Because wolves present a concern to ranchers and livestock producers, the Harney County Wolf Advisory Committee turned to AlertSense as a way of communicating wolf sightings in the county. On Dec. 16, the notification system was put to the test, and it passed with flying colors.

That day, Rod Klus, wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, sent a message to two members of the committee, Suzanne Settle and Harney County Commissioner Patty Dorroh, regarding wolf tracks.

The message read: A reliable report of a single set of wolf tracks in the snow was photographed and reported near Yellow Jacket Lake, Harney County, Oregon on Dec. 14, 2019.

A reliable report of a single set of wolf tracks in the snow was photographed and reported near Curry Gordon Creek, Harney County, Oregon on Dec. 15, 2019.

A reliable report of a single set of wolf tracks in the snow was photographed and reported on Hwy. 395, about 5 miles north of the Hwy. 20/395 Junction, Harney County, Oregon on Dec. 16, 2019.

It is likely that all three sets of tracks were made by the same animal. The second two reports are almost certainly related.

Once she received the message, Settle relayed it via AlertSense to make the public aware of the sightings.

Harney County rancher Tom Sharp responded to the AlertSense notification with an email to the Harney County Court thanking it for the notification: I want to thank Harney County and HCSO Dispatch for sending the “AlertSense” notification received this morning of a possible wolf in my area. This is an excellent example of timely landowner notification of reports received by the Sheriff’s Office. I have also shared this report notification as a “best practice” example of what is possible in alert-system technology to my Wolf Committee Chairs and other board members at the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association.

In an article submitted to the Burns Times-Herald last August, Dorroh noted that, “Utilizing AlertSense will provide ranchers a leg up in the area of livestock protection by sending participating producers information about dispersing or transient wolf sightings. This will allow ranchers to put extra patrol on their livestock and allow for normal wolf movement through an area while protecting our community’s livestock, working animals, and livelihoods.”

Settle said about 30 people have signed up for AlertSense to receive information regarding wolves, and the committee would like to see an increase. There is no charge for the service. Those interested need only provide a phone number and/or email address. Sign-up sheets are available at the Harney County Courthouse. You can also email Settle at suzanne.settle@co.harney.or.us. Funding for the system is provided by the county’s Emergency Management Services.