Charley, a 9-year-old Labrador trained by Working Dogs for Conservation in Montana, is aiding ranchers in North Park, Colorado, as they contend with the One Ear wolf pack's growing presence. Adam VanValkenburg, who has spent significant hours managing game cameras to monitor wolf movement, sees the potential for Charley to improve understanding of wolf behavior through a new initiative called "Project Scout."

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This program, launched in August and supported by Wild Ranch, aims to assess whether specially trained dogs can conduct "odor landscape mapping" to help ranchers target nonlethal deterrents against wolves. The project emerged from a need to gather more specific data about the wolves' activities and territorial habits, as the current information from Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been described as coarse and insufficiently detailed.

Chip Isenhart, founder of Wild Ranch, highlighted the program’s purpose in mapping wolf travel corridors and influence locations, saying the challenge lies in the wolves' intelligence and adaptability. Project Scout focuses on detecting areas where wolves leave scent markers or frequently travel, hoping to enhance existing nonlethal deterrence methods.

During the pilot, Charley was fitted with a tracking device, allowing the team to analyze his movements and behaviors. VanValkenburg noted Charley's effectiveness in locating not just wolves but also other wildlife scat, which could further inform ranchers' strategies.

The collaboration also involved Jes Lefcourt of Earth Ranger, who aided in data mapping for the project. Stakeholders, including the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, expressed optimism about the potential for dogs to assist ranchers in managing wolf interactions more efficiently.

While the project is still in its early stages, it raises questions about scalability and the types of dogs best suited for this work. Participants believe that integrating dog detection could expedite the finding of wolf paths, allowing range riders to concentrate on deterrent efforts rather than tracking wolves.

VanValkenburg's ranch has been affected by wolf activities since 2020, prompting ongoing efforts to reduce livestock conflicts. Along with Project Scout, he has explored various innovative methods including camera traps and tracking tags to monitor cattle behavior.

Isenhart envisions broadened funding methods that would enable the development of tools and support for ranchers, hoping to bridge the urban-rural divide regarding wolf reintroduction in Colorado. Vail from the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project encourages viewing cooperation as vital to both ranchers and wolves coexisting on shared lands.

The sentiment shared by the stakeholders emphasizes the importance of collaboration in finding solutions for managing wildlife interactions, signifying a shift toward combined efforts that support both conservation objectives and the needs of local agriculture.