Book explores the fall and rise of wolves at Yellowstone, and how the park's ecology is recovering s

[Judi Lynn]

Book explores the fall and rise of wolves at Yellowstone, and how the park’s ecology is recovering since their return



A wolf from the Wapiti Lake pack stands near a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service/AP)

By Erin Blakemore
Dec. 19, 2020 at 7:00 a.m. CST

How did wolves go from feared, hunted and decimated to a protected part of Yellowstone National Park’s ecosystem?

“Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World’s First National Park” tells the fascinating story. Edited by Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler and Daniel R. MacNulty, it’s a comprehensive look at what happened when wolves were driven out of Yellowstone, and how nature is recovering now that they’re back.

The park was once open to hunting, and wolves were eradicated there by the 1920s as part of a program that eliminated predators such as coyotes and cougars. But the well-intentioned plan backfired when elk, bereft of their natural predators, changed the landscape as they ate their way through the vegetation.

Then, in 1995, wildlife experts released gray wolves back into the park.

Their movements and effects have been studied ever since.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/wolves-yellowstone-book-about-return/2020/12/18/e5ef6e58-3fd7-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html

For any interested wolf fan, there is a wonderful live-cam in New York, near Salem, where they give shelter and close care to endangered wolves.

The Wolf Conservation Center:
https://nywolf.org/webcams

Here's a page of thumbnail photos of beautiful WCC wolves:
https://tinyurl.com/y6veten3

[panader0]

1. The photos in the thumbnail page are beautiful!

I had read about the recovery of the ecology in Yellowstone. Every animal has their place
in the chain. Humans tend to f things up when they intervene.

[pazzyanne]

3. Thank you for posting this, Judi Lynn.

Have worked on wolf restoration projects for the past 50 years. We can use all the positive information about wolves being a necessary part of our world. So happy to see the articles you and others have posted today and in the past.

[2naSalit]

4. Thanks for posting this!

I know those guys! They have produced tons of data on the wolves in the Tri-state DPS but most specifically inside the park. I was involved in some of the post reintroduction studies and had "Ranger Talks" on them when I worked at YNP. This is going to be an important reference book, I'll have to get a copy for certain.