How can the successful wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone go up in smoke?
Johanna answers: The U.S. District Court in Cheyenne, Wyoming has ruled that a program to reintroduce wolves to the Yellowstone region and to central Idaho violates, believe it or not, the Endangered Species Act. The two options available under the court’s ruling are to remove all reintroduced wolves or kill them. This is a potentially devastating blow to the effort of the federal government and conservationists to restore wolves in the West, and environmental groups are appealing the ruling (see the Defenders of Wildlife website for more information). Is reintroducing the grizzly bear in Idaho a good idea? Johanna answers: Yes. Existing grizzly habitat is already significantly degraded — what with roads, oil and gas developments and other kinds of human activities. It is my understanding that even to sustain existing numbers more high-quality habitat needs to be “found.” Idaho is blessed with such habitat, so the hope is that some grizzlies will move there. Why is Yosemite going to b
