Who We Are
Working Circle is dedicated to ensuring wolves, livestock, and people can successfully coexist and thrive on shared lands long-term. We envision resilient and economically viable ranch operations  that support healthy and ecologically diverse wild-working landscapes across the west. 
How We Accomplish Our Mission
  1. We support ranch families as stewards of the open space through meaningful collaboration.
  2. We work directly on the ground to co-develop and support the implementation of comprehensive, long-term, and sustainable strategies to reduce wolf-livestock conflict and increase ranch economic viability and resiliency. 
  3. We advance outreach programs that increase social capacity for shared landscapes that include greater understanding and respect for diverse values and perspectives surrounding large carnivore conservation and sustainable ranching. 
We Believe:
  • In the value of working ranches and the right of ranch families to ensure their heritage, lifestyle, and economic viability long-term
  • In the inherent right of wolves to exist on the landscape as nature intended, free from human-placed values or persecution
  • In the ability for wolves, livestock, and people to successfully share the landscape and thrive
“The social component of wolf conservation is as important as any element of the issue. . .We know how to ecologically bring wolves back. What we've yet to learn is how to bring them back ecologically with due consideration to the human and economic dimensions. The emphasis on the ecological dimension while ignoring the other two will leave us with two casualties — wolves and rural communities.''
~ Rick Knight, retired CSU professor, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Unit, and livestock producer ​
Where We Started
Working Circle was formed in 2016 as a program of California Wolf Center in partnership with Northern California and Southern Oregon ranchers.  The goal was to collaboratively discover, test, and implement strategies to reduce the vulnerability of cattle to large carnivores in an effort to minimize unnecessary losses of both cattle and wolves. Initial efforts were based on merging rancher knowledge and expertise of the land and cattle with the skills and knowledge of experienced large carnivore biologists.  The effort has since evolved into a more comprehensive approach that connects the dots between stockmanship and cattle management practices that have demonstrated to not only decrease vulnerability in livestock to predation, but increase ranch sustainability and economic viability. 
Working Circle was formed by the vision and input of many people: 
Joe Engelhart, Livestock Producer, Alberta, Canada
Timmothy Kaminski, Mountain Livestock Cooperative, Montana
Hilary and Andrew Anderson, Crazy D Ranch, Montana
Whit Hibbard, Stockmanship Clinician
Patrick Griffin, Siskiyou County Wolf Representative, and livestock producer, California 
Jessica Oddo, Livestock Producer, California
Scott Sumner, Hart Ranch, California
Hart family, Butte Creek Ranch, California
Mike Ensley, JRL Ranch, Oregon
Karen Kovacs, Project Director, CDFW (retired)
Carter Niemeyer, Wildlife Biologist and Author, Idaho
Christina Souto, Wildlife Biologist, California
Karin Vardaman, Working Circle Founder
​and
Patrick Valentino, Co-founder whose vision has forwarded a better way forward for wolves and working lands
for over 30 years ​

​Serving California, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon
DONATE HERE to support proven, long-term, and sustainable strategies
to reduce wolf-livestock conflict, thus protecting both cattle and wolves.
For more ways to donate visit our SUPPORT US! page.