By Danielle Muscha
Habitat Types for Gray Wolves
The gray wolf population in Oregon is predominantly centered in the northeast corner of Oregon and reaching into Idaho, with smaller populations scattered around central Oregon. The species can also be found living in places like Yellowstone, Alaska, and some areas of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Montana. The typical habitat of the gray wolf is the tundra, woodland and forests, grasslands, or deserts (National Wildlife Federation). Over the years, the gray wolf population in the pacific northwest, more specifically Oregon, was rapidly declining, leaving the species listed as “endangered.”
Woodland 
Grassland 
Tundra 
Desert
Reintroductions of Wolves
Conservation biologists made efforts to reintroduce the species to Idaho after much of the population had been wiped out. The reintroduction efforts in place called for action in changing the way their habitat was set up to have a more successful survival rate for this species. Biologists changed the habitat by including a relatively high prey density, limiting the contact and impact humans can have on the species, and including favorable landscapes such as forest cover. These efforts were very successful, some might even say too successful, as it eventually led to a rapid increase in the number of wolves in Idaho. This increase caused many wolves to spread into Oregon and reside in the northeast areas of Oregon where many of them currently live (Larsen).
Works Cited:
National Wildlife Federation. “Gray Wolf.” National Wildlife Federation, National Wildlife Federation, n.d., www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Gray-Wolf.
Larsen, Tad, and William J Ripple. “Modeling Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Habitat in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A. .” Journal of Conservation Planning , vol. 2, 2006, pp. 17–33., trophiccascades.forestry.oregonstate.edu/sites/trophic/files/modeling_wolf_habitat_revised.pdf.
Links to Photos from the gallery:
Grassland: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/wolf.html
Tundra: https://www.thoughtco.com/life-in-the-tundra-3572160
Woodland: http://pacificnwseasons.blogspot.com/2020/09/in-pacific-northwest-fire-and-rain.html
