Wolf Environmental Interest

Ed Yong makes very valid points on how the wolves of Yellowstone have impacted the overly populated elk herds. He has this to say about the herds; “Today the population stands at just over 6,000 down from 19,000 in the elk’s wolf-free heyday,” (ll57). This might seem like a terrible drop in the elk’s numbers, but it is actually a good thing. Yong tells us, “The large deer had run amok in the wolf-free decades, causing serious damage to the park’s trees,” (ll5-6). So in reality, while there are far less elk now, the trees can start to build back up again.

Conservation: Yellowstone is extraordinarily large, with 290 waterfalls, 17 rivers and acreage spanning across portions of three states. According to Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk, his park “is at the heart of the largest intact ecosystem in the temperate zone in the United States, if not the world” (interview). It’s called

Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone National Park The area of Yellowstone National Park has a long history of inhabitants, even before it became the nation’s first national park. In the area now known as Yellowstone National Park, wolves were once very prominent. However due to westward expansion in the 1800s, agriculture began to increase. This led to the wolves that once thrived in this area to being practically completely removed. The increase in agriculture in this region led to a lot of the wolves’ prey becoming reduced or eliminated. Since the wolves had a decrease in prey, the wolves began to prey on domestic animals, which then resulted in humans eliminating the wolves almost completely. By the 1930s the wolf was eliminated from the area. This was before people had an understanding of how ecosystems work and the interrelation of species. Now that the wolves were gone, elk then became overpopulated. A lot of the vegetation began to disappear as well due to the overgrazing of the elk. However after about a 70-year absence, in 1995 the wolves were carefully brought back to Yellowstone. When they brought the wolves back to the park, there was not just an effect on one species or one area but rather they affected the entire ecosystem of the area. I will discuss their effects on areas such elk, beaver colonies, scavengers, aspen trees, willow trees and cottonwood trees.

Many people tend to be afraid of wolves because of how big they are and their strength. However, we don’t see how important they are until there are drastic changes. For almost 70 years Yellowstone did not have a night where a wolves howl could be heard. In that time the deer population grew fast; because of the increase in their

In May, 2016, 20 calves were killed and not eaten in four days in the area of the Absaroka Mountains, outside of Pinedale Wyoming. (Urbigkit ,2016) However, it doesn’t stop there, every day livestock and wildlife are killed and rarely eaten by wolves in almost every western state. This is a problem that needs to be addressed before ranchers lose their herds, and before the wild herds are depleted beyond restoration. If the wolf situation was bad a couple years ago, well now it’s worse, even some of the “protectors of wildlife” are starting to come to their senses.

Yellowstone National Park, untamed wild beauty. Stunning landscapes, beautiful waterfalls and rivers, breathtaking wildlife, and geothermal activity all come together to make Yellowstone an amazing place. People come from all over the world to witness the beauty of Yellowstone. It is a regulated national park for a reason, it is

Reintroducing the Wolf to Yellowstone Wolves have always been a symbol of the wild, free in spirit and roamers of the land. These animals are considered majestic and protectors of the wilderness. They have always roamed the western United States, although their population has fluctuated over time. Over the past 10 years wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park has been a controversial topic to those of the United States. As of 1995, wolves have been reintroduced into the park. This has come with some strong opposition and yet has prevailed. The future of the wolf in Yellowstone park is now looking bright, although not certain since there still are those who want them banished again.

For one, by 1980, wolves doubled to 50. By then it was apparent, ‘balance of nature’ seems to be the force that guides nature. This shows that wolves should be introduced because they are needed for balance

One of the biggest reasons for the reintroduction of wolves back into Yellowstone was that they had originally roamed from Yellowstone all the way down to Mexico. While a lot of people were in favor of the reintroduction of the wolves, there were many who were against it. The main people who were against the reintroduction of the wolves back into the park were the ranchers who made a living in the areas surrounding the park.

Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A

Wolf Reintroduction To Yellowstone Park Ted Fessides Ecology, Summer Semester 2011 Professor Thomas Heasley July 15, 2011 Contents Introduction 3 History 4 The Cons of Wolf Reintroduction 6 Pros of Wolf Reintroduction 7 Summary 9 Works Cited 11 Reintroduction of Wolves at Yellowstone Park Introduction While highly controversial, the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park has provided many beneficial ecological changes to the entire parks ecosystem. After a nearly 70 year absence, in January of 1995, 14 wolves from separate packs were captured in the Canadian Rockies and transported to Yellowstone National Park in the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (Sanders par. 2).

Zachary Higgins 12/12/16 Exploration Assignment 1) Observation I am taking a class called global environmental issues and heard about how reintroduction of wolves has had very positive impact in Yellowstone, but we did not go much deeper than just stating so. 2) Question How did reintroducing wolves to yellow stone

Reintroduction of Mexican Gray Wolves Through the years, there has been an ongoing argument on whether or not the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolves will benefit or destroy wildlife. The articles show that Mexican Gray wolves will benefit due to the reintroduction, and help the local surrounding lands. Because

Wolves are keystone species because of how they influence their prey and how their prey, in turn, influence the plants and animal species that fall under them. An example of this influence is in 1925 when the gray wolf population disappeared from the Yellowstone National Park environment. They were hunted and eradicated all throughout the United States. Wolves during the 1800s were hunted because of how they threatened the livestock of settlers in certain regions. This was a term known as predator control. Predator control is essentially when the government or some

It's a cold December night on the ranch, and you are slowly drifting off to sleep, when a sudden howl brings a shiver up your spine. You look out your window and see a Gray Wolf, the snow caresing its soft, eligant face, beautiful. When morning comes you go out