California wildlife officials have confirmed a rare sighting of a gray wolf in the Mendocino national forest, marking the first time the species has been spotted there since making its grand comeback to the state 15 years ago. Because nothing says 'welcome back to the neighborhood' like a presidential executive order threatening to strip your protections.

Lake county officials, about two hours north of San Francisco, revealed last week that the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) had received reports of sightings in late August. After verifying the presence of a wolf at the far north end of the county, supervisor Brad Rasmussen took to social media to share the news, because apparently that's how we announce the return of an apex predator now.

The CDFW confirmed the sightings, stating they received two separate reports from the tri-county area where Mendocino, Glenn, and Lake counties meet. Alicia de la Garza, the CDFW deputy director of public affairs, said the agency received photos and promptly got on the ground to confirm the animal's presence the next day. 'The sighting was verified by a CDFW wolf biologist who confirmed the validity of the photos, conducted surveys in the area and confirmed wolf tracks where one of the sightings was reported,' de la Garza said.

A century ago, hunters and settlers drove wolves in California to extinction, but the animals made a triumphant return in 2011 and have been expanding their presence ever since, mostly in the rural and remote north-east. There are now at least 50 documented wolves in California, and they're clearly not content to stay in their lane.

The recent appearance in the Mendocino national forest, first reported by MendoLocal.News, is significant because it's the only confirmed sighting west of the Sacramento Valley, according to Axel Hunnicutt, the state gray wolf coordinator for the CDFW, who told the Sacramento Bee it's a sign the species is expanding its range. 'Evidence of wolves in that part of the state is a good thing,' he said, presumably while dodging angry ranchers.

The return of the wolf hasn't exactly been a fairy tale. Ranchers have expressed frustration that there's little they can do when wolves kill their livestock, especially since the species is protected in California and under the federal Endangered Species Act. Enter Donald Trump, who last week signed an executive order titled 'Supporting America's Ranchers' - because who needs checks and balances when you have a catchy title? - directing the interior department to consider removing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act and to loosen restrictions for 'lethal removal'.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been trying to de-list the gray wolf, but the matter is still tangled up in court. Meanwhile, the act protects wolves across most of the lower 48 states under a 2022 federal court order.

Environmental groups were, unsurprisingly, not thrilled. 'Once again, we see this administration attempting to override the checks and balances provided by bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act in order to create industry carveouts and distract from other bad policies that are proving unpopular,' said Leia Barnett, New Mexico conservation lead for WildEarth Guardians. In other words, the wolves are back, and so is the political drama.