Radio collars confirm presence of new critters in Northeast Oregon.

Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard

Collaring the latest Oregon wildlife news:

Radio collars play a key part in two stories about wildlife species that many folks would be surprised to learn are wandering around the northeast corner of Oregon - moose and wolves.

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) biologists last month placed radio and GPS collars on four moose captured in the northern Blue Mountains of Wallowa County. It's the first collaring of moose in Oregon and will help biologists better understand seasonal movements, habitat use, and reproductive rates.

The state's moose population - the result of migrations from Washington and Idaho - is small but growing. Biologists say there are about 35 of the majestic animals in Oregon at this time.

A helicopter and net gun were used to capture the four moose collared on Jan. 14. All four were cows. Biologists hope to capture an adult male in time to track a bull's movement during the September breeding season, when the animals are known to travel great distances.

"It's exciting to have these majestic newcomers in Oregon, and I believe our moose numbers will only grow," said Pat Matthews, an ODFW assistant district wildlife biologist.

"There is a sizeable amount of vacant habitat for them to pioneer. I think we could realistically see a population of 500-700 moose in Oregon in the future."

Until about 40 years ago, there were no references to naturally occurring moose being found in Oregon during modern times, according to an ODFW news release. (In 1922, five moose were brought to the Siltcoos Lake area from Alaska, but the transplant failed because "these animals were hand-raised and soon became a problem to towns and farms," the release said.)

"The first sighting of a moose that we know about was in the 1960s along the Snake River," said Vic Coggins, ODFW district wildlife biologist in Enterprise. Since then "Individual moose have been observed sporadically in northeastern Oregon," he said.

Moose are North America's largest ungulate. Their size and the male's uniquely shaped antlers make moose the source of much mystique.

Moose prefer habitat with an abundance of willow and other deciduous growth - generally, burned or logged areas. In Oregon, sightings most often occur in the Umatilla National Forest north of Elgin off Forest Road 62 and on Highway 204 between Elgin and Tollgate.

Limited hunting opportunities could occur in northeastern Oregon if the population continues to grow, biologists say. For now, however, moose are protected and hunters need to take extra care to identify their target before shooting, as moose have been mistaken for elk.

Hunters or others that encounter moose should report sightings to a local Fish and Wildlife office so the department can continue to understand the animal's range in Oregon.

Less than 10 days after the moose were collared, airborne biologists honing in on a signal emitted by another radio collar observed and photographed a gray wolf in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest near Eagle Cap Wilderness.

The animal was a two- to three-year old female gray wolf known as B-300. Originally part of Idaho's Timberline Pack, she was collared northeast of Boise in August 2006.

When her collar's signal could no longer be found in Idaho, biologists began searching an area between Medical Springs and Wallowa where evidence of wolves had been seen in recent months.

This is only the fifth confirmed wolf in Oregon in modern times, according to the ODFW. In March 1999, a radio-collared female was captured near John Day and returned to Idaho. In 2000, a collared wolf was found dead along Interstate 84 south of Baker City, and a wolf without a radio collar was found shot between Ukiah and Pendleton. Most recently, a mature female wolf was found dead from a gunshot wound in Union County in July 2007.

All five animals are believed to have migrated to Oregon across the Snake River from Idaho, where the federal government reintroduced wolves several years ago.

Experts have long predicted that wolves from the expanding Idaho population would continue to cross the Snake River and enter Oregon. The sighting of B-300 confirms the suspected use of this area by wolves, but the presence of breeding pairs or packs has not been confirmed.

State and federal biologists will regularly monitor the movement of this wolf and continue to look for other wolf activity in Oregon.

Any gray wolf that shows up in Oregon is still listed as an endangered species under both state and federal law, said Russ Morgan, ODFW's wolf coordinator.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed removing the wolf from the list of threatened and endangered species in the Northern Rockies, including part of Oregon.

However, the wolf remain federally listed until that process is complete and killing one is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000, one year in jail, or both.