It’s that time again: Wolf tourist season

Oregon Wild leads second annual Wolf Rendezvous in Wallowa County: Oregon's Wolf Country

Just got a note from Oregon Wild that they’re heading out on another “Wolf Rendezvous” this weekend. The wolf advocate group hosted its first ever tourism event to eastern Oregon last year. It’s one of the ways the they’re supporting the reintroduction of wolves to Oregon. Wolves aren’t just good for the ecosystem, Oregon Wild says. They’re also good for economic development.

Ranchers who stand to lose calves and sheep to wolves tend to argue that wolves are hurting their economy … by threatening and actually killing valuable livestock. The number of confirmed wolves in Oregon dropped this year, after several depredations in the same northeast Oregon hotspot. That lessens the threat to livestock, but it also lowers the chances of tourists catching a glimpse of a real live wolf.

“We always tell people that with only 17 wolves in the state, the chances of actually seeing a wolf on one of our trips is small,” said Oregon Wild’s Rob Klavins, who will lead two wolf tourist trips this summer. “But, the great thing about Oregon’s wolf country is that even if you don’t see a wolf, you’ll be surrounding by the Eagle Cap Wilderness, the Zumwalt Prairie and some of the best scenery Oregon has to offer.”

I saw a wolf at dawn in Yellowstone National Park several years ago, and because of the morning mist and soft light it looked a lot like those dream-like wolf paintings you see on biker jackets and souvenir T-shirts.  It was just close enough for us to make eye contact but distant enough that neither of us felt threatened. I’ve also walked a trail in Oregon’s Coast Range alongside a coyote … but that’s another story.

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Click here to read Oregon Wild's Press Release on the trip