Gray wolves are part of Oregon's present and future, but the recent past has been rough.
2021 featured a cessation of federal protections for the wolves in part of Oregon, a spate of poisonings, and the death of an entire pack.
Cascadia Wildlands, which monitors the wolves and other key species, points out that 2021 was the worst year for wolf population growth since the animals returned to Oregon around the turn of the century.
Bethany Cotton is the Conservation Director for the group. She lays out the numbers and the remedies CW would like to see.