Greetings from the Newberry County Literacy Council. We hope that everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, is spending some time reading during these hot months. On the wall of my office I have a poem by Dylan Thomas which begins “I could never have dreamt that there were such goings-on in the world between the covers of books.”
I have just finished a book that demonstrates the truth of this line; a non-fiction work entitled “American Wolf” by Nate Blakeslee. It chronicles the return of wolves to Yellowstone, which once was home to numerous packs. However, elk hunters wanted them exterminated so there would be larger elk herds. Ranchers wanted protection of their livestock. Park superintendents considered the elk, moose and antelope the big tourist draws and thus waged war on their chief predator. Wolves were also shot for their pelts. By the 1920s, this systematic killing virtually eliminated wolves in Yellowstone and across the lower forty-eight states. Once the wolves were gone from Yellowstone, dramatic changes began to happen to the ecosystem. Elk and moose populations shot up resulting in overgrazing which stripped land and riverbanks of vegetation. The riverbanks eroded which damaged trout waters. Aspen and willow trees were thinned so much that beaver began to disappear. There were so many animals in these growing herds that starvation and disease were rampant. By the 1940s, serious discussion began about bringing wolves back, but ranchers and hunters remained adamantly opposed. A reintroduction plan finally prevailed and in 1995 — fifteen wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone and seventeen more in 1996. Most of the book is about what happened following the reintroduction, to the wolves and to the Park and surrounding areas. The book is also a story about a wolf named 0-Six, the name deriving from the year of her birth. 0-Six became a superstar among the wolf watchers. These watchers included professionals who were studying the wolves and others who had developed a passion for them. 0-Six was the alpha female in the Lamar Canyon Pack and, as the author states, very much in charge of the pack. She was the best hunter and, Blakeslee continues, she had so many admirers because of “her stunning blend of confidence and competence …, her indomitable will, her ability to bend a harsh landscape to her own ends, to do what needed to be done to provide for herself and her family every day, without fail.” Blakeslee reminds us that anthropomorphizing – attributing human characteristics to animals – is always a danger among animal watchers, but 0-Six inspired this kind of admiration.
The politics of wolf reintroduction and protection continue today. The gray wolf, the dominant wolf type in the U.S., was placed on the endangered species list in 1978, but was dropped from the list in 2011 for wolves in Idaho, Montana, parts of Washington, and Oregon. In 2017 they were removed from the endangered list in Wyoming (site of Yellowstone). Those in favor of taking wolves off the endangered list say the numbers are now high enough to ensure survival and that higher numbers will result in more livestock deaths and fewer elk to hunt. State politicians tend to support the hunters. Opponents of delisting argue that the numbers are not high enough to ensure survival and that additional hunting, which would follow from delisting, would put them in danger again. And, they say, if wolf numbers drop very much then the ecosystem damage caused by the disappearance of wolves in the 1920s would happen again. They also argue that wolves have not recovered in all areas cited when they were originally put on the endangered list. At the present time, the Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the endangered species list, is arguing that all gray wolves be removed from the list.
In these battles lies the history of our relationship to the wolf. Many early native American tribes used the wolf as a symbol for qualities they admired in themselves – mercy, wisdom, cooperation, humility, environmental sensitivity, and respect for elders. The Anishinaabe believed wolves always look back as they left an area to assess their impact on it. Today those who have a passionate interest in wolves emphasize the way wolves move, their social behavior, the penetrating look in the eyes, the male participation in feeding and tending the young, and the support rendered to older members of the pack. For some there is some mystical, ethereal quality.
On the other hand, there is passion in those that want to hunt wolves and delist them. They see wolves not as majestic creatures but as vicious predators. They also point out that wolves engage in fierce battles, often to the death, between packs. It is an issue that draws hard lines between two viewpoints, leaving little room for discussion and compromise. How do we overcome the barriers that arise between us and work out solutions to problems? That question is very appropriate today at the national level but important also for local issues.
Maybe we need a series involving readings and discussions about wolves – wolves in history, wolves in literature, wolves in religion, wolves and the environment. These discussions would need to include all perspectives. We are considering using this book in the People’s College this fall so maybe we can generate some of these discussions. That is what the People’s College does – engage a group in common readings and discussions about important issues. More information about this later. In the meantime, make the most of the rest of the summer and continued Happy Reading!