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Bele's Wolf Thread.


Belesarius

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A pretty decent Nat Geo story on "the most famous wolf in Yellowstone". Of more importance, the environmental impact of reintroducing wolves into the region which has drastically reduced elk populations but has improved habitat for streams.

 

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/11/american-wolf-nate-blakeslee-yellowstone-hunting/

 

When they brought wolves back, it quickly changed and improved the landscape in ways that even the biologists didn’t anticipate. First and foremost, Yellowstone had way more elk than it could reasonably accommodate. Wolves brought that number back down to what it historically had been prior to Europeans arriving in Yellowstone.

 

They also began to see other species flourishing. The elk were no longer able to gather in the valleys in huge numbers and browse at their leisure; they had to be much warier and spend more time at higher elevations.

 

One of the effects was that streamside vegetation began to rebound. Aspen and willow returned, which in turn encouraged beavers to return to the park, as willow is their main food source. Beavers change the profile of a river, making it deeper by creating dams and pools, which in turn is healthier for fish.

 

Oh, I guess it also has handwringing over the Trump Adminstration but you don't have to read the last part of the article. 

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