DENNIS MARSH of Loyalton, was appointed to the Open Space Screening Committee during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on October 21st. Marsh, a rancher and retired County employee, wants to maintain a successful balance of living, working and playing in Sierra County.
NIGHT OPERATIONS in an effort to protect livestock from wolves have been ongoing for months for weary ranchers in the Sierra Valley. The Beyem Seyo pack has been doing the majority of the depredations on cattle in the Sierra Valley with a den located above Calpine. Those ranches near the den have been seeing the most loss. Rancher and Supervisor Paul Roen and his ranch have had the most confirmed and probable depredations at around 47.
The CDFW strike team and USDA drone team left the end of September. Paul with the use telemetry determines each night where the collared wolves are by tracking wolf movement. Once he knows where the wolves are headed he alerts the ranch that may be affected. The use of night vision binoculars help ranchers to see the wolves approaching cattle. Paul then uses a drone to drive the wolves back to their den. Sometimes this is done three or more times a night and into the morning. This approach along with other ranchers spending the night out in their fields have helped deter some of the depredations but not all. The total confirmed and probable for the area as of Tuesday, October 21st was up to 94.
Cattle have started leaving the area for greener and hopefully safer pastures for the winter. Some ranches pulled cattle out earlier than normal due to the attacks.
Sheriff Mike Fisher reported during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on October 21st he has had many meetings and was the guest speaker at theCalifornia District Attorney’s Association meeting over wolves. He stated he wants the information out so nobody has to go through what Sierra County has gone through. Questions have arisen recently over CDFW’s wolf map. It is currently showing no wolves in Sierra County. We reached out to CDFW and as of our deadline, had not received any information.
Ranchers, Researchers, and Wolves:
Concerned ranchers, wildlife experts, and local residents gathered at the Sierraville Historic Schoolhouse Thursday evening October 16th for a roundtable discussion on the growing presence of wolves in California and their impact on livestock. The event, hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), featured a presentation on the California Wolf Project by UC Berkeley researchers Arthur Middleton and Kaggie Orrick, shown above, followed by a community Q&A session.
The evening began with a community dinner prepared by local ranchers Paul and Sheri Roen of Calpine, setting a collaborative tone before researchers presented findings from the year-old California Wolf Project, launched in June 2024.
Arthur Middleton, associate professor of wildlife management at UC Berkeley and a longtime researcher of carnivore-livestock dynamics, emphasized the complexity of wolf recovery in California.
“California is not Yellowstone,” Middleton stated. He said California has a denser human population, fewer deer and elk, more roads, and enormous wildfire impacts. They can’t just drop a wolf management model from another state and expect it to work here.
Kaggie Orrick, the project director, drew on her experience managing predator conflicts in southern Africa, noting many similarities. Orrick holds a PhD in predator-human conflict and has 15 years of experience in conservation.
Data-Driven Wolf Research
The California Wolf Project has deployed over 200 camera traps in partnership with UC Davis, generating more than 2.8 million images. These have included 96 wolf sightings and the first photograph of the Diamond Pack. There are currently 14 GPS-collared wolves ac-
ross four known packs: Beyem Seyo, Harvey, Whale-
back, and Yowlumni.
Researchers also collected scat samples—379 in summer 2024 and 239 in winter 2025—using DNA metabarcoding to analyze wolf diet. A concerning finding showed a high proportion of cattle remains in samples from collared packs during the summer months.
The project investigated over 500 GPS “clusters” to determine wolf activity patterns, with 311 on-the-ground investigations. This included private property visits and timberlands, although the research team did not conduct investigations on the Beyem Seyo pack this summer, the pack most implicated in Sierra Valley depredations due to CDFW’s strike team here.
Livestock Losses & Community Concerns
Through July 31, 2025, the project recorded 213 confirmed or probable depredation events, resulting in 251 dead livestock. However, Orrick acknowledged that data from Sierra Valley is incomplete and efforts are ongoing to integrate new reports.
The project also assessed ranchers’ perceptions of conflict mitigation and compensation programs. Of 36 participants surveyed:
73% said nonlethal deterrents reduced conflict
77% felt these strategies improved resilience
60% supported the “pay for presence” model
Only 44% felt it built resilience
Trust in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was notably low among respondents, with UC Cooperative Extension emerging as the most trusted institution for wolf-related information.
During the Q&A Session
One attendee asked why so few wolves are col-
lared. Orrick agreed more collared wolves would be extremely helpful but are seeing a lot of variability within the packs and can still get a general snapshot. Some of the scat and camera data can be helpful with wolves that aren’t collared and livestock depredation reports will make the work stronger.
Another resident raised concerns about the deficit of prey and asked the presenters if this statement was something they would be willing to “dwell” on since no CDFW staff would acknowledge it. Middleton stated they would provide information to help address, but cautioned the audience to have reasonable expectations because California has limited monitoring data on deer and elk herds.
Audience members also asked about inter-agency cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service on habitat needs, to which Middleton stated is a huge challenge, but incredibly important.
Orrick noted that some successful tactics from southern Africa—such as community-based conservation, communal grazing, and nighttime cattle corralling—may be adaptable to California. Middleton also highlighted ear tag reflectors which show promising signs and limited lethal control as a tool that can “buy time.”
Looking Ahead
With funding from National Geographic and CDFW set to expire in 2026, the research team is seeking new partnerships and financial support to continue their work.
In closing, Middleton acknowledged the pain and frustration of ranchers dealing with wolf depredations. He stated their research won’t solve the problem, but hoped to gather lessons that will help to better prepare for what’s next.
NIGHT OPERATIONS in an effort to protect livestock from wolves have been ongoing for months for weary ranchers in the Sierra Valley. The Beyem Seyo pack has been doing the majority of the depredations on cattle in the Sierra Valley with a den located above Calpine. Those ranches near the den have been seeing the most loss. Rancher and Supervisor Paul Roen and his ranch have had the most confirmed and probable depredations at around 47.
The CDFW strike team and USDA drone team left the end of September. Paul with the use telemetry determines each night where the collared wolves are by tracking wolf movement. Once he knows where the wolves are headed he alerts the ranch that may be affected. The use of night vision binoculars help ranchers to see the wolves approaching cattle. Paul then uses a drone to drive the wolves back to their den. Sometimes this is done three or more times a night and into the morning. This approach along with other ranchers spending the night out in their fields have helped deter some of the depredations but not all. The total confirmed and probable for the area as of Tuesday, October 21st was up to 94.
Cattle have started leaving the area for greener and hopefully safer pastures for the winter. Some ranches pulled cattle out earlier than normal due to the attacks.
Sheriff Mike Fisher reported during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on October 21st he has had many meetings and was the guest speaker at theCalifornia District Attorney’s Association meeting over wolves. He stated he wants the information out so nobody has to go through what Sierra County has gone through. Questions have arisen recently over CDFW’s wolf map. It is currently showing no wolves in Sierra County. We reached out to CDFW and as of our deadline, had not received any information.
Ranchers, Researchers, and Wolves:
Concerned ranchers, wildlife experts, and local residents gathered at the Sierraville Historic Schoolhouse Thursday evening October 16th for a roundtable discussion on the growing presence of wolves in California and their impact on livestock. The event, hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), featured a presentation on the California Wolf Project by UC Berkeley researchers Arthur Middleton and Kaggie Orrick, shown above, followed by a community Q&A session.
The evening began with a community dinner prepared by local ranchers Paul and Sheri Roen of Calpine, setting a collaborative tone before researchers presented findings from the year-old California Wolf Project, launched in June 2024.
Arthur Middleton, associate professor of wildlife management at UC Berkeley and a longtime researcher of carnivore-livestock dynamics, emphasized the complexity of wolf recovery in California.
“California is not Yellowstone,” Middleton stated. He said California has a denser human population, fewer deer and elk, more roads, and enormous wildfire impacts. They can’t just drop a wolf management model from another state and expect it to work here.
Kaggie Orrick, the project director, drew on her experience managing predator conflicts in southern Africa, noting many similarities. Orrick holds a PhD in predator-human conflict and has 15 years of experience in conservation.
Data-Driven Wolf Research
The California Wolf Project has deployed over 200 camera traps in partnership with UC Davis, generating more than 2.8 million images. These have included 96 wolf sightings and the first photograph of the Diamond Pack. There are currently 14 GPS-collared wolves ac-
ross four known packs: Beyem Seyo, Harvey, Whale-
back, and Yowlumni.
Researchers also collected scat samples—379 in summer 2024 and 239 in winter 2025—using DNA metabarcoding to analyze wolf diet. A concerning finding showed a high proportion of cattle remains in samples from collared packs during the summer months.
The project investigated over 500 GPS “clusters” to determine wolf activity patterns, with 311 on-the-ground investigations. This included private property visits and timberlands, although the research team did not conduct investigations on the Beyem Seyo pack this summer, the pack most implicated in Sierra Valley depredations due to CDFW’s strike team here.
Livestock Losses & Community Concerns
Through July 31, 2025, the project recorded 213 confirmed or probable depredation events, resulting in 251 dead livestock. However, Orrick acknowledged that data from Sierra Valley is incomplete and efforts are ongoing to integrate new reports.
The project also assessed ranchers’ perceptions of conflict mitigation and compensation programs. Of 36 participants surveyed:
73% said nonlethal deterrents reduced conflict
77% felt these strategies improved resilience
60% supported the “pay for presence” model
Only 44% felt it built resilience
Trust in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was notably low among respondents, with UC Cooperative Extension emerging as the most trusted institution for wolf-related information.
During the Q&A Session
One attendee asked why so few wolves are col-
lared. Orrick agreed more collared wolves would be extremely helpful but are seeing a lot of variability within the packs and can still get a general snapshot. Some of the scat and camera data can be helpful with wolves that aren’t collared and livestock depredation reports will make the work stronger.
Another resident raised concerns about the deficit of prey and asked the presenters if this statement was something they would be willing to “dwell” on since no CDFW staff would acknowledge it. Middleton stated they would provide information to help address, but cautioned the audience to have reasonable expectations because California has limited monitoring data on deer and elk herds.
Audience members also asked about inter-agency cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service on habitat needs, to which Middleton stated is a huge challenge, but incredibly important.
Orrick noted that some successful tactics from southern Africa—such as community-based conservation, communal grazing, and nighttime cattle corralling—may be adaptable to California. Middleton also highlighted ear tag reflectors which show promising signs and limited lethal control as a tool that can “buy time.”
Looking Ahead
With funding from National Geographic and CDFW set to expire in 2026, the research team is seeking new partnerships and financial support to continue their work.
In closing, Middleton acknowledged the pain and frustration of ranchers dealing with wolf depredations. He stated their research won’t solve the problem, but hoped to gather lessons that will help to better prepare for what’s next.
