Community Articles (listed by posting date)
General News · 16th April 2026
Sabina Leader Mense
Wolves have been increasingly visible on the Cortes landscape recently; normal behavior for the spring months.
The Cortes Community Wolf Project’s colleague, Dennis Hetu/ Toquaht Nation, has sage advice to offer...
...“We encounter wolves a lot but we do not give them a reason to stick around. They go their way and we go ours.”
With increasingly active wolves and increasingly active Cortesians, routine encounters between community members and wolves are on the increase. As wolves become a more visible part of our island landscape, we need to remember, or learn anew, how to coexist with wolves. We need to remove human behaviors that place wolves at risk.
Whenever we routinely encounter wolves on Cortes, it is difficult not to stop and gawk, but remembering Dennis’s sage advice... we need to let them go their way while we go ours. Do not give them a reason to stick around.
The majority of reported incidences of human-wolf conflict on Cortes Island, involve dogs.
Dog owners especially need to know that wolves view dogs as a territorial canine threat and have zero tolerance for dogs in their territory; i.e. anywhere outside residential areas.
Dogs therefore act as a magnet for wolves. When you walk your dog outside their home enclosure, expect to attract wolves if they are in the area.
Be alert, be prepared, be responsible.
***Leash your dog. The power of the leash is that wolves recognize the dog as belonging to you; this dramatically reduces the risk of conflict between wolves and dogs.
Dogs off leash are viewed as prey by wolves; this is natural behavior for wild wolves.
Wolves often follow/escort people walking dogs on leash in their territory, to monitor if/when the dog is let off leash. Wolves want to ensure territorial canine threats do not remain a threat to themselves, fellow pack members and/or pups of the year. Again, this is natural behavior for wild wolves. If/when you encounter wolves while walking your dog on leash, leave the area.
Attached below is our community’s 5-point primer, Learning to Live with Wolves on Cortes Island, for your reference; COEXistence is as simple as 1.2.3.4.5.
THANK YOU for championing wildlife COEXistence!
The Cortes Community Wolf Project’s colleague, Dennis Hetu/ Toquaht Nation, has sage advice to offer...
...“We encounter wolves a lot but we do not give them a reason to stick around. They go their way and we go ours.”
With increasingly active wolves and increasingly active Cortesians, routine encounters between community members and wolves are on the increase. As wolves become a more visible part of our island landscape, we need to remember, or learn anew, how to coexist with wolves. We need to remove human behaviors that place wolves at risk.
Whenever we routinely encounter wolves on Cortes, it is difficult not to stop and gawk, but remembering Dennis’s sage advice... we need to let them go their way while we go ours. Do not give them a reason to stick around.
The majority of reported incidences of human-wolf conflict on Cortes Island, involve dogs.
Dog owners especially need to know that wolves view dogs as a territorial canine threat and have zero tolerance for dogs in their territory; i.e. anywhere outside residential areas.
Dogs therefore act as a magnet for wolves. When you walk your dog outside their home enclosure, expect to attract wolves if they are in the area.
Be alert, be prepared, be responsible.
***Leash your dog. The power of the leash is that wolves recognize the dog as belonging to you; this dramatically reduces the risk of conflict between wolves and dogs.
Dogs off leash are viewed as prey by wolves; this is natural behavior for wild wolves.
Wolves often follow/escort people walking dogs on leash in their territory, to monitor if/when the dog is let off leash. Wolves want to ensure territorial canine threats do not remain a threat to themselves, fellow pack members and/or pups of the year. Again, this is natural behavior for wild wolves. If/when you encounter wolves while walking your dog on leash, leave the area.
Attached below is our community’s 5-point primer, Learning to Live with Wolves on Cortes Island, for your reference; COEXistence is as simple as 1.2.3.4.5.
THANK YOU for championing wildlife COEXistence!
(wolf_primer:FINAL:tideline.pdf)