Legislation introduced by the 7th District lawmakers would bring Washington into line with a federal decision confirming the state’s thriving wolf population east of Highway 97 can no longer be considered endangered. Bills introduced in the House and Senate also would establish local control of wolf management in the state’s northeastern counties.

House hearings so far this session on the wolf bills leave Rep. Hunter Abell and Rep. Andrew Engell hopeful that lawmakers could take action this year. The representatives said the hearings continue a nearly two-decades-long effort by residents and elected officials of the 7th District to bring awareness and solutions to wolf-livestock interactions. Meanwhile, a hearing is set for Feb. 17 on a bill introduced by Sen. Shelly Short.

Engell’s proposal, House Bill 1311, would require the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to designate gray wolves as “sensitive” instead of “endangered.” This down-listing would still provide protections but would also give more flexibility to the department when managing wolves.

“It’s no secret that wolves are alive and well in Northeast Washington,” said Engell, R-Colville. “We’ve seen a record number of wolf-livestock confrontations this past year. The state must do more to protect the safety and livelihood of citizens, their pets, and the animals they manage. Down-listing will give department scientists and staff more options when managing gray wolves and responding to conflicts, and give the public more assurance that the state is listening to their concerns.”

House Bill 1442 is Abell’s legislation. It gives local governments more options when managing and responding to wolf-livestock-human interactions.

“We’ve got local elected officials and law enforcement who are specifically asking us for more flexibility as they are the ones with boots on the ground responding to these conflicts,” said Abell, R-Inchelium. “If the state is going to be negligent in its duty to its citizens, let’s at least give our local officials the ability to respond and manage. The fact is, the goals of wolf management aren’t going to change but perhaps the methods of wolf management can.”

In the Senate, Short, R-Addy introduced a companion bill to Abell’s proposal for local wolf management programs, Senate Bill 5354. That bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Feb. 17.

“Our district has recovered wolves for the entire state, to the point that we need a more sustainable long-term approach to wolf recovery. Placing more decisions in the hands of local government officials is the way to go,” said Short. “The Colville Tribe has shown us that local management can work, and I have confidence that county officials will be able to manage effectively and be more responsive to the needs of the community when problems arise.”

Short has introduced two other bills regarding wolves:

Senate Bill 5171, concerning compensation for wolf predation, would allow indirect claims for damage to livestock as a result of wolf predation, including higher than normal livestock losses, reduced weight gains or reduced pregnancy rates. The bill is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Thursday.

Senate Bill 5343 would allow the Northeast Washington wolf-livestock management account to be used for non-lethal countermeasures to predation, and provide grants to sheriffs in Stevens and Ferry counties to hire a local wildlife specialist to aid the Department of Fish and Wildlife in wolf management. The measure is in the Senate Rules Committee, the last stop before a vote on the Senate floor.

The 105-day 2025 legislative session ends April 27.

To view WDFW’s Wolf Management presentation given to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, click here.

To view the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Gray Wolf Update presented to the committee, click here.