By Malia Byrtus
– McCloud, CA
UC Berkeley’s California Wolf Project conducts research in Siskiyou County After a 100-year absence, wolves have naturally recolonized California. The rapid growth of the species has created an urgent need for practical, adaptive and innovative science to guide conservation and management efforts.
The California Wolf Project (CAWP), a new research initiative housed within UC Berkeley’s Wildlife Program, has been developed in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and with support from the National Geographic Society. CAWP is taking an interdisciplinary approach to studying wolf spatial ecology, diet, predator-prey dynamics, and recolonization—while also contributing to conflict-reduction strategies for rural communities and livestock producers. CAWP’s research is conducted primarily in northern California—including Siskiyou county.
The project officially launched in the summer of 2024 and has deployed one of the state’s largest trail camera networks to monitor wolf populations. CAWP’s camera trap grid was the first to document the Diamond Pack in eastern Plumas and western Lassen counties.
In addition, CAWP is collecting scat samples to better understand the diet of wolves and frequency in which wolves are eating, either by killing prey or scavenging. Twice a year, field teams conduct month-long “cluster searches” — on-the-ground investigations of GPS locations where satellite-collared wolves spent concentrated time. Each site is classified as a feeding site (where wolves likely hunted or scavenged), a rendezvous site (temporary gathering areas during pup-rearing), or a resting site.
In February, the team investigated 211 clusters across three wolf pack territories, trekking through remote, snow-covered terrain. Many key locations fall on private land, and CAWP relies on land access agreements to complete this work.
In Siskiyou County, for example, roughly half of the Whaleback Pack’s activity occurs on private property — highlighting the importance of building strong relationships with local livestock producers.
“We have to prioritize research and management strategies that center the people living alongside wolves,” says Kaggie Orrick, a project member of CAWP. “By grounding our science in the realities of daily life, we can help build more durable, community-informed support for wildlife recovery on working lands.”
CAWP has shared its work through invited presentations in Siskiyou County, including with the Fish and Game Commission in April and UC Cooperative Extension in March. The team works closely with CDFW and key local partners, such as the Siskiyou County Wolf Liaison.
While CAWP does not investigate dead livestock directly, the team coordinates with CDFW and local trappers to support producers when needed. The California Wolf Project (CAWP) will be tabling at the Mount Shasta Earth Day Festival on April 26 to share more about their framework on how to bring universities, government agencies, and local communities together around the science and practice of improving human-wildlife interactions on a shared landscape.
To learn more, visit their website at wildlife.berkeley.edu/cawolfproject.
