The rumors are true.

Two wolves were spotted on trail cameras in the Mt. Hood National Forest earlier this month.

The grainy pictures mark the first confirmed sighting of multiple wolves in this area of the Cascade Mountains since the predators started returning to Oregon earlier this century after being eradicated in the 1940s. The wolves were observed about 200 miles west of Oregon's epicenter of wolf activity in Wallowa, Umatilla, Union and Baker counties.

Federal and state wildlife officials released trail camera pictures of two wolves Tuesday traveling in the forested terrain of the Mt. Hood National Forest. The images were taken Jan. 4. The ground has spots of snow but is largely barren.

John Stephenson, state wolf biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the pictures simply confirm what wolf observers have long believed.

"We've expected them to colonize this area," Stephenson told The Oregonian/OregonLive. On Tuesday, Stephenson said he spotted wolf tracks on the fringe of the national forest where it abuts the Warm Springs Reservation territory. He installed more trail cameras and said the next steps include trying to place a tracking collar on one of the animals.

"There are undoubtedly wolves out there we don't know about," he said.

Beyond the forest territory, the predators also were spotted in other areas of southern Wasco County and on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation specifically. Tribal officials could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

Roblyn Brown, Oregon's wolf coordinator, said in an email that her office is aware of sightings dating to 2013.

"This shows that wolves are continuing to expand their distribution in Oregon," she said. "That is good news for wolf recovery." A 2015 state report indicated wolves occupied just 2.6 percent of suitable habitat in the western portion of the state.

WHERE DO OREGON'S GRAY WOLVES ROAM?

Wolves continue to establish new packs and territory across the state, but Wallowa County is a prime spot for several packs. Here's where state biologists say each of the state's packs are known to roam.

Source: ODFW

Suzanne Stone, Oregon representative with the nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife, called the development "great news."

"It's really exciting to see that they're expanding their range," she said.

It's unclear how long the animals have been in the Cascade Mountains. Lone wolves were seen traveling through a similar area in 2013 and 2015.

Stephenson said solo wolves typically move on to other areas of the state, but the presence of a pair suggests they've been in the area for some time.

"This may be the start of a new wolf territory," he said, adding that January is breeding season.

The Wasco County wolves are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, as is any wolf west of U.S. 395, U.S. 95 and Oregon 78. Wolves east of those roadways are managed by state officials and can legally be killed under certain circumstances.

The latest sightings come about two months before the state is expected to release its latest annual wolf report.

Population numbers remained stagnant in 2017, at an estimated 112 animals, a fact state officials said was a blip in an otherwise upward trajectory statewide.

But the previous year has seen several incidents of poaching or suspicious wolf deaths, prompting rewards from federal officials and conservation groups numbering in the tens of thousands.

Wolves in Jackson County, also protected under federal regulations, already have killed three calves in 2018.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen