Wolves in Yellowstone - A Sad Update

      It's been a little over 4 years since I went on the Wolf and Elk Fall Adventure in Yellowstone.  That week was a trip of a lifetime, and I wrote a number of posts on my (then) new blog about our trip.   One of the highlights was seeing a member of the Druid pack, a little pup that is barely visible in the photo.   http://www.desertdabbler.com/2009/10/druid-pack-our-first-wolf.html   But despite the fuzziness of the pix, I was thrilled.    We saw a number of wolves, visited an old den, and had a great adventure.
       The only even that marred our trip was the re-opening of wolf hunting in Montana.  This happened as we were nearing the end of our trip.   Almost immediately one of the Park wolves was shot, a female who was probably looking for a mate.   She was collared and not far from the Park boundary, but that didn't keep the trigger happy hunter from shooting her.
        Those of us who love wolves were appalled, but the hunting lobby won out.    At a distance a wolf looks an awfully lot like an Alaskan Malamute or a husky.   So this hunter could easily have shot someone's pet.   If he saw the collar and still knew it was a wolf, he knew he was shooting a research animal.   Either way, it was a tragedy.  I worried about whether the wolves would survive or be totally killed off yet again.      
      A year later our friends Pat and Jerry went with the same tour guides on the Spring Wolf Adventure trip.   They were lucky enough to see and photograph even more wolves.   One even crossed the road right in front of them while they were in Lamar Valley.  They snapped a great  picture of him.   I was optimistic that the wolves would survive and continue to thrive in spite of Montana's hunting season.
      Sadly, that is not happening.
      In a recent article on The Wildlife News blog, wolf expert Kathie Lynch reports that seeing wolves in Yellowstone isn't very easy.   You can read her report at http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2014/01/20/yellowstone-19-years-after-wolf-re-introduction/. 
       Although there are two very large packs (11 and 18 in each), the other packs are very small.  None of the wolves appear to be hanging out in the Lamar Valley on a regular basis. 
        The Wildlife News is an excellent source for updates about wolves as well as the history of their reintroduction. 
         In many states the killing of wolves is on the increase again.  U.S. District Judge for Idaho Edward J. Lodge has ruled that two wolf packs can be eradicated - totally killed - in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.   The Idaho Department of Fish & Game has hired a hunter to kill the wolves, and he has already killed nine.  Ralph  Maughan, Defenders of Wildlife, and other wildlife groups tried to get a temporary Order to stop the killing, but the judge denied their request.  The case is Maughan v. Vilsack in the U.S. District Court in Idaho, Case No. 4:14-CV-0007-EJL. 
        Years ago I wrote letters to help in the movement to reintroduce wolves back into Yellowstone and some of the western state.   I joined the Sierra Club and other wildlife organizations, too.  When wolves finally returned in the 70's, I was over joyed.    
         Throughout the years I have maintained my membership in the Sierra Club and also joined Defenders of Wildlife.     I would urge you to do the same if you can.  They are leaders in the fight to save the wildlife and its habitat.  
        You can also link to Ralph Maughan's blog, which is listed at the side.  
        And finally, it appears that it may be time to get back to basics.   I've traded my pen and pencil in for a computer screen and printer these days, but letters to politicians are still effective.  If they know people who vote are watching, it does make a difference.
        But whatever you chose to do, I hope you'll join me in trying to save the wolves.















             

Arnica Fire

        When we first arrived in Yellowstone, the Arnica Fire was mostly smoke.   This photo was taken from the Lamar Valley, looking toward the fire, on Friday.  Occasionally we could smell the smoke, but it appeared to be a very small fire.  ´

        Studies have shown that small, controlled fires are needed for many of the ecosystems.  So the current trend is to keep it contained but allow it to burn itself out.  

     On Saturday, however, the winds picked up and the day grew hotter, which allowed the fire to grow.  The same weather conditions occurred on Sunday.  Roads had to be closed and more aggressive measures taken.  
     We were scheduled to go to West Yellowstone on Sunday and to Old Faithful, but we couldn´t get there with the road closures.   We ended up staying the night in Gardiner, but no one minded.   The hotel was very nice.  It overlooked a stream, and dinner was great.
      The next day we were able to get to Lake Yellowstone, pictured above.   The fire was clearly visible from there.   As we got closer to the hotel, we could see the sprinklers wetting down the trees in an attempt to keep the hotel safe.   It was an eerie sight.

    If you look closely, you can see the bucket hanging from the helicopter.   The firefighters were getting water from Lake Yellowstone to pour onto the fire.   The weather was forecasted to turn cold and snowy on Wednesday, which would end the fire.   In the meantime, the firefighters worked to contain it. 

       The fire burned approximately 9300 acres, or 14.5 square miles, according to the newspaper I bought.  Fortunately no one was injured, and the fire didn´t damage any structures.  

       The firemen said that if the rain and snow came on Wednesday, it would be a season-ending event.  That´s fireman-speak for ´´the fire will be out soon´´.    And it was.

Norris Geyser and the Dragon´s Mouth

Because of the forest fire, we didn´t make it to see Old Faithful. However, Yellowstone has many lesser-known geysers, vents, mud pots, and other interesting features.
The Norris Geyser Basin had plenty of steamy sites. They were very colorful, and the aroma of sulpher added its own ambiance.

Kent in front of Emerald Spring.

The Dragon Mouth Spring was in a different location, closer to Hayden Valley. It was very noisy and steamy--a great Dragon!

Kent and Janet in Yellowstone

The way we looked most of the time in Yellowstone.

Looking for wolves in Lamar Valley.

Kent with Linda at Artist´s Point.

Yellowstone Afternoons

´
When the days warmed up, as they tended to do the week we were there, the animals went back into the woods or their dens or anywhere cool.   So our group used that time to sightsee.
One day we stopped at the Apollinaris Spring.  In the early days of wagon trains and horses, travels could find good drinking water here. 

Some of our group checking it out.

Artist´s Point

A view of the Grand Canyon of the  Yellowstone and the Lower Falls. 

Yellowstone is known for its geological features.

Due to the forest fire, we weren´t able to get to Old Faithful.  Instead, we went to Dragon´s Mouth and the Norris Geyser Basin areas.   We saw lots of mud pots, geysers, and other steamy, smelly things.  They were unique and interesting, but they weren´t wolves. 

Into the Den

On Saturday afternoon, Linda Thurston takes us to an abandoned wolf den.   It is located about a mile off the road.    To reach it, we hike through a field dotted with buffalo ´´pattys´´, bleaching bones from former kills, and rocks.  Huge rocks, in some places.   Then we hike up the hill to the den. 

Linda, a wolf expert, brings people to the den so that the wolves won´t attempt to use it again.  The other pack abandoned it when the wolf-watchers and road noise bothered them too much.  This points out how much wolves avoid people.  Even though the people stayed on the road, and the den is nearly a mile away, it was too close for the wolves.       

The tree roots help anchor it in place.

Chip, one of the guys in our group, climbed feet-first into the den.  The den is narrow, but deep.   He went nearly all the way in, with only his head and shoulders sticking out, and he could barely touch the back of the den.

Linda explains the wolf/prey relationship using some of the old bones.

 One theory is that wolves are always hunting, always checking on the condition of the other animals to see which ones may be weak, sick, or old.  One interesting side-effect of the reduction of the elk and deer population is the increase in some native plants.  It´s all about balance.  

Another interesting stop that we made today was to the studio of Dan and Cindy Hartman.  They are wildlife photographers who live in Cooke City,  just outside of Yellowstone.  While we had a great lunch, Dan showed us slides and told about some of the adventures he has had photographing the animals.  Fantastic!
 Check out his website to see some great pix of the wolves and other wildlife.

http://wildlifealongtherockies.homestead.com/

 We had a chance to buy souvenir photographs, of course. (Yes, I had to have one of the Druid pack.) Dan is a lot of fun, and his studio is a great place to visit.

Tomorrow morning we are going back to Lamar Valley. One viewing is not enough! We hope to see the pup again, along with more of its pack.

We know there are great wolves out there, and we are determined to see them.

On Sunday, we are scheduled to go farther west and south, over to West Yellowstone and Old Faithful. A new event, however, may cause us to change plans. A fire that has been a small, non-event, has grown larger today. The weather has been unusually warm and the wind picked up this afternoon. The combination has allowed the fire to grow, causing the Park to close some roads. So Nathan and Linda will keep an eye on things. In the meantime, we are going back to the cabins tonight and have dinner at the Mammoth Lake Lodge.

Yellowstone Wolf and Elk Adventure

      Last week we left the heat of the desert to travel to Yellowstone National Park. Our 40th Anniversary was in August, and we wanted to celebrate by visiting Yellowstone. We had gone to Glacier National Park ten years ago--our first trip West. Since that time we had been farther north into Canadian Parks, Banff and Jasper, but we had never been to Yellowstone.

      We were on the hunt for wolves.  After years of hard work by scientists, political activists, and animal-lovers, they were returned to Yellowstone in 1995.   I had been one of the thousands of animal lovers who had written letters to politicians to try to save and return the wolves.  I had joined groups and seen and petted a captive wolf named Jethro.  Even made the family go on a wolf howl in Ohio. (No wolves, of course.  Just a tape player and dedicated, or crazy, wolf-lovers!) 

 Finally I was going to get to see wild wolves.

     We traveled with The Wild Side,a wildlife tour company operated by two biologists, Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston.

http://www.wolftracker.com/  

      The Adventure Bus took us to Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, and other great sites in the Park.  At night we stayed at a variety of neat places: cabins, Yellowstone Lodge, and Chico Hot Springs.

     Our first night was spent in Mammoth Hot Springs.  The elk that live here are smart.  No wolves for miles.  The herd enjoys the safety of the lawn as well as the grass. They also keep the park rangers occupied with trying to keep the tourists a safe distance away. It´s fun to watch.

     We spent the first day getting into the Park, watching the elk, and meeting each other. There were ten adventurers on the trip--from California, Boston, Pittsburg, Maryland, and Arizona (us).   One young couple came all the way from Oxford, England, making our trip an International Wolf and Elk Adventure!  

     A variety of occupations were represented, including retirees, paramedic, computer expert, business executive, soldier, nurse, and public defender (me). The thing we had in common was our love of wolves.  We were all excited about seeing them.  

But first we had to get past the bison.

     Even though I came to look for wolves, the bison were amazingly interesting. I had seen them before, but never so many and in their own environment. They own the Park, and they know it.  The wolves are the heart of Yellowstone, but the Bison rule.

     But we were determined to see wolves, and soon we would. Early in the morning we were going to Lamar Valley...