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From: Elizabeth Murdock, National Wildlife Federation
Category: What You Can Do For Endangered Species
Date: 4/23/99
Time: 2:20:36 PM
Wolves were first reintroduced into the lower 48 states in January 1995. Wolves from Canada were released into Yellowstone National Park and into central Idaho. So far these reintroduced wolves are doing very well. As of November 1998, there were approximately 303 wolves in the Northern Rockies area: 65 in northwestern Montana, 116 in the Yellowstone area, and 122 in central Idaho and southwestern Montana. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set a goal to measure when wolves had "recovered": There must be at least 10 breeding pairs for three consecutive years in Yellowstone, Idaho, and Montana. The wolf population in central Idaho reached 10 pairs in 1998 — an excellent step toward recovery. There are also non-introduced wolves in Minnesota.
There are many groups working actively to help protect the wolves, including the National Wildlife Federation. One important step is making sure the United States has strong laws to help protect wolves and their habitat. This means supporting laws like the Endangered Species Act and supporting wolf reintroduction. You can write letters to your state officials — Congress people, state government representatives, and state wildlife agency, if you live in a state that has wolves — to tell them how you feel about protecting wolves. (Many of these names and addresses are available through your local library.)
Another important thing you can do is share what you learn about wolves with others. There are many myths about wolves, describing them as mean, violent animals. But there are no verified accounts of healthy, wild wolves ever seriously injuring a human in North America. The more you know about wolves, the more you can help others understand these "beautiful animals."
(You can learn much more about wolves at www.nwf.org/wolves.)
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