As I posted in the past, restoration of wolves to the Rocky Mountains has helped restore the environment to a more natural condition. While there are relatively few wolves in the wild, they have been the subject of controversy. Wolves are "charismatic", and many people want to know that packs exist in the wild, hoping to have the opportunity to see them personally at some time. Others, led by ranchers and farmers who consider them to be threats to their livestock and livelihoods, would be happy to see fewer wolves in the wild. In the U.S. laws that have been passed to protect the environment and endangered species have led to reintroduction of wolves into some areas of the country, and protection of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere. However, the interpretation of the law is done under the control of politically appointed officials as the executive branch of government passes regulations and implements the law. The dispute becomes political, with the Democrats tending to favor more environmental protection and greater efforts to protect endangered species, and the Republicans tending to side more on the side of farming and industrial interests.
Government scientists are charged with developing and interpreting scientific evidence relevant to the protection of wolves and to understanding of the role of wolves in the environment. During the Bush administration there has been considerable tension between government scientists (with their supporters outside government) and political appointees of the administration, with the latter being accused of failing to utilize scientific advice properly in policy making. This tension has been quite visible in the case of government policies dealing with wolves.
A recent commentator on the previous posting asked for help in finding good information on wolves. I am making this posting to provide some suggestions:
- The Wikipedia entry on the "Gray Wolf" (which is the species found in the United States) seems quite good. It is written for educated adults.
- The First People website has a gallery of great pictures of wolves.
- The Natural Resources Defense Council provides a news service related to the efforts to preserve wolves.
- Channel G has a nice video about the protection of wolves in British Columbia.
- The Western Watersheds Project webpage on "wolf restoration" provides a good description of the role of wolves in the environment, with a great set of links to other places where you can learn about wolves.
While wolves are alive and well in essentially livestock-free zones such as Yellowstone, the primary goal of wolf reintroduction in the West - to restore the ecological and evolutionary influences of a large predator across the landscape - is not occurring. Token wolf populations in Yellowstone or central Idaho, wonderful as these isolated examples are, do not contribute substantially to the long-term biodiversity goal of restoring wolves as the top predator on public lands in the West.
George Wuerthner
"The Cry of the Wolf in the West"
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Gray Wolves Shot Near Yellowstone
"Wolf trapping in Montana kicks off Dec. 15.....But hunting already is under way for the predators in Montana and neighboring Idaho and Wyoming, and at least seven of Yellowstone's roughly 88 wolves have been shot in recent weeks while travelling outside the park."
See the article in The Huffington Post.
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