A-oooooo, Where wolves in Yellowstone?

Back in 2005, I wrote a tune called “A Deer In My Cadillac” about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park (join my mail list and get it free in 11/2012!). This effort was, to say the least, controversial.  How would you feel if someone released a couple packs of large predators into a park near you?  On the other side of the issue, if wolves can’t live in Yellowstone where can they live? In the end, pro-wolf forces prevailed and, in the winters of 1995 and 1996, a total of 66 wolves left tracks in the Yellowstone snows that hadn't been seen in decades.

 Why did they disappear in the first place? The early 1900s saw deer and many other “game” animals in steep declines due to unregulated hunting.  Wildlife officials decided that controlling predators was part of the solution and promoted indiscriminate hunting of wolves until 1926. Some unknown time thereafter, the last Yellowstone wolf disappeared. 

In the wolves’ absence, elk populations exploded and, being especially fond of the tender shoots of aspen,willow and cottonwood trees, elk grazed upon them to the point that these forests were failing to regenerate.  

For scientists, reintroducing wolves was about much more than the thrill of seeing a dominant predator surveying  its kingdom again. They hoped the predators would restore balance to the Yellowstone ecosystem and foster the return of other species that had declined or disappeared in the wake of the ravenous elk. 

Within ten years, scientists were noting signs of recovery in aspen forests and the wildlife they support. With the return of cottonwoods and willows, the slap of a beaver’s tail, once nearly unheard in the park's 3742 square miles, echoes again with renewed vigor and frequency.

In  a 2010 study, however, scientists found that, despite the fact that wolves had reduced elk populations by dramatically, elk were still gobbling up aspen shoots and preventing forest regeneration.  A greater population of wolves would be required, they felt, to bring the restoration so many had hoped for.

Unfortunately, wolves are now battling microscopic nemeses in addition to local ranchers: parvovirus, canine distemper, mange and more. Their population, once up to 170, has dropped to  about 100.    

The story of Yellowstone continues to unfold and wildlife managers are now working tirelessly to make sure that wolves are a part of it. Scientists, for their part, are documenting the cascade of effects that ripple through the Yellowstone ecosystems that will inform other efforts to reintroduce top predators.  

With continued time and support I, for one, hope that Yellowstone can support wolves, aspen, beavers, eagles, foxes and all the other species that have called it home for countless years.