What? Wolves Help Preserve Yellowstone Streams

[SilverCreek 0]

Some new findings from Yellowstone Park. Return of Wolves preserves the streams.

https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/wolves-return-to-yellowstone-boon-for-streams.htm

 

[mikechell 0]

I'd heard or seen reports like that before. I've seen, first hand, the massive damages that happen when grazing species go unchecked and unculled. People who cry for the end of hunting don't know anything about ecosystems and the sheer masses of vegetation ruminants and other plant eating animals consume.

Letting them overpopulate an area rapidly depletes resources to exhaustion. Then, grazers starve and die terrible deaths.

Reduction of predators (humans are to blame for that) REQUIRES hunting.

Reintroducing predators brings back a balance to the ecosystem that is reflected throughout the food chain.

 

Good article, Silver. Thanks for linking that.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

and as usual we don't have any problems... That we haven't caused ourselves.

[Edward Snowden 0]

The Dept. of the Interior has tried to restore the Red Wolf population in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for about 15 years. Last year, they abandoned the effort, declaring it was a failure. Read Christopher Camuto's excellent book, Another Country: Journeying Toward the Cherokee Mountains, where he chronicles the early restoration efforts.

 

This just in... Reported November 16, 2018, the House of Representatives has passed legislation to remove all protections for Grey Wolves. With an estimated population of about 5,000 animals in the lower 48, the Trump administration believes the Grey Wolf population has recovered sufficiently to take it off the Endangered Species list.

[tjm 0]

That really does not remove protections at all, it simply puts the management back into the states' handling and allows for actual management rather than a "hands off and what ever happens, happens" lack of control.

While beaver may be great for the song birds as mentioned, they can kill a trout stream pretty quick with all that hot pond water.

Our biggest problem with wild life in the USA is in letting politics have any control over policies, each state should have a non-partisan or bi-partisan Commission or agency overseeing wildlife management on a scientific basis, by professional biologists. Most states have their wildlife controlled by a legislature that only understands popularity.

[rstaight 0]

+1

[Fisherboy0301 0]

tjm, you are correct.

 

Sadly, when wolf management falls back into

State hands, ranchers have a much louder and numerous presence in those states politics than conservationists, and the wolves will not fare well. Though Im not sure they will fare any better under the control of our current administrations appointed leaders anyway.

 

 

 

From a conservationists point of view, the current administration is a mess. A horrible saddening mess.

 

 

Great article Silver. I enjoyed it.

[tjm 0]

Given a choice wolves would rather eat beef than elk, I would too so I don't blame them, however when the wolves leave the reservation and prey on a family's livelihood it's hard to curse the ranchers for wanting something done. Do you think the state or Federal government should compensate the ranchers for depredation? Cows are $2000-$2500 each, it doesn't take many to hurt a family. How much is the value of a rogue wolf?

The states that have had wolf seasons had very strict regulations on them, both numbers taken and methods of take. I'm not at all worried about over harvest because the last thing people living with wolves want is to have them put back on that list.

The current administration and the previous administrations have and will respond to the whim of the electorate, they always do what it takes to get votes. I don't expect much good to ever come them, what ever good is.

[Poopdeck 0]

Just finished watching a documentary on this very issue on Natgeo. What a great show and story.

[Flicted 0]

tjm I agree with what you say and don't mean to get political, but responding to the whim of the electorate, doing what it takes to get votes, is technically exactly what they should be doing. They are sent there to represent the people. It's going counter to the majority and catering to special interests with big bank rolls donating to their campaigns that is more often the root of the problem.