North American Wolf Conservation Paper

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Ethan Essig

Dr. Chandler

Comp II, 9 a.m. MWF

April 9, 2013

The Formally Endangered North American Wolf

The comeback from near extinction of the North American Wolf in the Northwestern

United States is a great tale of a species revival. This major success has resulted in a push from

Congress in recent years to remove the Gray wolf from the endangered species list. Six states,

Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Minnesota, Wyoming, and Wisconsin, have succeeded in this matter,

removing the wolfsfederal protection. According to the Associated Press, the wolf population

has grown to approximately 6,200 individuals, excluding those found in Alaska, since wolves

were added to the endangered species list in 1974 (Associated Press). Now that federal

protection has been removed in these six states, the states themselves are responsible for

population management, even though it appears they are more focused on keeping the wolf

population as low as possible. The removal of federal protection for wolves in the North and

Northwestern United States will significantly decrease the stability and safety of the species.

The gray wolf has had a difficult journey to stable population levels in the United States.

In the 1930s, the wolf was hunted and trapped to near extinction; only a few small populations

remained close to the Canadian border during this time (Earthjustice: Because the Earth Needs a

Good Lawyer). It wasnt until 1974and the Endangered Species Act that wolves were provided

federal protection in the lower 48 states. This was a step in the right direction for the stability and

safety of wolves, but there was not a substantial effort to bring back the wolf to the United States

until the early 90s. During this time the US Fish and Wildlife Service initiated efforts to


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reestablish wolf populations in Idaho and the Yellowstone region (Earthjustice: Because the

Earth Needs a Good Lawyer). After this, a new era for the North American wolf began as the

population grew beyond expectations.

The reintroduction into Yellowstone was the event that really started the comeback for

the North American wolf. In 1994, Mike Phillips, who is the executive director of the Turner

Endangered Species Fund, started and led the gray wolf restoration program in Yellowstone

National Park (Goodall 146). It was the first time in sixty-nine years that there had been wolves

in Yellowstone. The plan was to capture wolves in British Columbia, and release them into an

enclosed area as they adjusted to the change. The wolves thrived because the region is meant to

have wolves (Goodall 146). This was an exciting moment for the American people who

expressed their desire to prevent North American wolves from going extinct. The program

quickly became a success, surprising even Mike Phillips, who stated, On any measurement you

would like to observe, the program has been a success. The population has grown faster than

expected (Goodall 147).

Phillips was referring to the growth of the gray wolf population to 6,200 individuals in

the Northwestern United States, and given the opportunity, they could still expand into other

nearby states with low wolf populations, such as Washington, Oregon, and California. According

to David Moskowitz, author of Wolves in the Land of Salmon, wolves need four things to

flourish, prey density and accessibility, landscape, connectivity, and security from humans

(Moskowitz 184). There needs to be a large emphasis on the security from human harm. Humans

are responsible for the most wolf mortalities in the Pacific Northwest, and the only thing keeping

that down was federal protection, which is now gone (Moskowitz 185).

The reason why six states no longer have to abide by federal protection is because in


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those states, the wolf population is stable, which is positive. But, there is also an underlying

reason for the wolves conflict with people,farmers and hunters in the region who have

developed negative attitudes towards wolves. Two big reasons for this are the misunderstanding

of the wolves effects on elk populations, and the delusion that government is trying to bring the

livestock industry down by keeping the wolf around. These two reasons lead to the illegal killing

of wolves that venture too close to livestock. Moskowitz provides a direct quote from a resident

of the Pacific Northwest, At the ratethe deer and elk herds are dwindling here because of

unchecked wolf, cougar, and coyote populations, it wont be long until we have little or no

hunting opportunities left in this area. Another resident from the same region was quoted saying

that the wolf is another pawn by the government and animal activists to drive rural resource users

off the land (Moskowitz 204). It was individuals like this that provided significant pressure on

the state and federal governments to do something about the growing wolf populations.

This was one reason for the actions by Montana and Idaho after the wolf was removed

from the list in their states, making it legal to hunt and trap wolves. Idaho took the legal hunting

as far as they could. State officials say they intend to reduce the population from 750 to as few

as 150. The federal minimum in each state for the animal to remain off the endangered species

list is 150 (Associated Press). As mentioned before, the reasoning for this is to decrease attacks

on farm animals and elk herds. But this reasoning is flawed; elk and deer herds are not in danger

of being wiped out by wolves. Biodiversity will be in danger if elk and deer populations grow to

disproportionate numbers because of a massive reduction in wolf populations. The wolves help

maintain stable populations. Also, the Gray wolf has very little influence on the amount of

livestock lost each year. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the wolf is

responsible for .2% of unintended livestock deaths per year (Livestock loses). This statistic


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shows how little effect wolves actually have on livestock.

Although the Great Lake states have not become as aggressive with wolf hunting, the

trend being set by other states could create a similar situation in those states. Each of these states

submitted a plan showing how they would monitor the wolf population to the US Fish and

Wildlife Service. The US Fish and Wildlife Service will check up on the wolves for five years

after they are delisted. If the stability of the wolves is suffering, they will be put back on the

endangered species list (Litigation on 2011 Wolf delisting). Based on how Idaho alone is

handling the removal, it seems inevitable that wolves will be put back on the list. If legal hunting

is bringing the population down to the bare minimum, it is important to also factor in the illegal

killing. People were already illegally killing wolves, and now they have fewer laws to follow.

The necessity of continuing to provide safety and stability to the North American wolves

goes beyond avoiding the reversal of the years of hard work dedicated to their comeback.

Wolves have a huge influence on the stability of ecosystems. In Yellowstone alone, wolves have,

allowed stream bank habitats to recover by changing the movement of prey items, reducing

densities of coyotes, and providing food for scavengers.(Ecological Benefits of Wolves).

Across the northern Rockies, wolves have helped maintain the health of wildlife herds by

preying on the unfit animals of the herd (Ecological Benefits of Wolves). These are just a few of

the many examples as to why the maintenance of healthy and stable wolf populations is key to a

healthy, functioning ecosystem.

The solution to human and wolf conflict is not to decrease wolf population. Two ways to

begin to solve the problem are to utilize the completely wild land still available in the United

States, as well as to increase education about wolves. Wolves do not need that much to thrive in

an ecosystem. According to Mike Phillips, wolves, need to be left alone and they need access to


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prey items bigger than themselves. You give wolves a big landscape with something to eat;

theyre going to do just fine. (Goodall 147). It is easy to provide these things, except for the

controversy with humans. Wolves have no true natural predator except humans, and have

suffered only because of human acts throughout their history. This persecution occurs even with

legal protection in areas occupied by wolves. Based on the habitat and prey availability in the

North and Northwest of the United States, wolves have the opportunity to flourish, we just have

to allow them to (Moskowitz 195).

The history of the wolf in the North and Northwestern United States proves that it needs

federal protection. History does repeat itself. It is ludicrous that society is on the verge of

repeating history just because the wolf reintroduction exceeded expectations. Do we really want

to reverse the successful comeback of the Gray wolf? It is clear in the actions of states like Idaho

that the wolf will never be allowed to thrive without reinstating the wolf on the endangered

species list. The good news is that there are activists and animal enthusiasts who will fight this

removal. Unfortunately, the future of the wolf is in human hands. The stability and safety of the

North American wolf will remain in danger, as long as they remain off the endangered species

list.


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Works Cited

"Earthjustice: Because the Earth Needs a Good Lawyer."Earthjustice. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr.

2013.

Goodall, Jane, Thane Maynard, and Gail E. Hudson.Hope for Animals and Their World: How

Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink. New York: Grand Central Pub.,

2009. Print.

"Litigation on 2011 Wolf Delisting." USFWS: Wolf. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

"Livestock Losses." WildEarth Guardians. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Moskowitz, David. Wolves in the Land of Salmon. Portland: Timber, 2013. Print.

"POLITICO."POLITICO. Associated Press, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Documents

North American Wolf Conservation Paper