Sierra County School District Supports Problem Wolf Removal

SIERRA COUNTY — Last week, the governing board of the Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified School District (SPJUSD) passed a resolution supporting Sierra County’s local state of emergency declaration concerning the public safety and economic threats posed by the county’s growing gray wolf population. The district also requested that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) initiate regulatory changes granting county sheriffs the authority to declare a specific gray wolf a public safety threat, allowing for that wolf’s lethal removal.

At a meeting of the Sierra County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, SPJUSD Superintendent Sean Snider addressed growing public safety concerns. Gray wolves have preyed on cattle throughout the summer, but Sierra Valley ranchers relocate their herds during the winter months. “Our concern is just with the upcoming winter season and cattle leaving the valley, which are currently the primary food source for the wolves,” explained Snider. “What will then become the food source this winter when there aren’t the 10,000 cattle here in Sierra Valley?”

Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher added context, noting that while wolf kills of cattle have slowed in recent weeks, sightings near residential areas have increased. “We had four wolves that were sighted in the Sierra Brooks area about 7:10 AM. They were in the wildlife area adjacent to Longhorn Drive, and we had several school bus stops along Longhorn Drive and West Sierra Brooks,” said Fisher.

Snider pointed out that Loyalton High School maintains a robust Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, through which students raise various animals, including cattle, sheep, pigs, and chickens. He expressed concern that those projects could also become targets for wolves, endangering students who feed the animals in the early morning or evening, saying, “Will our animals be a target at the high school? Certainly, it’s pretty logical to think they would be if there’s limited food source.”

Even with CDFW’s recent implementation of a “Strike Force” dedicated to hazing wolves from ranches using drones and other tools, the Sierra Valley experienced an unprecedented loss of livestock during the summer, highlighting the growth of the region’s wolf population. Fisher reported that, as of Tuesday, the valley had sustained 76 confirmed or probable kills by wolves of ranch animals. He believes wolves are responsible for many more deaths, but scavenging by other animals and decomposition often complicate determinations of the cause. According to CDFW data, the Beyem Seyo Pack inhabiting the Sierra Valley is responsible for the majority of gray wolf depredation events in the state. The CDFW also confirmed earlier in the summer that the pack is raising at least six pups.

Supervisor Sharon Dryden, who represents Sierra Brooks, personally witnessed the impact of wolves despite not being involved in ranching. “My neighbor called me in the morning at about 7:15, because she walks her dogs before I walk my dog, and said, there’s four wolves out in the meadow behind our house. I right away called Sheriff Fisher and alerted him that there were four wolves seen. And then, about half an hour later, I received a message that there was a calf that was killed down the road.” Dryden knew the rancher and soon saw the dead 6-day-old calf, which she says was killed without being consumed. “And to think that when these calves leave, this could be a kid... But this has become our new reality, and why I’m so frightened for our communities,” she concluded.

Superintendent Snider reported that the resolution passed by the district has received positive responses from both CDFW Director Chuck Bonham and California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. He hopes the document will introduce a fresh perspective to discussions around wolf management. “The resolution does seem to be getting some traction, and it’s maybe a different angle around public and student safety than what we’ve seen here in the past and from the Board of Supervisors,” said Snider.