Idaho
New genetics model to estimate wolf numbers in Idaho, shows 13% population decline
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is rolling out a new way to estimate the number of wolves in the state using a genetics-based statistical model.
The Department estimates there were 1,150 wolves in the state in the summer of 2023, or a 13% decline in population from the previous year.
Wildlife Bureau Chief Shane Roberts explained the model starts by calculating the age of harvested wolves.
“There’s a certain tooth that we can pull, and that tooth we send to a lab in Montana that does a cross section of it and dyes it and counts it kind of like a tree ring,” he said. “At the same time, from that same tooth, we can wash it and get the DNA off so all in one sample, a tiny little tooth, we get both the age and the genetic information.”
The DNA samples establish relationships between wolves and are used to estimate reproduction rates.
“The new genetic based method relies on a data source that we’ve been collecting for years, so we can actually go back in time and produce estimates for prior years with the new method,” Roberts said.
In prior years, the department used cameras to estimate wolf density, but according to Roberts, that technique is likely to become obsolete.
”If there’s fewer wolves, we’ll likely get fewer pictures,” he said. “Modeling suggests that as that number declines, that method is probably going to become less reliable. That’s why we started down the path of finding this alternative method that’s genetic based, that does not require us to get pictures of wolves.”
This new genetics method uses a statistical approach similar to one developed in Sweden and Norway, but Idaho is the first state in the U.S. to develop its own model.
The Western Watersheds Project conservation group said it was still reviewing the methodology but Director Greg LeDonne said wolf numbers from Idaho Fish and Game should be taken with caution.
“Past experience with IDF population estimates gives us reason to believe that the new estimate is also flawed, and does not accurately count the state’s wolf population, and in fact, would overstate the actual population of wolves in Idaho,” he said.
These latest numbers are on track with the Department’s controversial 2023 plan to reduce the number of wolves in the state to 500.
“One thing that we need to keep in mind when reviewing any data or other information coming from Idaho Fish and Game concerning wolves is that we are dealing with a state government and a wolf management plan that are dedicated to driving the wolf population down to a level that would once again threaten to extirpate wolves in Idaho,” LeDonne said. “The state government has demonstrated its preference for lethal control of wolves over other non-lethal and more effective methods.”
In the past 12 months, 420 wolves were killed in Idaho, mostly by hunters and trappers.
I’m not comfortable with AI (artificial intelligence). It’s going to rob us of liberty and humanity. But our economic and military rivals are diving in headfirst. The argument is that if China gets there first, the situation will only worsen. Idaho is considered a good location for developers, with open space and cheap energy. Some of it is nuclear from Idaho National Laboratory. I’m not as worried about electricity demand as I am about water. We’re in the midst of a drought, and we don’t know when it ends. I guess for national security reasons, we’re being asked to abandon the region and leave it to the machines.
Opposition from All Directions
Opposition unites a diverse coalition, from the religious to farmers, to labor activists. Such as the socialist Bernie Sanders, who wrote about his concerns in the Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall). Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are calling for a moratorium while the impact is studied.
This reminds me of opposition to the Lava Ridge Wind Project. It came from multiple sides. When our state legislature unanimously opposed the incredible idea. I had told House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel about local opposition. She did some research and got the Democrats’ caucus on board.
Danger, Danger, Danger
AI is going to deliver some wonders. We may see life expectancy double, and equations that have bedeviled us for millennia solved in minutes.
More than 30 years ago, I was at a public hearing on a matter I don’t remember, but I can recall a comment from one of the men testifying. He told me the Taoist symbol (Yin Yang) is split between opportunity and danger. Tread softly.
FaceBook Meta Data Center Revealed
A look inside and outside of what we’ll see in Kuna.
Gallery Credit: Kevin Miller
A powerful search engine that organizes and provides access to vast information on the internet.
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
Tired of sitting all day, he made a change. Now he’s helping Idaho Falls do the same
IDAHO FALLS – Like many working professionals, Scott Gudmundson has spent more than 20 years behind a desk, only to stand up at the end of the day with stiff joints.
The lack of mobility motivated him to seek a life change and, ultimately, a new business venture. He and his wife, Carolyn, opened The Vital Stretch at 3482 South 25th East next to Burly Burger in September 2025. It’s the franchise’s first location in the western United States and offers customers one-on-one assisted stretching sessions.
Much like a massage clinic, customers pay for a monthly membership and come in for an hour-long session. Through the end of April, the first visit is complimentary and includes a mobility assessment to determine what areas to focus on. Customers lie on a table while a Vital Stretch practitioner stretches limbs and joints in a way catered to clients’ specific needs.
“The part of wellness and fitness that we’re missing is the recovery and the longevity,” Katie Smith, the business’s general manager, tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Mobility is our main focus.”
Smith says all the practitioners have educational training in the field of sports and exercise science, or something related. The company also provides an additional 60 hours of training for all new employees.
Since opening, practitioner Kelsi Schlenker says they’ve helped a variety of people with mobility issues. Some, like Scott, are people who spend a lot of time sitting down. Others have sports or trauma-related injuries, arthritis or other neurological or auto-immune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.
Regardless of the circumstances, Smith says the services are a benefit to anyone who comes in the door, whether they’re “weekend warriors” or “graceful agers.”
“We ask our members to be involved. We’re talking the whole time about tension, comfort level,” says Smith. “We like everybody to start with a commitment of 90 days. That gives us time to help the body believe what we’re doing and establish goals. The body doesn’t believe anything is real unless you’ve done it for a significant amount of time.”
Gudmondson says mobility is the key to aging well, and he says he’s noticed significant improvements in his mobility since incorporating a stretch routine into his day.
“I’m hitting that window of aging gracefully, and I’m looking for anything that can help me extend the amount of time I have to do the activities that I like to do,” Gudmondson says. “This particular franchise became available in Idaho Falls. It’s a new concept, but it’s something that other cities have adopted, and it’s pretty popular.”
The Vital Stretch was founded in 2019 by Rob and Melissa Goldring, according to the company’s website. Rob, a chiropractic physician, and Melissa, a physical therapist, had 50 years of combined experience and noticed that tightness in one part of the body created a chain reaction and affected how the entire body moved and felt.
They opened their first location in Norwalk, Connecticut. Since franchising in 2022, it’s grown to include 25 locations nationwide. The Idaho Falls store is the first location in the western U.S., the website says. Locations in San Antonio and Minneapolis are the closest locations to Idaho.
Gudmondson says he’s grateful for the positive response from the community and hopes to see the business continue to grow.
“A lot of people have said they’ve been waiting for something like this to open,” Schlenker says. “We’ve had great feedback and have been able to see the changes (in people’s mobility).”
The Vital Stretch is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday with a 5 p.m. closing time on Friday. It’s open until 1 p.m. on Saturday.
To schedule an appointment or learn more, visit the website or call (208) 419-3207.
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