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The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley C. Kees, Julius P. Jacobsen, Kami M. Koyamatsu and Arielle S. C. Fontaine Professors Vince Gallucci, John Marzluff, and Mark Miller ESRM 458 - Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

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Page 1: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A

Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone

Area

Sara C. Meicho, Ashley C. Kees, Julius P. Jacobsen,Kami M. Koyamatsu and Arielle S. C. Fontaine

Professors Vince Gallucci, John Marzluff, and Mark Miller ESRM 458 - Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Page 2: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Outline• Introduction• Clients• History

– Wolves and YNP– Political History

• Current population• Stakeholders

– Governance Institutions– Hunters– Ranchers– The Scientific Realm– Non profits

• Recommendations• Conclusions

Page 3: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Introduction and Explanation• Yellowstone Controversy long-

lived, no end in sight• Stakeholders analysis to inform

people on the human dimensions side of controversy

• Used government web sites, organization blogs, news paper articles, organization web sites, signed letters, federal documents, federal register, etc.

• Only way to get past this issue and move on is to gain cultural acceptance and compromise from ALL sides

Page 4: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Clients• Montana Farm Bureau Federation• Idaho Farm Bureau Federation• Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service• Idaho Fish and Game• Wyoming Game and Fish• Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks• National Rifle Association• Defenders of Wildlife• Senator Orrin Hatch• Congressman Denny Rehberg• C.L. “Butch” Otter (Governor of ID)• Brian D. Schweitzer (Governor of MT)• Matt Mead (Governor of WY)

Page 5: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

The History of Gray Wolves and Yellowstone Reintroduction

• The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most widespread species of any top carnivore, historically occupying the niche of top-down management across North America, Russia, India, and all of Europe.

• Once the most widely distributed carnivores in the United States, gray wolves have now disappeared from much of their historical territory following Euro-American settlement

• Wolves affected by long-term control efforts in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, extirpated entirely from Yellowstone in the mid 1920’s

Page 6: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

The History of Gray Wolves and Yellowstone Reintroduction

• Removal of a key predator from the region resulted in imbalances of trophic cascades, most notably a dramatic increase in elk populations– Greater vegetation impacts– Long term program of elk culling in the park up

until 1968—the end of which caused exponential growth until wolf reintroduction in 1995

• In 1995-1996, 31 wolves were reintroduced and able to increase under the ESA, since then re-colonizing all 8991 km2 the park and beyond

Page 7: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Political History

• 1978: listed as endangered at the species level throughout the conterminous 48 states and Mexico (exception of Minnesota)

• 1987: Northern Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Plan

• Portions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming designated as two nonessential experimental population areas

• Reintroduction of wolves to Central Idaho and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

• Numerical, distributional and temporal recovery goals achieved for the NRM wolf population (2000 & 2002)

• Listing, Delisting, Relisting, Delisting and Relisting: a tumultuous and inconsistent history Two attempts to remove the species from under ESA protection (2008 & 2009) Lawsuits resulting in reinstatement of Federal protections

• 2011: Denny Rehberg’s 509 bill calls to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that the act shall not apply to the gray wolf

Page 8: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Current Status

Wyoming

Greater Yellowstone

Ecosystem

Status StateKnown

Population

Endangered

Colorado Michigan 604

Nevada New Mexico

North Dakota Oregon

South Dakota Utah

Washington Wisconsin 690

Threatened Minnesota 2,922

ExperimentalIdaho 835

Montana 524Wyoming 240

Not Protected Alaska 7,700 - 11,200

http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=A00D

Montana

Idaho

Page 9: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Governance and Institutions

• Department of Fish and Wildlife– Protect listed species (ESA)– Work to keep species from

extinct.

• The National Park Service– Yellowstone National Park– Policy: restore native spp to

areas they once inhabited but were extirpated

Page 10: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Governance and Institutions

The States• Idaho (IDFG)

– >15 breeding pairs– Hunting pop. large enough– Training successful hunting

and trapping– Public education programs

• Montana (MFWP)– 15 packs = ‘trigger’ number– < 15: non-lethal mgnt– >15: lethal mgnt acceptable– Large enough population

• Listed as furbearer/big game animal

• Hunting season

Page 11: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Governance and Institutions

The States• Wyoming (WGFD)

– Maintain 15 packs– 7 outside national parks– Min. 10 total packs– NW Wyoming: Trophy

• Regulated hunting– Rest: Predatory

• Take w/out permit any time

• Wind River Indian Reservation (Salish, Kootenai, Pend d’Oreille tribes)– Non-lethal mgnt – Not work > kill 1 or 2– Not work > kill whole pack

• Permission USFWS and Tribal Council

– Inform public ecology and mgnt wolf

Page 12: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: States – Economic Benefits

• Tourism comprises a significant proportion of state economy• 150,000 people visit Yellowstone National Park just to see

wolves• 35.5 million dollars of additional revenue• Top species for 44% park visitors

• Ecotourism• 30 outfitters in YNP rely on wolves to stay in business• Supports other businesses year round• Wildlife watching top activity for tourists

• Economic Benefits outweigh negative effects of wolves

Page 13: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Hunters• There is a long standing tradition of hunting in the American

Northwest, the people have a traditional and cultural investment in hunting

• Hunters would have wolves delisted to improve hunting conditions and reduce the hassles of cohabitation

• Arguments for delisting include:– Wolf numbers exceed that prescribed by the recovery plan implemented by the USFWS in 1994– Large declines of elk herds from wolf predation– This is worrisome for a generation accustomed to very large herds

Page 14: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Hunters

• Hunters benefit from wolf predation in the sense that game animals with weaker genetics are likely to be removed from herds, keeping genetics strong as opposed to simply large populations. Trophy animals rarely fall to wolf take which is also good news for hunters

• Challenge of balancing wolf take and hunters take of ungulate game species

Page 15: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Ranchers

• Direct consumption of livestock– 0.11% of cattle losses in all of U.S. (2005)– Over $829,000 in sheep losses alone in WY, MT, ID (2009)

• Behavioral shifts of livestock– Reduced fecundity, weight loss

• Domestic Dogs– Predation– Disease transmission

• Changing ranching culture• Beneficial decrease in elk population

– Decreased foraging competition

Page 16: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Ranchers

Efforts to Coexist• Permanent and portable

fencing • Fladry• Human Presence

• Disposing of carcasses• RAG boxes• Non-lethal ammunition• Compensation for losses

Page 17: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Scientific Realm

• Predators exert complex influences on the ecosystems to which they belong

• Removal of wolves:• elk irruptions• range deterioration• reduced diversity of both flora and fauna

• Reintroduction of wolves:• Trophic cascades with changes observed in

• woody browse species• beaver numbers• coyote population• pronghorn antelope population• and more

Page 18: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Scientific Realm

• Wolves could play an important role in maintaining and preserving the stability and proper functioning of the ecosystem

Biologists:• welcomed the reintroduction of wolves and their protection under the

ESA• do not oppose delisting so long as proper management plans are in

place in all three states to ensure that the benefits of previous restoration efforts are maintained

“The reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park surely ranks, symbolically and ecologically, among the most important acts of wildlife conservation in the 20th century” (Smith et al. 2003)

Page 19: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Stakeholders: Non-Profit Organizations

• The Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Defenders of Wildlife are at the forefront of the debate

• Successfully fought USFWS’s decision to delist in 2008 & 2010

• Promoting Coexistence between wolves and humans

• Defenders Wolf Compensation Trust (now state-run)• Wolf Coexistence Program

– Proactive approach: non-lethal management

• 1998 Wildlife Proactive Carnivore Fund • Livestock Producer Advisory Council

Page 20: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Recommendations

• Time to delist• Compromise between all parties to achieve a balance that

will ensure social, biological and economical sustainability• Hunting season

– Support of sportsmen– Increased revenue

• Ecosystem Balance– Top predator control– Trophic Cascades

• Money spent on other species

Page 21: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Recommendations (continued)

• In order for the gray wolf to be delisted from the ESA these actions need to be taken– Adequate management plan from WY– Cohesion of state management plans– Enforcement of management plans– Continued funding of wolf population monitoring

projects– Encouragement of nonlethal methods– Continued public education on management plans,

wolf ecology and conflict avoidance

Page 22: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

Sources• Ashe, D.M. 2010. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reinstatement of Protections for the Gray Wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains in Compliance

With a Court Order. Federal Register, 75(206):65574-65579.• "Background and Recovery of Northern Rockies and Yellowstone Area Wolves - Defenders of Wildlife." Defenders of Wildlife(A) - Protection of Endangered Species,

Imperiled Species, Habitats. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolves/wolf_recovery_efforts/northern_rockies_wolves/background_and_recovery/>.

• Beschta, R.L. and W.J. Ripple. 2009. Large predators and trophic cascades in terrestrial ecosystems of the western United States. Biological Conservation 11:2401-2414.• Beschta, R.L. and W.J. Ripple. 2010. Recovering riparian plant communities with wolves in Northern Yellowstone, U.S.A. Restoration Ecology 18(3):380-389.• "Defenders of Wildlife Proactive Carnivore Conservation Fund - Defenders of Wildlife." Defenders of Wildlife(B) - Protection of Endangered Species, Imperiled Species,

Habitats. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. <http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/solutions/carnivore_conservation_fund/index.php>.• Defenders of Wildlife vs. Ken Salazar. 164 U.S. District Court for the District of Missoula. August 8 2010.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/wildlife/wolves/newRuling/wolfOrder8_10.pdf• Duffield, John, Chris Neher, and David Patterson. "Wolves and People in Yellowstone: Impacts on the Regional Economy." Defenders of Wildlife (C). Sept. 2006. Web. 13

Feb. 2011. <http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/imperiled_species/wolf/northern_rockies_wolf/wolves_and_people_in_yellowstone.pdf>.

• Earthjustice. 2010. Federal Court Reinstates Federal Wolf Protections. Earthjustice. Available from: <http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2010/federal-court-reinstates-federal-wolf-protections> [13 February 2011].

• Estes, J.A., C.H. Peterson, and R.S. Steneck. 2010. Some effects of apex predators in higher-latitude coastal oceans. Chapter 3 in Trophic cascades: predators, prey, and the changing dynamics of nature. Island Press, Washington, USA. pp. 37-53.

• Farquhar, Brodie. "Gray Wolves Increase Tourism in Yellowstone National Park." Yellowstone Park. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://www.yellowstonepark.com/MoreToKnow/ShowNewsDetails.aspx?newsid=182>.

• Farquhar, Brodie. "Wolves Bring Economic Benefit to Wyoming? | Wyoming Business Report." Wyoming Business Report -- Business and Industry News, Analysis and Data and Statistics for All of Wyoming. 1 July 2008. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/article.asp?id=94868>.

• “Final Wyoming Gray Wolf Management Plan.” Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. 16 Nov. 2007. Web 16 Feb. 2011.

• <http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolf/WolfFinal2007WyomingGr ayWolfManagementPlan.pdf>.• "Frequently Asked Questions: Transitioning Wolf Compensation." Defenders of Wildlife (D). Web. 14 Feb. 2011.

<http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/programs_and_policy/wildlife_conservation/solutions/faq_transitioning_wolf_compensation.pdf>.• Google images

Page 23: The Gray Wolf, a Burden or a Benefit to the Landscape? A Stakeholder Analysis Surrounding Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Area Sara C. Meicho, Ashley

End slide

• Leopold quote

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=gray+wolf&bav=on.2,or.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1366&bih=576

“In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.”

-Aldo Leopold