Awesome birthday gift

[Sheldonrs]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

It'd be a great way to go though. When I die, I want to be eaten by wolves. Give back to the earth...

I want to be eaten by Matt Damon. My guess is you have a better shot though.

[Lamplighter]

So what is the goal of the sanctuary in Pennsylvania for those wolves ?
Just the fact that this facility even exists would drive some Oregon hunters nuts.

Wolves are being released into the wild in Montana and Idaho,
and are slowly making their way into eastern and central Oregon.
They are no longer on the federal endangered/protected (?) lists,
but Oregon law still has them on the State's protected list.

Oregon's Dept of Fish and Wildlife has set up a program
maximum of 2 breeding pairs in each of 8 areas of the state,
and hunters are acting as if there's a wolf behind every tree.
Hunters are concerned over the loss of deer and elk, which are
actually decreasing in substantial numbers. (any number of causes)

Another predator of concern to hunters is the cougar/mountain lion
which is increasing in numbers, probably because they can no longer
be hunted with hounds in Oregon (as result of a state-wide public
referendum about 6 years ago).

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

So what is the goal of the sanctuary in Pennsylvania for those wolves ?

The founder was smoking crack and thought it would be a good idea to do a real Wolfen.

[jinx]

Presence Of Wolves Allows Aspen Recovery In Yellowstone

The wolves are back, and for the first time in more than 50 years, young aspen trees are growing again in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park.

After an absence of 70 years, wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone Park in 1995, and elk populations began a steady decline, cut in half over the past decade. Also, the presence of a natural predator appears to have altered the behavior of the remaining elk, which in their fear of wolves tend to avoid browsing in certain areas where they feel most vulnerable. The two factors together have caused a significant reduction in elk browsing on young aspen shoots, allowing them to survive to heights where some are now above the animal browsing level.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs

I want to be eaten by Matt Damon. My guess is you have a better shot though.

I have a better shot at being eaten by wolves or a better shot at being eaten by Matt Damon?

Probably both!

[glatt]

Originally Posted by jinx

Presence Of Wolves Allows Aspen Recovery In Yellowstone

Very interesting. It's obvious that putting the wolves in will impact the elk, but I had no idea about the trees. I wonder if anyone did?

[Shawnee123]

The Lorax knew!

[classicman]

Originally Posted by glatt

Very interesting. It's obvious that putting the wolves in will impact the elk, but I had no idea about the trees. I wonder if anyone did?

I doubt anyone thought that far into it, but who knows. I do think that this is a great example of the unintended consequences of humans actions on the environment. In this case it seems like they were positive ... so far.




No when we realize what having too many aspen trees and them being to tall and blocking the light from some other something and then when they don't reproduce .... headspinning.

[Lamplighter]

There is an editorial in the NY Times today that is pretty good reading
about what is going on in the Northwest between the Feds, the States,
and various hunter and rancher groups.

I feel it accurately captures the moods of the various groups.

[dmg1969]

A few photos from my trip to the Wolf Sanctuary of PA have been posted in the "Neat pictures I've taken" thread.

[Lamplighter]

I just watched a 30-min segment of the PBS TV series "Outdoor Idaho" about the status of "Wolves in Idaho".

I was really impressed by the views of a man who is a major sheep grower, and of another who is a hunter/legislator.
It's worth watching, regardless of what side of the complex and polarizing issues you might think you support.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by glatt

Very interesting. It's obvious that putting the wolves in will impact the elk, but I had no idea about the trees. I wonder if anyone did?

They probably did. Around here the whitetail population is destroying the forest undergrowth. The Gamelands next door has a deer exclusion fence in one area so biologists can study a deer free area. A large property owner nearby has an exclusion fence to support forest recovery, creating a reserve for native plants.

[xoxoxoBruce]

There's always somebody thinking about this stuff, it's a matter of the people thinking/knowing, having influence with the people that have the power to effect changes.

I remember when they were planning strip mine reclamation, they decided Elk would be better than Deer, because of different eating habits. Elk graze and Deer browse.

[Lamplighter]

For those of you following the "wolf story"

This animal is demonstrating Americans in all their glory:
State officials bucking federal law,
Hunters protecting their favorite game animals,
Businesses seeking governmental protection against natural risks,
and Environmentalists using the courts to their advantage.

Idaho seeks to kill hundreds of protected wolves
By Laura Zuckerman
SALMON | Fri Aug 6, 2010 5:50pm EDT

SALMON Idaho (Reuters) - Idaho game officials said on Friday they would seek federal approval to kill off hundreds of wolves in their state despite a court ruling that restored protection of the animals under the Endangered Species Act.

Montana, the second of two states where the gray wolf was ordered returned to the federal endangered species list, is likely to follow Idaho's lead in seeking permission to thin its wolf packs through licensed sport hunting or government squads of aerial gunners.

Powerful ranching interests in both states opposed reintroduction of wolves to the region 15 years ago and have continued to resist federal protection of the animals as a threat to livestock. Sportsmen complain wolves are killing too many big-game animals, like elk, that could be hunted instead.

At last count, in December 2009, the gray wolf population in the Northern Rockies,
including Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding region, was estimated at 1,700 animals.
Environmentalists say the region's wolf population would have to reach
between 2,000 and 3,000 individuals in order to be considered viable by international standards.

[jinx]

Wolf/Aspen Update
Are wolves saving Yellowstone's aspen trees from elk?

Previous research has claimed that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 is helping restore quaking aspen in risky areas where wolves prowl. But apparently elk hungry for winter food had a different idea. They did not know they were supposed to be responding to a "landscape of fear."
According to a study set to be published this week in Ecology, a journal of the Ecological Society of America, the fear of wolf predation may not be discouraging elk from eating aspen trees after all.