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Alex Boeckman

English 1101

Jeffery Leptak-Moreau

12/08/2020

Don’t Call it a Comeback: Colorado’s Wolf Reintroduction

Skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting – whatever the reason, millions of individuals are called

to the American West every year. The serenity and majesty of the Rocky Mountain Range is

undeniable, and conservation efforts have long been implemented to help preserve the vast

natural grandeur. Although federal protections and management practices have often times

helped in maintaining the integrity of our western parks, they often lack in practical and effective

means. For the first time in conservation history, a 2020 ballot initiative in Colorado left one of

the most controversial wildlife management methods up to a vote – the reintroduction of wolves.

Agriculturalists and some civilians hold a strong opposition to the measure, while biologists and

nature lovers tout proposition 117 as a game changer for wildlife management. With both sides

considered, reintroducing grey wolves to their natural habitat is a pivotal step to restoring the

health of Colorado’s ecosystems, the integrity of its biodiversity, and the states natural beauty.

To fully understand the complexities of the reintroduction issue, we can turn our attention

to the complexities of reintroduction efforts that started in Yellowstone National Park in 1995.

Biologists and conservationists were met with a fury of court cases, largely organized by a

coalition of ranchers and farmers that utilized the federal land for work and leisure. The

opposition had long occupied the lands that were to be used for reintroduction, and looked to

preserve the wellbeing of their ranching, hunting, and recreation (“The ‘Wholly Separate’
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Truth”). Dozens of public meetings occurred and more than 170,000 voices were heard.

Opposing biologists argued that the breed of Canadian wolf that would be introduced, could

inhibit naturally occurring wolves from mating, a sentiment that was then echoed amongst

ranchers. Without any concrete evidence of native wolf species surviving their extirpation, the

program moved forward to rectify the loss of Canis Lupus from Yellowstone’s ecology.

Bringing back Yellowstone’s apex predator resulted in a total reset to the area’s biodiversity, and

created a healthier ecosystem that has been managed by the natural elements, rather than human

intervention.

Upon reintroduction, a key element was to be studied: the behavior of overpopulated elk.

While hunting elk was touted as an effective form of managing elk populations, it had been

witnessed that the substitution of one apex predator for another was ineffective against solving

the issues of overpopulation. Issues like overgrazing, spreading disease, and human and elk

interactions have long plagued Yellowstone and the effects were becoming apparent in the

landscape (“Wolf Reintroduction”). The overpopulation inhibited the growth of native willow

and aspen trees and various shrubs that provided valuable resources for countless animals

throughout the park. The absence of these vital plants meant a lack of food for small rodents and

omnivores and the loss of homes for birds like sparrows, finches, and birds of prey (“Trophic

Cascades”). When the wolves arrived, it immediately had an impact on the elk and the behavior

in the park started to change. An obvious effect was the drop in their population, but the changes

that were experienced didn’t strictly impact elk. When the elk learned the patterns of the wolves,

they began spending less time in the open, exposed areas like near streams and valleys (“Habitat

Selection”).
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This sudden shift in the food chain allowed plants like willows, cottonwoods, and aspen

to grow healthier and allowed the roots to reinforce the banks of rivers. The bison population

doubled between 2001 and 2010, a direct result of the reinforced vegetation within the park

(“Trophic Cascades”). Another result was an increase in beaver colonies which in turn produced

healthy dam systems that create perfect conditions for muskrat, otters, and the spawning of fish.

The abundance of fish supplied food for eagles, hawks, bears, and other sub-predators that had

suffered from the overpopulation of elk and deer. The numbers of the problematic coyote

decreased, and allowed for the red fox to overtake dominant numbers for the first time in decades

(“A Continental Scale”). It became clear that the wolves were changing the wilderness itself,

correcting the imbalances of lopsided predatory populations and redistributing the wealth to

plants, animals, and the rivers too.

With so many incredible intricacies, it’s hard not to fall in love with the wild. The

ranchers and farmers of the opposition are repaid for any livestock that is lost through federal

funds, but the loss of Yellowstone’s ecosystem would have been devastating. The wolves have

saved countless species from losing a vital foothold in the circle of life, providing them with the

ability to not only survive, but thrive. Reintroducing wolves has proven to be integral in

restoring balance to our natural world, and reintroduction in Colorado is a blessing for the

environments that we fight so hard to preserve. As Colorado moves forward, I ask you to help

raise awareness for the benefits of the wolf. If we can save one park’s biological integrity by

simply rebuilding the natural order, perhaps we need to rethink our role in wildlife management.
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Works Cited
Brown, Elizabeth Cowan. “The ‘Wholly Separate’ Truth: Did the Yellowstone Wolf

Reintroduction Violate Section 10(J) of the Endangered Species Act?” Boston College

Environmental Affairs Law Review, vol. 27, no. 3, Spring 2000, p.425. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=3270736&site=ehost-live.

Hermans, Adam Perou, Alexander Lee, Lydia Dixon, Benjamin Hale. “Wolf Reintroduction:

Ecological Management and the Substitution Problem.” Ecological Restoration, vol. 32,

no.3, Sept.2014, pp.221-228. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3368/er.32.3.221.

Mao, Julie S., et al. “Habitat Selection by Elk Before and After Wolf Reintroduction in

Yellowstone National Park.” Journal of Wildlife Management, vol. 69, no. 4, Oct. 2005,

pp. 1691-1707. EBSCOhost, doi:102193/0022-541x(2005)69[1691:HSBEBA]2.0.CO;2.

Newsome, Thomas M., William J. Ripple, Tim Coulson. “A Continental Scale Trophic Cascade

from Wolves through Coyotes to Foxes.” Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 84, no. 1, Jan.

2015, pp 49-59. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/1365-2656.12258.

Ripple, William J., and Robert L. Beschta. “Trophic Cascades in Yellowstone: The First 15

years after Wolf Reintroduction.” Biological Conservation, vol. 145, no.1, Jan. 2012, pp.

205-213. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.005