2021 Fall Seminar Series Presents

DR. DOUGLAS W. SMITH
Senior Wildlife Biologist: Yellowstone National Park (YNP), WY, MT, ID

WHEN:  September 17, 2021, at Noon
WHERE: Seminar will be presented via Zoom
Please complete the RSVP FORM to receive the Zoom Meeting link. Forms can be submitted any time before the Seminar but not after 10:00am the day of the seminar.

Yellowstone Wolves: The First 25 Years or Restoration of a top-carnivore in a politically charged setting

Unfortunately, wolves may be among the most controversial of all wildlife in the world. This status and recognition has not helped their population status world-wide - they were nearly eradicated - nor their recovery when public attitudes changed. Yet despite this, the US National Park Service (USNPS) undertook a reintroduction operation of wolves to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) in 1995-1997, due primarily to the USNPS mission - nature preservation and a change in cultural norms. But how could nature be preserved without the top-level carnivore? After being absent for over 70 years and a change in human attitudes, YNP reintroduced 41 wolves. The population has been closely monitored and studied since that time and this talk will reveal and discuss some of the more important findings about wolf population dynamics, wolf-prey relationships, ecosystem functioning, and wolf behavior and conservation with a final conclusion for what this means to Colorado.

Everyone is welcome to join the seminar, please complete the RSVP FORM to receive the Zoom link. Forms can be submitted any time before the seminar but not after 10:00am the day of the seminar.