Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

EDITORIAL:

Wolves’ impact on Yellowstone reminds us to respect, protect wildlife

National

Jacob W. Frank / National Park Service

This Nov. 7, 2017, photo released by the National Park Service shows a wolf in the road near Artist Paintpots in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. Wolves have repopulated the mountains and forests of the American West with remarkable speed since their reintroduction 25 years ago, expanding to more than 300 packs in six states.

North American wildernesses require wolves to thrive — they balance everything.

That was shown vividly when wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park several years ago after being wiped out there in the 1930s.

The wolves’ presence had several unforeseen but delightful consequences that improved the biological diversity of the area. The transformation started when the predators thinned elk herds and prompted them to change their migration patterns, which sparked a flourishing of plants such as willow, aspen and cottonwood trees. Why? Because the elk, which before had been able to hang around Yellowstone and graze to their hearts’ content, were now under pressure by the wolves to eat and run.

The healthier stands of trees attracted beavers, whose dams changed water flows in a way that improved environments for fish while also creating streamside growth of plants that provided habitat for songbirds.

In addition, the wolves helped any number of creatures that scavenge on elk carcasses, such as coyotes, eagles and bears. Before the reintroduction, elk died mostly during the middle of winter due to the elements. But the wolves brought them down year-round, providing a steady diet to the scavengers.

Those are just some of the effects that the wolves had on the environment.

“It is like kicking a pebble down a mountain slope where conditions were just right that a falling pebble could trigger an avalanche of change,” said Doug Smith, a wildlife biologist in charge of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, in a story on Yellowstone’s website.

The Trump administration wants to wipe out the wolves. Now, though, two coalitions of environmentalists are standing up for the animals by challenging a recent ruling by the U.S. Department of Interior to strip endangered species protections that have covered the wolves since the 1970s.

The groups filed notices of intent to sue the administration in federal court unless the protections are restored. Those notices, which are required under the Endangered Species Act to challenge federal rulings, start a 60-day clock after which the groups can file suit.

Here’s hoping the challenge succeeds. Without federal protections, the fate of the wolves would fall into the hands of individual states, many of which are likely to allow them to be hunted.

But when wolves are gone, the entire ecosystem suffers.

The animals once roamed nearly all parts of the lower 48 states before being nearly exterminated by the 1940s to make way for western development and livestock grazing. Now, experts say the population is in the 6,000 range, with about two-thirds living in the Upper Midwest.

The Department of Interior, in its delisting order, said the population had rebounded to the point where protections were no longer needed. Environmentalists strongly disagree, and say removing the protections will put the wolves back on a path to extinction.

In Nevada, wolf sightings are exceedingly rare. When one was spotted in Northern Nevada in 2017, it was reported to be the first sighting in nearly a century. But maintaining protections for the animals would help preserve the outdoor areas of Nevada and the Western U.S.

There’s also a human cost to eliminating the animals. Witness the overpopulation of deer throughout the nation, and particularly in the Midwest, which is creating deadly traffic hazards for motorists and wreaking havoc in suburban communities.

Reintroducing animals to their natural habitats can reduce those risks while also providing enormous benefits to the environment. Repopulation of bison, for example, is proving critical to protecting watersheds and stabilizing the complicated ecology of America’s prairies.

Voters in Colorado certainly understood the environmental merits of wolves, passing a ballot question last week to reintroduce the animals to regions west of the continental divide by the end of 2023.

Coloradans made a wise choice. Humans are not competing with wolves — rather, they are our helpers in keeping the world in balance. We need to preserve them for that reason alone: It’s not simply humane to protect them, it’s in our self-interest.

Here’s hoping the election of Joe Biden will bring a resolution to the federal protections short of a drawn-out legal battle, as Biden has vowed to reverse President Donald Trump’s destructive environmental policies on a number of fronts.

Biden needs to follow through, and quickly, because the Trump administration has amassed an appalling record on animal treatment. The many low points include lifting a ban on the importation of elephant ivory, and targeting bans on atrocious hunting practices like shooting caribou from boats while they’re swimming and killing bears while they’re hybernating in their dens.

Soon, Trump will be out of office and this attack on the nation’s wild animals and wild places will cease.

Until then, though, efforts like the one to save the wolves are commendable and necessary.