The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that it is launching a summer strike team in partnership with federal and local agencies to combat livestock depredations by gray wolves in Siskiyou County and the Sierra Valley (spanning both Sierra and Plumas counties). With landowner permission, the task force will provide round-the-clock CDFW staff support seven days a week for livestock producers experiencing frequent conflicts with wolves, among other program benefits.
“Today’s announcement showcases the power of collaboration in effectively and safely managing California’s growing gray wolf population,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “This strike force allows CDFW to work more closely with our key partners and impacted ranchers and provide new tools to protect cattle and other livestock from harm. Together, we are doing everything we can to keep both livestock and wolves safe. Thank you to our partners in this effort for making this strike team possible.”
Recent depredation of livestock in the Sierra Valley and Siskiyou County signals the need for additional and increased support for livestock producers during the summer and fall of 2025. Interested producers are encouraged to participate in the program. The summer strike team will take a multifaceted approach to combat livestock depredations, including through:
- In-person, on-the-ground support from CDFW staff. Working both day and night seven days a week, CDFW staff will be available to support ranchers facing livestock depredations. The strike team will use a combination of radio telemetry and real-time information from local ranchers to locate wolves (collared and uncollared) to proactively push them away from livestock.
- Developing conflict risk management plans for participating ranchers. Livestock producers who volunteer to participate in the program and take any necessary training will have a plan tailored to their unique property and livestock needs to help mitigate future conflict through nonlethal methods. These plans may include a variety of tools, including livestock management, additional barriers, predator aversion devices or injurious harassment
- Outreach, education and training. In partnership with experts in livestock production and management like the University of California Cooperative Extension, training and outreach events will be held in Sierra Valley to help provide producers techniques and strategies ranchers can take to reduce wolf-livestock conflicts through nonlethal practices.
CDFW is also working in conjunction with Sierra and Plumas counties to create a county agricultural protection position that will support depredation investigations and capture and collar methods, as well as develop carcass removal programs to mitigate wolf attraction to ranch properties.
The task force will be led by CDFW’s law enforcement and scientific staff and will increase CDFW presence in communities to effectively implement these measures. The program began June 9 and is anticipated to run through the summer.
“This program is still in its early stages, so there will be a need to learn by doing together. More details will be shared as it progresses. But this is a good start, and I appreciate that,” said Plumas County Supervisor Dwight Ceresola.
Sierra Valley, which spans both Plumas and Sierra counties, has had higher-than-normal levels of livestock depredations by gray wolves in the Beyem Seyo pack over the past year. As ranchers move their cattle to the valley floor for summer grazing, additional support from this pilot program will be needed to protect livestock from wolves.
“I am thankful the state and county can do something together. We are hopeful that this additional presence will reduce the immediate losses and provide CDFW with a clear understanding of the day-to-day challenges ranchers have faced for months,” said Sierra County Supervisor Paul Roen.
Siskiyou County also has a higher level of livestock depredations compared to other counties, in relation to the Whaleback pack in particular. The county has made significant efforts in slowing depredations and working collaboratively with CDFW staff, including the hiring of a county wolf liaison, but the need for additional support remains. As part of this task force, CDFW will be providing enhanced information on wolf data to Siskiyou County staff, and Siskiyou will assist the department in investigating and collecting additional data.
“This pilot effort in all three counties is made possible through sustained coordination between county supervisors, county sheriffs, local ranchers and state and federal agencies. Importantly, it also reflects the growing calls from local sheriffs calling for CDFW to step up and help,” said Director Bonham. “I thank Sheriffs Mike Fisher, Todd Johns and Jeremiah LaRue for their help to get going on our efforts this summer. I also thank all the Northern California sheriffs and county supervisors who have been key voices for their communities.”
In addition, last month CDFW announced the release of a brand-new mapping tool designed to provide regular location information on GPS-collared gray wolves in California to help prevent wolf-livestock conflict.
The Wolf Location Automated Mapping System, available to the public on CDFW’s website, shows the approximate location of GPS collared wolves across the state. The goal of the map is to better enable livestock producers to understand the movement of collared wolves near their properties and to assist them in mitigating wolf-livestock conflicts.
“California’s rural livestock producers living near wolves have faced real challenges as the wolf population grows in California. This is one more tool in our shared toolkit to protect their herds from wolf-livestock conflict,” said Director Bonham said. “CDFW is focused on transparency, best practices, and ensuring impacted communities have the knowledge they need to help prevent conflict. We will continue to partner with ranchers and communities to navigate a positive path forward.”
CDFW already provides regular and timely updates to livestock producers, law enforcement offices, and local officials regarding the movement of collared wolves near their communities, but this is the first time CDFW is providing automated data on wolf movements to the public.
CDFW’s GPS collars collect wolf location data roughly four times a day and transmit those locations to CDFW each morning. When received, the location data will be automatically transmitted to the online map. The most recently received location of an individual wolf is shown as a hexagonal cell and, when clicked, provides information about the wolf’s pack, the general area they are in, and the last transmission date. As wolves regularly travel hundreds of miles across the state, information on their location can be a critical tool for ranchers to protect their property and livelihoods.
“Knowing where California’s collared wolf population is means that ranchers have access to critical information,” said California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass. “We appreciate CDFW’s focus on transparency to help farmers and ranchers navigate the growing number of wolves in the state.”
The map provides information exclusively on collared wolves, a subset of the overall gray wolf population. As of May 2025, 14 wolves across California have GPS collars. Collaring wolves with GPS devices helps CDFW and the state better understand wolf populations, movement, and habitats.
“As wolves increase in number and range, California ranchers are in dire need of additional tools to protect the animals under their care. Knowledge is power, and this mapping tool will empower ranchers throughout wolf territory to better understand where wolves might threaten their livestock, enabling them to increase human presence and adjust their herd management as necessary to deter wolf attacks,” said Kirk Wilbur, Vice President of Government Affairs, California Cattlemen’s Association. “CCA appreciates the Department’s communication and transparency, which we hope will ease the burdens borne by cattle ranchers who steward California’s wolf habitat.”
The location of a wolf on the map is approximate and not reflective of the exact or current location of any individual wolf or pack. Generalizing the location data helps protect California’s gray wolf population, classified as both federally and state endangered, from potential harm, a crime punishable by law. It also helps prevent trespassing on private property. Data from specific areas, such as at known den sites where wolf pups are believed to be present, will not be available during certain times of the year. CDFW reserves the right to modify or discontinue the publication of the mapping tool if it is believed to result in any harassment of gray wolves or other wildlife or trespassing on private property.