Reintroducing the Gray Wolf in the
U.S. By Ryan C. Johnson
Gray wolf
reintroduction is a very controversial
subject.
Of all the mammals slated for
reintroduction, the gray wolf best exemplifies the
hard-line, extremist positions taken by both
supporters and opponents. In this day and age,
with increasing complexity of groups, and a
government taking the middle ground, less and less
legislation seems to get off the ground. While the
future of the gray wolf looks promising in the
Upper Midwest with successful natural
colonization, a simple but unanswered question
remains: should local people control
reintroduction if the wolves fail to recolonize
naturally?
Wilderness as the only
wolf habitat is a
misconception.
Wolves can adapt to
open terrain.
Based on past experiences in animal
reintroduction and recolonization programs, a
better understanding about gray wolf behavior is
essential if the gray wolf and humans are to
co-exist in reintroduced areas. One of the
problems is that people associate wolves with
wilderness areas only because:
human populations drove the wolves from
all other areas, forcing them into wilderness
areas, which were generally protected and hard
for bounty hunters to
reach5
as wolves are being reintroduced, local
residents fear losing land they use for ranching
and recreation because of this "wolf -
wilderness" association, even though it has been
proven that wolves are highly adaptable and can
survive in quasi wilderness settings with
greater road densities and more open terrain
than previously suggested.5 In other
words, wolves can live in semi-populated
areas.
Ranchers are sometimes
compensated for wolf protection or killed
livestock.
But can people live with wolves? The
question is not as straightforward as it may
seem.
Supporters vs.
opponents
Various environmental groups
are at the forefront of activities to help people
co-exist with wolves. These groups have already
alleviated some of roadblocks set up by hard-line
pro-wolf group. For example:
Defenders of Wildlife instituted a
program in Montana and Idaho that paid $5,000 to
ranchers to protect wolf dens on the ranchers'
land.5
Other conservation groups offer
compensation to ranchers for livestock and pet
deaths.2 However, expenses add up,
especially when government officials are needed
to police wolf-prone areas and determine the
cause of livestock deaths. Which raises the
hypothetical point: how much money is needed to
alleviate the stress on a rural family when
their pet dog is killed by a gray wolf? How far
can money go?
Other measures taken by Federal
Government include fencing reintroduction areas
and the killing of wolves that step out of
bounds of their control
area.5
The law is ambiguous
about the capture or kill of endangered
wolves.
The last point raises an important issue;
is it legal to kill or capture an endangered
species? Hardcore advocacy groups and pro-wolf
organizations have taken the matter to court,
effectively stalling gray wolf reintroduction
efforts. For example:
Lawsuits in Wyoming and the Southwest by
environmentalists and the Farm Bureau argue
that, in active Federal Government wolf
reintroduction programs in Idaho and Montana,
the "nonessential, experimental wolf
populations" being relocated are not protected
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) like they
should be (the gray wolf is endangered in all
states).1,7 Therefore this relocation
constitutes a taking (killing, capture, or
harming) by the Federal
Government.1,7
In active reintroduction programs in
Montana and Idaho, the federal government has
granted special permits to ranchers that enable
the ranchers to kill wolves that attack
livestock, easing up restrictions placed on the
wolf under the ESA.1,2
A federal judge recently ruled a
reintroduction out west as illegal and ordered
the killing of wolves to stop.1
Ironically, pro-wolf environmental groups hail
this as a victory because wolves are not being
killed anymore. Yet reintroduction plans are
stalled due to the above legislation, and I
believe this is a major step backwards for wolf
reintroductions.
Conservationists are
debunking wolf myths and fears.
On the other hand, some proponents of wolf
reintroduction are taking steps to ensure
reintroduced wolves do stand a chance. Groups like
the Defenders of Wildlife are mobilizing and
spreading unbiased information about the wolf,
debunking many public myths about the gray
wolf.3 Their hope is for improved
education, and for lawsuits and litigation to be
avoided in the future.
Some biologists suggest
wolf protection begins at the community
level.
Managing
reintroduction
Unfortunately for many
pro wolf groups, this is not an ideal world where
gray wolves could return to the land they
inhabited hundreds of years ago; and find it
uninhabited. One conservation biologist argues
that with reintroductions of wolves, the process
itself needs to be controlled from people at the
local level.5
L.D. Mech5 says there is "no
recovery without control." He proposes control
at the local level, which is crucial to the
success of an active reintroduction plan in
Maine and other states.
Compensation measures and lethal control
devices must be instituted at the local level by
townships and state or county environmental
organizations.5
Initiatives that incorporate the
studying, protecting, and holding by local
native tribes (who own some of the land where
wolves are reintroduced) in Idaho have proven
that local efforts can
work.1,2
Public education is the
key to wolf reintroductions.
In Maine, it is
recommended that locals work with government and
conservationists.
The role of education
Nearly
all conservation biologists urge education and
cooperation between interested parties (including
between Canada and the U.S.) as the most important
step in creating a successful reintroduction
plan.3,4,5,6,7 Maine and other states
near Canada have potential wolf
habitat6 but land management issues
need to be resolved first. Yet I believe
successful wolf reintroduction could become a
reality in Maine and other states
if:
pro gray wolf recovery groups, such as
the Maine Wolf Coalition and Defenders of
Wildlife, provide public education and accept
control measures as part of a reintroduction
plan, so the people of Maine might start to
realize that wolves could return there.
the people of Maine and other states
decide for themselves about wolf reintroduction
after an extensive education program, where the
federal government and local environmental
groups work together.
biases and myths were dispelled so
conservation and pro-wolf groups could study and
promote relocating gray wolf
populations.
Conclusion: Wolf
reintroduction programs can succeed if local
communities get involved.
The gray wolf's survival
Wolf
reintroduction seems to be feasible in Maine and
elsewhere in the future but right now there are
too many factors against it to become a reality
any time soon. Searches to identify suitable
habitat are already underway6 and
efforts by environmental groups and government
agencies are taking shape throughout the country
to dispel myths about the wolf. I strongly believe
wolf reintroduction in America can succeed if the
people in the community work in harmony with the
groups that are initiating and managing the
programs. This way, locals will realize that hard
work can make a wolf roam the forested woods of
Northern Maine or the Bitterroot Mountains of
Montana once again.
About the author: Ryan C. Johnson, a recent
graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine,
holds a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies.
Because his interests and hobbies focus on
"anything outdoors", Ryan spent two months after
graduation hiking along the Continental Divide
Trail. After the long jaunt, he became a full-time
SCA (Student Conservation Association) volunteer
at Pecos National Historic Park in New
Mexico.
Gray Wolf statistics and
background Learn more about the gray wolf
in the U.S. from the International Wolf
Center. Look around the site for additional
resources. http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/populations.asp
For Teachers: Wolf Discovery
Curriculum A wealth of activities to guide
grades 3 to 8 students on an exploration of the
world of wolves, from biology and behavior to the
long history of interactions between wolves and
humans. http://www.kidsplanet.org/tt/wolfcurriculum.html
Join a wolf organization The Wolf
Organization Address List provides contact information
for organizations devoted to the protection of wolves in
Canada, Europe, and the U.S. http://www.timberwolfinformation.org/info/listing.htm
1) Bangs, E.E., Fritts, S.H., Fontaine,
J.A., Smith, D.W., Murphy, K.M., Mack, C.M., and
Niemeyer, C.C. 1998. "Status of gray wolf
restoration in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming."
Wildlife Society Bulletin 26(4):785. 2)
Chadwick, D.H. May 1998. "Return of the Gray
Wolf." National Geographic
913(5):72. 3) Environmental News Network
(ENN). May 10, 1999. " New Hampshire outlaws wolf
reintroduction." http://www.enn.com/enn-news-archive/1999/05/051099/nhwolf_3100.asp
(Accessed 1/01, no longer available online) 4)
Lohr, C., Ballard, W.B., and Bath, A. 1996.
"Attitudes toward gray wolf reintroduction to New
Brunswick." Wildlife Society Bulletin
24(3):414-420. 5) Mech, L.D. 1995. "The
challenge and opportunity of recovering wolf
populations." Conservation Biology
9:270-278. 6) Mladenoff, D.J. and Sickley, T.A.
1998. "Assessing potential gray wolf restoration
in the Northeastern United States: A spatial
prediction of favorable habitat and potential
population levels." Journal of Wildlife
Management 62(1):1. 7) Parsons,
D. 1998. "'Green Fire' returns to the Southwest:
Reintroduction of the Mexican wolf." Wildlife
Society Bulletin 26(4):799-807.