Latest news with #TehamaCounty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three more wolf packs confirmed in California as ranchers call for relief
It was bright and early and Axel Hunnicutt was howling. He was looking for wolves. Sometimes they howl back, providing a sense of their location. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife this week reported there were three new wolf packs in the state's far north. Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the agency, was trying to track down one of them — the freshly minted Ashpan pack that consists of at least two wolves roaming eastern Shasta County. There's also the Ishi pack in eastern Tehama County and the Tunnison pack in central Lassen County. Some experts say there could now be more than 70 wolves living in California. 'I don't want to boast, but I think my howl is pretty good,' Hunnicutt said by phone while heading to the town of Burney, north of Lassen Volcanic National Park. He was taking a break from a day of searching that began at 5 a.m. in an effort to add to the limited information state wildlife officials know about the packs. The goal is to capture and outfit one of the wolves with a GPS collar. That would allow them to share information about the animal's whereabouts with owners of livestock that could become a meal for the apex predators. And it would make it easier to track them down again and collar more wolves if necessary. The trio of new packs brings the state total to 10, marking a continued resurgence for the canids protected under state and federal endangered species laws. There were seven packs by the end of last year and just one at this time five years ago. All of the latest packs were confirmed by what Hunnicutt described as "persistence" — documenting at least two wolves together at least four times in an area over six months. At least three wolves comprise the Ishi pack; it's not clear if one is the offspring of the other two. It's welcome news for conservationists, who want to see the state's native animals thrive. Many ranchers, however, see the rise of wolves as a threat to their livelihood. Read more: A dozen wolves collared in California as officials seek to track the growing population California's wolves were killed off by humans about a century ago, and they only began to recolonize the state about 14 years ago. In recent years, the population has started to take off. There were about 50 by the end of last year, wildlife officials said. The population fluctuates throughout the year as pups are born and die off, and it's likely higher at the moment. As the number of wolves increases, so does the number of cattle they attack. Between January and March of this year, 26 instances of livestock depredation were being investigated with wolves confirmed as the culprit in 16 of them, according to state data. Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs for the California Cattlemen's Assn., a trade association representing ranchers and beef producers, said wolves in at least two of the new packs are known to have preyed on livestock. "There's been a real emotional impact, a real fear impact, in the north state," Wilbur said. "Folks who perhaps have never had a wolf depredation on their herd are nevertheless fearful of the possibility, and the folks who have suffered repeat depredations from wolves, this gets really stressful and taxing and depressing for those producers." This month, Shasta County joined four other Northern California counties in declaring states of emergency due to wolves. The county's Board of Supervisors also penned a letter to the state wildlife department calling for "immediate assistance and regulatory changes to better equip counties to address this growing concern," according to a news release. The state has taken steps to address ranchers' concerns. About two weeks ago, the state wildlife department announced the release of an online map that shows the approximate location of GPS-collard wolves. Anyone can check it out, but it's geared toward cluing in ranchers in an effort to prevent wolf-livestock conflict. California wildlife officials plan to complete a status review of the wolf population and are exploring the possibility of allowing harsher methods to haze the animals, including firing nonlethal ammunition at them. The state agency also offers reimbursement to ranchers for livestock killed by wolves. At one point, the state also provided money to cover nonlethal tools and indirect losses, but Hunnicutt said the program no longer has enough funding to do so. Wilbur said the new packs underscore a long-held belief by his group that gray wolves don't need to be on California's endangered species list, where they were added in 2014. Some ranchers want to be able to shoot the broad-muzzled canids, something their protected status precludes. Read more: Two new wolf packs confirmed in California amid population boom Hunnicutt said it's not so cut and dried. 'With wolves, if allowed the protections that they have, they do really well, and they recover quickly,' he said. 'On the flip side, it would not take very much to completely topple these 10 packs.' He pointed out that the hundreds of thousands — and potentially millions — of wolves were eradicated from the Western U.S. within decades. Roughly 50 animals is generally not considered a "viable population," according to Hunnicutt. If the population reaches about 150, he said protections could probably be relaxed. Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group, sees the wolves' growth rate as typical. She said the state's 2016 wolf conservation plan identified about 23,000 square miles of suitable wolf habitat just in the region north of Interstate 80. The same plan estimated that that area could support roughly 370 to 500 wolves. Weiss said misunderstanding and misinformation is fueling backlash against the animals. 'Decades of research shows that conflicts between livestock, wolves and people are rare and preventable,' she said in a statement. 'These magnificent animals have immense value because they help keep nature wild and healthy, and that ultimately benefits humans as well.' Back in Shasta County, Hunnicutt was hot on the trail of the Ashpan pack. He picked up tracks, which led him to a fresh poop. He scooped it up. 'It's like, ah! I'm gonna figure out who it is,' he said. He believes the two wolves in the pack might be denning; it's currently the season. That means they bred and the female gave birth in a den, which could be a hollowed-out log or other safe haven. When wolves are denning, they're anchored to one spot — the den — upping the chances of finding them. It essentially entails trying to locate one square mile of activity in a 1,000-square-mile search area, Hunnicutt said. 'It's hard, but I love it,' he said. After lunch in Burney, he'd go back to scouting. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- CBS News
Tehama County teens arrested for school threats after tip from Tennessee
COTTONWOOD – A call from a concerned person in Tennessee led to the arrest of two teenagers in California, authorities say. The Tehama County Sheriff's Office says, back on May 9, deputies started investigating a call they received from a Tennessee resident. The caller claimed that a person they were gaming with online had allegedly made some concerning statements about school violence. Not only did the suspect allegedly talk about having a manifesto, the sheriff's office says the caller reported that the gamer allegedly talked about planning to target Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood. Further, the suspect allegedly showed the caller photographs of himself and another person posing as the Columbine school shooters. An attack was allegedly planned on May 9, but one of the suspects apparently backed out. Deputies alerted the school and were quickly able to identify both of the suspects as Tehama County teenagers. Both of the suspects were then served search warrants at their Bowman and Lake homes on May 11. Detectives noted that evidence found during the searches substantiated the claims made by the Tennessee caller. The suspects, who are 14 and 15 years old, were arrested and booked into juvenile hall. They're facing charges of criminal threats, manufacturing destructive devices, possession of a destructive device, and conspiracy.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Guilty plea entered in crash that killed pregnant woman on Hwy 99E
The man responsible for the October death of a pregnant 22-year-old Chico woman in a vehicle crash pleaded guilty in Tehama County Superior Court to two counts of gross negligence vehicular manslaughter on April 28. 'The case stems from a horrific collision caused by Tucker on October 15, 2024 wherein Ruth Kibbe and her unborn child were killed and a second motorist injured on Highway 99E in the Vina area,' said Tehama County District Attorney Matt Rogers. Andre Jordon Tucker, 44, was driving a 1997 Ford Expedition south of Highway 99E at a high rate of speed when he reportedly crossed the center line into the northbound lanes and crashed into a 2015 Honda Accord driven by Mirna Rodriguez, 56, of Gerber. Tucker then collided head-on with a 2012 Toyota Prius driven by Kibbe, reported the California Highway Patrol. Kibbe and her unborn child suffered fatal injuries in the crash, according to the D.A.s office. Rodriguez suffered minor injuries. Tucker was arrested and treated at Enloe Medical Center previous to being booked into the Tehama County Jail on suspicion of causing injury while driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. As part of the plea agreement, the Tehama County D.A.s Office required Tucker to make two statements in court at the time of his plea hearing. 'Tucker was required to give a sincere and detailed explanation as to why he drove in the manner he did and the circumstances leading up to his having caused this horrific incident,' Rogers said. 'Tucker was also required by the District Attorney's Office to provide a sincere and detailed explanation of what he plans to do in the future and how he plans to ensure that he will be a productive and safe member of society.' According to the D.A.'s office, Tucker stated his vehicle was experiencing mechanical issues, that he was angry at having been detoured from his typical route home and acknowledged having illegally passed a vehicle in Los Molinos prior to the collision. He also acknowledged he was looking at this cell phone at the time of the collision. Tucker returns to Tehama County Superior Court for sentencing at 10:30 a.m., on June 3, where he is facing a possible maximum sentence of five years, four months in state prison. He remains in Tehama County Jail without bail pending sentencing.
