biology. Former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson supported wolf reintroduction and took a lot of heat from his constituents for doing so, but he thought it was the right thing to do.

“My great-grandparents were there wiping them out at the turn of the century,” he said.

Yet Simpson agreed that wolves could help complete Yellowstone’s ecosystem, returning balance by providing an apex predator.

“So I said I’ll take that risk,” he said.

Charging into the role to promote wolf reintroduction was Utah congressman Wayne Owens, a Democrat in a politically conservative state.

Owens died in 2002 at age 65, but his legacy and love for wild places and wildlife are still cherished by his family, said his son, Steve Owens, a Salt Lake City attorney.

“I have a button with a wolf on the front with red eyes that light up that says, ‘The eyes have it,’” he said. “He handed them out to members of Congress with a live wolf in a cage outside.”

Wayne Owens became enamored with wolves after taking a week-long course on wolf ecology in Yellowstone in 1986, according to the book “The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone,” by Thomas McNamee.

In 1987, Wayne Owens introduced the first bill calling for the release of wolves in Yellowstone. Although the bill failed, he kept pushing, ending one speech by howling.

In a 1993 Deseret News article, Wayne Owens said he decided to pursue wolf reintroduction after one of his sons questioned why congressmen in the states surrounding Yellowstone could stop the park managers from pursuing the task. Wayne Owens told the newspaper, “There was no answer except, ‘That’s politics.’ And that wasn’t good enough.”

His advocacy for wolf reintroduction could have played a role in his later defeat when running for Senate, yet his support for the animals never wavered.

“We all have a tremendous love and respect for nature and wild things,” Steve Owens said of his family.

Utah, on the other hand, remains largely anti-wolf, a fact that bothers him. He called the authorization of state funds to lobby the federal government to not reintroduce wolves “utterly offensive,” a sentiment his father would have shared.

“He said we should take the best 10 percent of lands and reserve it,” Steve Owens said. “He said we should tithe the lands for God.”

POCATELLO — In January, the Westside Ranger District will apply for grants from the State of Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation for the 2020-21 field seasons. IDPR provides a variety of funding programs and grants to government entities in Idaho for the enhancement of off-highway vehicle use and other recreational opportunities. 

The state programs are primarily funded from off-highway vehicle registrations and state gas tax revenue.

“This is a great program that allows us to improve our current recreation system,” said Rob Harris, recreation technician for the Forest Service. “This year we are applying to the OHV, motorbike, and recreational trails program to request funding for several projects.” The Westside Ranger District hopes to receive funding to assist with the following: 

West Fork Mink Trail Bridges. Funds would be used to purchase and install two wooden trail bridges and complete stream crossing rehabilitation for the West Fork Mink Cr. Trail #059. This bridge project will remedy two deteriorated fords on the creek, improve water quality, improve stream esthetics/functionality/health and enhance the year-round recreational experience.

Slate Mountain to Gibson Jack area trail tread refurbishing. Funds would be used to repair high-use trails on the district and employ a seasonal trail crew for the summer season. 

Recreation/Trails motorcycle replacement. Obtain funding to replace current machines that are in unsafe/inoperable conditions. Motorcycles will be used to access the Forest’s motorized trail system in order to complete various management actions.

Westside Ranger District trail signage. Funds will secure materials to improve signage of trail systems on the Westside Ranger District. Improvements will focus on the area bounded on the north by Gibson Jack Trail, traveling south to the Slate Mountain area.

Westside Trail bikes. The proposed funding would purchase two mountain bikes for maintenance and patrol purposes on the Westside Ranger District.

For questions or comments on these project proposals, contact Seth Schaub or Robert Harris at the Westside Ranger District by calling 208-236-7500 or emailing seth.schaub@usda.gov or robert.e.harris@usda.gov.

MCCALL — The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is returning for the third year Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 during the 2020 McCall Winter Carnival.

According to a press release, the race features world-class mushers and is the only 300-mile Yukon Quest qualifier in the lower 48 and one of only three such events in the contiguous continental U.S. states for the Iditarod. The Iditarod and the Yukon Quest are considered the longest and the toughest sled dog races in the world.

The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, which also includes the Eagle Cap Extreme on Jan. 22 to 25 near Joseph, Oregon, and the Race to the Sky on Feb. 7 to 11 near Helena, Montana.

According to one of the principal volunteers and spokespersons, Dave Looney, the Idaho race is considered one of the most grueling mushing competitions in the world due to its topography.

“Mushers will tell you this is a very, very atypical race,” Looney said. “Our elevation change is 44,000 feet, which is greater than the Iditarod. They call it a 500-mile race packed into 300 miles. So the dog care and the pacing and the attention they have to pay to the terrain is really important, because there’s a lot of up and down. One musher said the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is like climbing Mt. Everest — twice.”

In addition to the 300-mile Iditarod and Yukon qualifier, this year’s Idaho Sled Dog Challenge offers a 100-mile race for people newer to the sport and a 37-mile race for juniors ages 14 to 17.

Several race events are open to the public and free of charge and you can follow the race online day or night via GPS sled trackers or by visiting five road-accessible checkpoints. Visit idahosleddogchallenge.com for checkpoint locations, driving directions, a local resources guide, musher bios, and more.

A elk calf that had become entangled in garden materials near Hailey was freed by Fish and Game officers on Dec. 28.

That day, Fish and Game officers received reports from Blaine County residents about an elk calf that had become entangled in a discarded tomato cage and bucket just north of Hailey. By mid-day, officers were able to locate the calf on the west side of Highway 75 in a grove of trees.

Knowing the calf would not be able to free itself from the metal, Fish and Game staff made the decision to dart the calf and remove the metal cage.

According to Senior Conservation Officer Clark Shackelford, “Darting an animal with an anesthetizing drug is a difficult undertaking. We can never be sure how much stress the animal has been in prior to darting or how each animal will react to the drugs. And more importantly, handling these drugs, often in extreme conditions, can place the Fish and Game officers at risk too.”

In this instance, the elk was successfully anesthetized, and the metal tomato cage and plastic bucket were removed.

Shackelford noted, “Once we removed the metal cage, we administered a second drug to reverse the effects of the first drug. The elk quickly recovered, and within minutes was up and running.”

This is not the first time that wildlife has become entangled in things such as Christmas lights, swing sets, rope, hammocks and fence wire. Residents are encouraged to properly store items on their property that could entangle wildlife.

A fishing derby Jan. 25 at Sportsman’s Park on the west side of American Falls Reservoir features a $500 first-place prize for the largest Rainbow trout and a $250 first-place prize for perch.

The derby runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sportsman’s Park near Aberdeen. The derby is a fundraiser for the Portneuf Unit of the American Fisheries Society, a student-run organization at Idaho State University.

In the Rainbow trout category there will also be a $250 cash prize for second and a $150 cash prize for third. No Cutthroat or Rainbow-Cutthroat hybrids will be considered for the derby.

The runner-up prize for in the perch category is $200 and third is free entry into next year’s derby.

Winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. Participation is limited to the first 150 participants. If spots still remain, limited registration will be available during the fishing derby at the registration booth.

A copy of the rules and release of liability will be provided at the registration table. All contestants must sign the release of liability form to participate in the derby.

Sportsman’s Park is located off Highway 39 at the end of Boat Dock Road.

In the event of derby cancellation due to unsafe ice conditions or inclement weather, refunds of entry fees will be granted or carried over to the next year. Only in the event of an extreme blizzard that closes the interstate will the event be cancelled.

There is a $35 per person entry fee. Participants can register online and review all derby regulations at shorturl.at/hkmBM or call 208-709-7538.

One raffle ticket is allotted to participants and additional raffle tickets will be available for sale.

One thing that impresses the new Harriman State Park manager is that people are passionate about the park.

“That has been the biggest surprise, just the passion that people have for the park,” said park manager Mark Eliot who started in May. “It means so much to so many people from such a wide geographic area. I’ve never seen anything like that. People are willing to do what they can.”

Eliot took over for John Sullivan, who left about a year ago. Eliot is new to the state park system, coming from the Idaho Department of Lands where he worked in fire prevention.

This is his first winter at Harriman, and he’s learning that the park just south of Island Park is just as busy under a blanket of snow as it is during summer.

“I’m still learning grooming schedules and winter access and different usage,” Eliot said, “the process of what we can do to make the park a more enjoyable experience for visitors.”

Interpretive park ranger Morgan Smith reported that the park attracted more than 400 people last Saturday during its free access day.

“Our winter is just as busy as summer,” Morgan said. “We’ve got good winter trails and grooming, so it brings in a whole bunch of people. It’s been really steady here, especially over the winter break. I think we get more locals here in the winter than in the summer.”

Eliot said he rode a fat bike for the first time during the Saturday free access day.

“One of the Nordic ski patrol lent me their fat bike,” he said. “That was the first time I’d ever been on one. That was a lot of work.”

Eliot said during the summer he spent a good deal of time hiking and mountain biking some Harriman’s 24 miles of trails to become familiar with the park. This winter he’s been cross-country skiing the trails in his spare time.

Eliot is considering organizing an advisory committee to take input and make recommendations on issues such as grooming trails for different uses and separating skate skiers from fat bikers.

“We’re not going to be able to make everybody happy,” he said. “But we’ll do our best.”

The park’s three main winter user groups will come together Feb. 1 for the fourth annual Moose on the Loose winter triathlon. The race involves 6 miles of fat biking, 1.5 miles of snowshoeing and 6 miles of cross-country skiing. For more information on Moose on the Loose, go to trithemoose.com.

Another busy park feature during the winter and summer months is its rentals. The park rents out for overnight use several buildings and yurts. Some of the larger log-cabin-style buildings will sleep up to 38 people. Yurts and smaller buildings generally sleep six. Reservations are generally filled months in advance.

The historic buildings in the Railroad Ranch area were once owned by Edward H. Harriman, the chairman of Union Pacific Railroad.

“(Buildings) are booked pretty much throughout the winter,” Smith said. “Our slowest seasons are April and November. In winter and summer, they’re booked out all the time.”

For information on facilities and reservations, go to parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/harriman.

Daily entrance fee into the park is $5 per car. There is also a per person grooming fee of $5 for people accessing trails.

“I’m pretty content here, so I’d sure like to stay as long as they have me,” Eliot said.