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Fish and Game uses motion-triggered cameras to help get a count of wolves in Idaho, but critics say methods flawedbit.ly/3TISMAPWhen one begins reading about Idaho and it’s connection towolves automatically call their behavior in question.For the last several years, the agency has used cameras placed throughout the state to record timed and motion-triggered images to count the number of wolves in Idaho. Critics have said its methods — in particular the motion-triggered photos — are seriously flawed.Scientists, conservationists and even Idaho students have cited a paper written by Montana State University ecology professor Scott Creel that alleged major issues with the wolf population estimate model Idaho implemented in 2019.Critics of the technique told the Idaho Statesman the agency still hasn’t addressed their concerns just weeks before the commission is due to decide on a management plan that could reduce the state’s wolf population by two-thirds.How do they count wolves?Fish and Game counted them by using radio collars, observing wolf packs to create an estimate of average pack size and applying that estimate to the total number of known packs in the state. Labor Intensive and extensive.In 2019 they finally switched to the camera estimation method.There were-major issues with the wolf population estimate model Idaho implemented in 2019.Fish and Game then uses artificial intelligence to analyze the resulting millions of photos, finding those that contain wolves and applying a statistical model called a “space-to-event” model that calculates the average amount of space between wolves. Using that average, researchers create a population estimate.Many of Creel’s criticisms of Idaho’s method focus on a paper Roberts co-authored that was published last year. In it, the authors used motion-cameras.Fish and Game’s current method is slightly different from the paper Creel criticized. It uses both time-lapse photography and motion-triggered cameras, and a different system for camera placement. When the wolves encounter the cameras then howfast are they moving? That becomes more complicated.There are arguments of motion cameras for counting wolvesand the agency concluded the camera method was “pretty robust” despite the inconsistencies with the original model.Their time would be better spent and more accurate using radiocollaring. The-best of science is not being used and if it’s accurateone will never know the count.Photo: Idaho International Wolf Center ... See MoreSee Less

Range-riding director: We need more collared wolves in NE Washingtontinyurl.com/25ft8empRange-riders would be more effective if the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife collared more wolves, according to Cattle Producers of Washington range-riding director Scott Nielsen.Nielsen told the Fish and Wildlife Commission, meeting Saturday in Wenatchee, more GPS collars are needed on wolves in northeast Washington, where most attacks on livestock occur.The collars do not constantly track wolves, but over time data from intermittent signals help range-riders know where packs go, he said."We can't cover everything, and if we don't have that data, it is extremely harmful," Nielsen said. "We need far more collars in areas where we're having problems."Wolfwatcher note: The danger, of course, is that if parties that don't like wolves know where they are, it's easy to kill them.photo: Wolfphotography.com ... See MoreSee Less

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