"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."
Howard Zahniser, author of The Wilderness Act
It took over sixty drafts and eight years before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed The Wilderness Act into law on September 3, 1964. Originally, 9.1 million acres of federal land was protected which has now bloomed to over 109.5 million acres today. Beings that there are 640 acres in a square mile, today's Wilderness protected lands are around 171,093.75 square miles. (For comparison sake, total acreage of California [land and water] is 163,694.74 square miles.) Wonderfully, that's quite a bit of preserved territory protected from mans' vices.
Recently, a four minute video called "How Wolves Change Rivers" went viral on YouTube (over 3 million views in its first month) where the video explains how wolves altered the Yellowstone ecosystem. After humans exterminated wolves to the point they made the endangered species list, they were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995. During the approximate 70 years during the predator's absence, elk overpopulated the park. Hungry elk buzzed grasses, shrubs and small trees to bare, and in someplaces, moonscape type of conditions. (Yes, bison and deer populations also benefitted from the wolf's absence and contributed to the overgrazing.) Riparian zones, the sensitive areas near waterways, suffered greatly with too many mouths and hooves working over the tender banks.
But, as the Yellowstone wolves reproduced and preyed on the elk, the elk left the open valleys and tender meadows to seek refuge in tougher terrain. Researchers discovered the elk's departure, assumably along with a decreasing population due to the feeding wolves, led to regeneration of the decimated areas. Trees grew, birds returned to the areas and the river banks began to get reinforced with vegetaion and roots stabilizing them. Beavers returned and built their signature dams that created pools and marshes. Their presence had a ripple effect as their habitat brought in otters, waterfowl, fish, and who knows how many reptiles, amphibians and insects returned and repopulated the area. The wolves killed coyotes, so rabbits and small vermin populations increased which brought back more birds of prey, foxes and members of the weasel family. Bears not only benefitted from the wolves' leftover carcasses, but they also enjoyed more berries with the regeneration of the park's vegetation.
The narrator, George Monbiot, speaks with a British accent and refers to elk as deer, but that is the label used for the species in his home country. He eloquently speaks of the "trophic cascade as an ecological process that starts at the top of the food chain and tumbles all the way down to the bottom," and cites the wolf reintroduction as a classic example. Mr. Monbiot speaks how wolves kill various species of animals, but in so doing, they give life to many others.
The cycle of life is quite overwhelming when trying to grasp how it all how intertwines.
The narrator, George Monbiot, speaks with a British accent and refers to elk as deer, but that is the label used for the species in his home country. He eloquently speaks of the "trophic cascade as an ecological process that starts at the top of the food chain and tumbles all the way down to the bottom," and cites the wolf reintroduction as a classic example. Mr. Monbiot speaks how wolves kill various species of animals, but in so doing, they give life to many others.
The cycle of life is quite overwhelming when trying to grasp how it all how intertwines.
So, the video is exceptionally well done and it looks like a win-win situation; the wolves return into Yellowstone and Yellowstone returns to its more natural state. But wait, it can't be all good news. What about livestock being killed and eaten, or the danger they present to tourists, or the wolf population spreading far outside of the park and reeking havoc on innocents?
Like everything in life, there are tradeoffs. Sure, if the wolves were disciplined enough to stay in Yellowstone and strictly dined on bison, deer and elk cuisine, then Yellowstone could be renamed Nature's Utopia. But, they are simply a part of the ecosystem and just as susceptible to its shortcomings like any other part of the incredible machine. Wolves might overpopulate and be forced to vacate the park for food and possibly get the taste of beef. Or, disease may wipe them out where elk would overpopulate again and the cycle repeats.
We as humans owe nature tremendous respect as we oftentimes trample all over her and later realize our mistakes and seek corrective measures.
The wolf "fix" in Yellowstone makes sense. We have a similar problem here in Colorado in the Rocky Mountain National Park with elk decimating the environment. Yes, the park is much smaller than Yellowstone, but hunting and hired sharpshooters are not harvesting enough elk and, their guns are not changing the elk's behavior to seek refuge up in the rugged terrain to allow the valleys and riparian areas to regenerate.
No doubt fanatics from both sides will sling all kinds of extreme viewpoints, but RMNP is designated as Wilderness where Howard Zahniser's definition includes how the community is to be untrammeled by man. For every reason or excuse to have or to exclude the wolf, there is a fair counterpoint.
Maybe wolves in RMNP is worthy of consideration. They are not the big, bad, huff 'n puff or I'll blow your housedown creatures we were raised in believing. They are socially organized, family oriented intelligent canines trying to survive in this crazy world we keep infringing upon.
The Wilderness Act will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year. Thank you, Mr. Zahniser, for your efforts in trying to preserve nature's beauty for many, many generations to come.
I hope we can uphold your dream.
I hope we can uphold your dream.
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