Islander Carolyn Shores says she is happiest outside in the woods. It is a good thing.

Shores is Ph.D. student and National Science Foundation Research Fellow in the Predator Ecology Lab at the University of Washington. Shores is studying  wolves in the field and their impact on the environment around them.

Research shows that the presence of wolves in the wild are important to both people and animals.

But the re-emergence of wolves in the Okanogan Highlands in northeastern Washington state, is not without controversy.

Wolves were once nearly hunted to extinction in the United States in the 1920s. They disappeared completely from Yellowstone National Park. Then some 80 years later, they were reintroduced in the park. Researchers found that without the wolves to keep the populations of other animals in check, the balance of the forest ecosystems changed — and not for the better.

Without wolves, researchers observed that trees and grasses were overgrazed by deer and other wildlife. The loss of trees and grass, changed habitats. The fragile balance of the ecosystems where the top predators once roamed, were altered — even affecting rivers, fish and animals such as beavers.

Indirectly, wolves feed other carnivores and raptors. The leftovers of a wolf kill are consumed by other predators or scavengers.

Yet, despite their essential role in the wild, wolves are generally feared and hated. Wolves sometimes kill livestock and are seen to reduce deer populations that attract hunters.

Shores works in the area around Republic, Wash,. in Okanogan County where she might spend hours each day outdoors, tracking and observing animals. But it is not just about wildlife.

“People are part of the ecosystem too,” she said.

Shores points out that license fees and tourism dollars that come from hunting are important to supporting land and wildlife management and provide jobs and income to local communities.

People love or hate the wolves, she admitted. “But we (researchers) have to detach from that emotion. We must use science to manage them.”

The concerns of the ranchers and hunters are part of the picture, she added.

Since 2008, fourteen wolf packs have established  themselves in the state. Their presence  offers a rare opportunity to study ecosystem responses when a top predator returns,

Shores said that her work is focusing on the impacts of wolves to the hub of the food web in the Okanogan ecosystem—white-tailed deer and mule deer.

These two species are crucial prey for other North American carnivores such as cougars, coyotes and black bears. The deer are “ecologically influential grazers” in the American west given their great numbers.

Shores works out of  Republic with a team of researchers to study the wolves. The team uses high tech tools to conduct their research.

To examine how deer respond with or without wolves, the team collects behavioral data using animal-borne cameras, global positioning collars and scat samples.

Animal-borne cameras enable researchers to see if deer change where they eat or how often they look up to check for wolves or coyotes. The GPS collars provide directional data to track the movements of instrumented deer over the course of a year to see how the presence of the predators alters their movements.

Shores explains that scat (aka poop) samples provide another way of documenting deer diets. These samples can reveal if deer change what they eat when confronted with wolf danger, possibly because they stop eating certain foods that are located in areas that are risky.

The research team maps and follows the movements and even physiological changes in does that will signal a birth. If that happens, the team moves quickly to briefly capture the newborn fawn and fit it with an electronic collar. Subsequently, the collar will send a signal if a fawn dies, alerting the team. They head out to find the fawn and determine if it was killed by a wolf or perhaps a coyote.

On an ordinary day, Shores may travel up to 90 minutes one way to check on a signal, retrieve data, or check camera gear.

She will be wearing layers of clothing, boots or even snowshoes. Beyond notebooks, electronics and exam gloves in her 25 lb. pack, there is trail mix and bear spray. She also has a ‘spot device’ with her at all times. The device keeps track of her location by satellite.

In the evenings, the team works long hours to download and analyze the data.

Shores’ research is funded by a National Science Foundation grant. Her grant was one of approximately 40,000 proposals submitted each year to NSF for research, education and training projects. Shores’ grant pays for three years of tuition for graduate work, housing and a stipend.

Shores who attended Lakeridge Elementary School and grew up near Pioneer Park, where she spent a good deal of time on the trails there.

“I was always out hiking or in the woods as a kid,” she said. “We’d go to  Cougar Mountain or Tiger Mountain.”

Shores graduated in 2004 from high school at Holy Names Academy in Seattle. She earned a Bachelor of Science Biology: Environmental and Conservation, with Distinction from UW in June 2010.

Shores said she has always loved ‘big charismatic carnivores.’

“And I love dogs,” she continued, “I have always had an affinity with big dogs.”

Kaeli Smith, a 2005 graduate of Mercer Island High School, is another Island-based recipient of an NSF grant. She is studying crows. She has the office next door to Shores at the UW.

For more, visit www.predatorecology.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-Wolf-Project.