Paul Paquet (right), Conservation Biology Institute, Canada.

Paul C. Paquet, Conservation Biology Institute, PO Box 150, Meacham, SK S0K 2V0, Canada; Carlos Carroll, Klamath Center for Conservation Research, PO Box 104, Orleans, CA 95556, USA; Reed F. Noss, Conservation Science, Inc., 7310 Northwest Acorn Ridge, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA

Recent dispersal of a wolf from Idaho into eastern Oregon has focused attention on the long-term prospects for viable wolf populations in the Pacific coastal states. We developed regional-scale habitat models in a GIS in order to evaluate the availability of wolf habitat in a region that includes southwestern Oregon, northern California, and the Sierra Nevada. Abundance and accessibility of prey were evaluated by incorporating information on slope as well as greenness values derived from satellite imagery. We used information on roads and human population density to evaluate potential security from human persecution. The results were compared with those from a analysis of habitat availability in the Rocky Mountains. Although human impacts are generally higher in the Pacific states than in the Rockies, several areas in Oregon and northern California have levels of prey density and security high enough to support wolves. These areas lie primarily outside of current wilderness areas, implying that viability of the wolf in the Pacific states, as in the northcentral U.S., will depend on cooperative planning across multiple ownerships. Areas of suitable habitat in the Pacific states are smaller than those in the Rocky Mountains, and preservation of landscape connectivity will be critical for maintaining population viability. To prevent current land use trends from foreclosing future opportunities for large carnivore restoration, information on critical landscape linkages and core areas should be incorporated into regional conservation plans.