Instructions:
Wolves were extirpated from the lower 48 states in the U.S. by the early 1900’s. The 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) protected the species and wolves were reintroduced, bringing their numbers back up to ~ 7,500 gray wolves in the lower 48 states as of 2020.
Gray wolves (Canis lupus) in region of the U.S. Northern Rockies are currently not protected under the Endangered Species Act (1973) after recent legislation at the state and federal levels and a recent federal court ruling that protects some populations but not gray wolves in the Northern Rockies region of the U.S. In the Northern Rockies region, gray wolves will be managed by the states and not the federal government.
The Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf population resides in the following states:
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming (most)
Washington (eastern)
Oregon (eastern)
Utah (northern)
On October 29, 2020 the Trump Administration announced the successful recovery of the gray wolf and delisted gray wolves as a protected species under the ESA. The press release can be found: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/trump-administration-returns-management-and-protection-gray-wolves-states-and-tribesLinks to an external site.
In 2021, Idaho and Montana enacted laws that removed restrictions on hunting wolves. The Idaho law allows for a 90% reduction of the wolf population (Idaho senate bill 1211). Less than one year later after the passing of these laws, out of a population of 2,600 more than 500 wolves have been killed in Idaho and Montana, although the true number is likely much higher.
Gray wolves are a keystone species, and their reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park has brought unforeseen benefits to the ecosystem of the park. As an apex predator, wolves control herbivory of elk from the top down, which led to recovery of many species of trees including apsen, cottonwood, willow, as well as other plants. Through elk predation, the wolves protected the forest from overgrazing which led to a change in the plant community that stabilize streambanks and provide shade for fish. The reintroduction of wolves are an example of a trophic cascade and a keystone species, having indirect effects on many other species such as plants, insects, birds, mammals such as beavers, and fishes.
In this course you have learned about trophic cascades, keystone species, indirect effects, biodiversity, matter and energy. The film “the Serengeti Rules” provides a synopsis and a hopeful ending that if humans apply what we now understand, that nature can recover. What the film explains so well are foundational principles of ecology that may be counterintuitive.
In this assignment, I am asking you to take what you have learned and apply it to the issue of grey wolf protection in the U.S. by writing a letter to a legislator, natural resource manager, a native tribe, NGO, letter to the editor, or even a hunter who is hunting these wolves.
The focus of your letter is to explain the following statement:
“Wolves are givers, not takers, of life.”
In your letter you must explain why wolves are important to the preservation of ecosystems using what you have learned in this class. Your letter should be as long or as short as is needed to fully explain your reasoning to whom you are writing the letter.
You are not required to send your letter as part of the assignment, but you are welcome to.
