The Wood River Wolf Project has provided many benefits with great potential for adoption in other countries where wolves and livestock are present.

Finding Common Ground

The Wood River Wolf Project demonstrates that even stakeholders with divergent interests can effectively work together to resolve conflicts with wolves. This, in turn, reduces conflict among people about sharing the landscape with these predators—a win-win for all.

Inspired by the success of the WRWP model, wildlife biologists in other states and researchers from Europe, Israel, Africa, and Australia are developing similar stakeholder-driven projects to address wildlife and livestock conflicts.

Since its inception in 2008, the Wood River Wolf Project has:

  • Kept sheep losses to wolves under 0.1%.

  • Minimized the number of wolves killed (2 in 17 years) in the Project Area in reaction to livestock loss conflicts.

  • Provided agencies and livestock cooperators training in nonlethal deterrent methods and strategies.

  • Co-sponsored wolf-livestock coexistence workshops with the Blaine County Commission to educate area ranchers, state and federal agencies, and international researchers about the project and measures that have led to near-zero livestock losses in the Project Area.

  • Served as a testing ground for nonlethal coexistence methods, including fladry, turbo-fladry, FoxLights, “bark light” collars for livestock guardian dogs, and more.

  • Created a site-analysis system to collect data and recommend best practices for individual ranchers and landowners.

The project is also one of the world's longest-running and comprehensive wolf and livestock coexistence efforts.

The Benefits of Cooperative Coexistence

The Wood River Wolf Project demonstrates that proactive prevention pays in many ways:

  • Reduces livestock predation by wolves and other native predators.

  • Lessens the impact of livestock grazing on wolves and other native wildlife.

  • Contributes to the economic sustainability of the ranching community and reduces the cost of wolf-livestock management.

  • Improves community support of ranching and conservation coexistence practices.

  • Builds good working relationships and facilitates collaborative conflict resolution among stakeholders.

  • Increases tolerance for wolves and other native wildlife.

  • Enhances scientific knowledge through data collection, case studies, and field application of nonlethal methods.