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Date: March 20, 2018

To: Youth Education Coordinator, Wolf Conservation Center
From: David Parks
Subject: The Importance of Education Surrounding Wolf Conservation
Reference: N/A
Action Required: Creation of children’s book and new website page within
the next year
Distribution List: All Wolf Conservation Center employees and

For thousands of years, wolves have played a crucial role in the balance of Formatted: Indent: First line: 0"

our natural ecosystem. Before settlers ever arrived in America, anywhere

from 250,000 to 500,000 wolves roamed the continent (Wagner). Over the
years leading up until the 20th century, the wolf population dramatically
decreased due to mass hunting, baiting, and slaughtering. While the
Endangered Species Act aided in the conservation of wolves, there is still a
current need for education surrounding the topic. Many Americans today
have strong negative views about wolves due to a lack of proper education.
Because of this, Wolf Conservation Center will be implementing two new
education initiatives in the coming year.

Summary
View of Wolves Throughout History
In order to fully understand the negative ideology surrounding wolves, it is Formatted: Indent: First line: 0"

essential to be aware of the historical view of wolves throughout American

culture in order to implement effective education. Native Americans viewed
the wolves as vicious, aggressive creatures. Later, in the 18th and 19th
century, the negative perceptions only increased as the wolves were a
constant nuisance to ranchers and settlers traveling across North America.
Even today, wolves continued to be viewed as a threat to humans and
something to be eradicated. We are not the first group of people to view
wolves this way, but we must be the last group of people to have a negative
view of wolves.

Misconceptions Surrounding Nature’s Ecosystem

A common misconception is that wolves are destroying our natural Formatted: Indent: First line: 0"

ecosystem; however, there is sufficient evidence to support the claim that

wolves are a necessary component to maintaining a flourishing ecosystem.
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Due to a mass slaughtering of wolves throughout the lower 48 states, the

Endangered Species Act (ESA) brought initiatives to protect and
reintroduce wolves to their natural habitats. Even yet, many Americans
would seek to limit the population of wolves, painting them as malicious
predators that should not be tolerated.

Society’s Perception of Wolves

A Negative View Passed Down
Long before the colonists ever set foot on North American soil, negative
views towards the wolf species already existed due to the Native
American’s traditions and lore. The Native Americans view of wolves was
rooted in their mystical fear of the creatures as “ferocious warriors in some
traditions and thieving spirits in others” (The Wolf That Changed America).
When colonists began to inhabit the land, the gap between wolves and man
began to widen as each saw the other as a threat to the others survival.
While men were planting crops and raising livestock, wolves were seeking
to hunt easy food. The interactions between wolves and humans was not a
natural one, but due to their common need for survival, they were forced to
somehow coexist, although not happily. As colonists saw their sources of
food at risk, they began to lash out towards the population. In hopes to pass
down their hatred and disdain for the seemingly dangerous population, they
acted out in physical violence and negative attitudes that would be passed
down for generations.

Naturally, as colonists lashed out, they began to eradicate the wolf

population. Farmers resorted to baiting and setting traps, while many
ranchers would employ professional wolf hunters. These hunters would
utilize mass slaughtering methods through poisoned carcasses and other
baiting methods. As these highly efficient methods of killing wolves became
more and more prevalent, the wolf’s pelt became increasingly valuable.
This made the wolf hunting profession much more lucrative. There was
such a lashing out against wolves that over the course of 200 years, the
population of wolves in the lower 48 states had decreased from 250,000-
500,000 to 300 (Wagner).
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Fig. 1: Hunters with a collection of wolf pelts

(“The Wolf That Changed America)

View of Wolves Today

This mass slaughter of wolves continued on until the 20th century, when the
Endangered Species Act was introduced (NOAA Fisheries). The purpose of
this act was to preserve the wolf population across America. In addition to
protecting the lives of wolves, this act initiated the reintroduction of wolves
into their natural habitats. As a result of the reintroduction the wolf
population has grown from the previous 300 to roughly 5,500 (Humane
Society).

While the population of wolves is slowly increasing, the view of wolves as a

negative contribution to our ecosystem remains unchanged. For example,
throughout many areas in the northern states activist groups have surfaced.
One of these groups began in Washington and was named the Washington
Residents Against Wolves (WARAW). The group rallied around a strong
push for wolf population control. One of their main avenues of educating
others is through dispersing propaganda billboards and posters. These
billboards created an inaccurate view of wild wolves and their role within
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the ecosystem. WARAW increased negative publicity of wolves as

undesirable and vicious predators needing to be controlled.

Fig. 2: Wolves: vicious predators

Wolves in Nature’s Ecosystem

In contrast to this inaccurate view of the wolf, is the reality that these
animals play a vital role within nature. The clearest example of this is
shown in Yellowstone National Park. In the 1920’s, all wolves were
exterminated from the park in an effort to protect the elk and other animals.
This triggered an ecosystem collapse known as trophic cascade. This
collapse was manifested in three main ways. First,ly, due to the lack of
wolves, the coyote became the apex predator. This meant a sharp
decrease in the population of longhorn antelope, red fox, rodents, and
birds. Secondly, without wolves present, the elk population exploded. This
led to a sever overgrazing of willows and aspens within the park. Since
beavers used these willows and aspens to build their dams, this
overgrazing caused the beavers to virtually disappear. The streams caused
heavy erosion, affecting many plants and animal species. The third effect of
the decrease in the wolf population was that several scavenger species,
such as ravens, eagles, and bears, suffered without the year-round wolf-
supplied kills to rely on for food (“Infographic”).

In 1995, under the authority of the ESA, through the effort of conservation
communities reintroduced the gray wolf into the ecosystem, producing
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dramatic effects. The coyote, antelope, and fox populations returned to

normal. Elk numbers dropped and beavers returned to their habitats. As
beavers began to rebuild their dams and control the streams, the effect was
profound (see Figure 3). Additionally, the scavenger species including
eagles and bears became more plentiful as the wolves provided meals for
them to steal.

Fig. 3: Before and after wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone (Godlee)

Conclusion
The Progression of Perspectives
Throughout American culture, there has historically been a negative
connotation surrounding wolves. This can be traced back all the way to the
early days of Native American folk lore and traditions, where they were
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viewed as vicious predators. In the 18th and 19th century, colonists and
settlers continued this negative view of wolves, as the elusive predators
posed a threat to the livestock. Although the direct interaction between
humans and wolves has decreased since those times, the negative
ideology still exists as demonstrated in activist groups like WARAW.
Wolves have also been shown to be a vital role of nature’s ecosystem. This
was shown particularly clearly in Yellowstone.

Recommendations
The Need to Educate
The only way to combat this negative perception of wolves is through
education. It will take time, but over timethe course of time it is possible to
change the common effects of historyview of wolves. As shown previously,
the vast majority of negative ideologies surrounding wolves is based off of
misinformation. Because of this, Wolf Conservation Center will be
implementing two new initiatives in the coming year.

The first new initiative proposed is a children’s book telling the story of a
wolf growing up. Young children are very impressionable, but the first
experiences they have long lasting effects. First impressions are hard to
overcome. This children’s book will seek to create a positive first
impression of wolves, while at the same time teaching children how to
properly think about and relate to wolves.

The second new initiative will be adding a new page to the Wolf
Conservation Center website that is dedicated to the trophic cascade at
Yellowstone National Park. This page will be located in the “Learn”
dropdown. This will allow for adults and students to become more aware of
the crucial role that wolves play in nature’s ecosystem. As readers gain an
increased knowledge surrounding the need for wolves, they will see the
need to protect the lives of wolves.
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References
Godlee, John. “Bringing the Pack Back: Reintroduction of the Grey Wolf in
Scotland.” Cons. Sci., 19 Dec. 2015,
conservationscienceblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/bringing-the-
pack-back-reintroduction-of-the-grey-wolf-in-scotland/.

“Frequently Asked Questions about the Gray Wolf in the United

States.” The Humane Society of the United States,
m.humanesociety.org/animals/wolves/facts/faq_gray_wolf.html.

“Infographic: Wolves Keep Yellowstone in the Balance.” Earthjustice, 23

Feb. 2017, earthjustice.org/features/infographic-wolves-keep-
yellowstone-in-the-balance.

NOAA Fisheries. “Endangered Species Act (ESA).” NOAA Fisheries, 8

Aug. 2013, www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/esa/.

“The Wolf That Changed America.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 27

Oct. 2014, www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-wolf-that-changed-america-
wolf-wars-americas-campaign-to-eradicate-the-wolf/4312/.

Wagner, Jeff. “A History of Wild Wolves in the United States.” A History of

Wild Wolves in the United States | Mission: Wolf,
www.missionwolf.org/page/wild-wolf-history/.