Wolf Conservation
Mission Statement
We seek to increase awareness about the issues affecting wolves and other wildlife. The organization was formed in 2013 by a group of volunteer grassroots wildlife advocates seeking to give wolves a face in the northern Rockies by identifying individual wolf packs through details like name, general location, range, history, photos, and activity. These volunteers are contributing their time, energy, and personal funds to this project because they believe in our ultimate goal of seeing the grey wolf returned to the Endangered Species List until states can manage them according to the best available science.
After conservation groups successfully challenged delisting efforts by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Montana Senator Jon Tester intervened in 2011 and attached a rider to a must-pass spending bill, automatically removing the northern Rockies grey wolf population from the Endangered Species List. The rider also exempted judicial review of the delisting. As a result, states have assumed management of the species and killed over 1,100 wolves in two-years time.
Scientific studies have shown that grey wolf recovery is an essential component of a healthy forest ecosystem. The grey wolf is an apex predator whose presence benefits dozens of other species, increasing biodiversity. Soils, plant communities, riparian areas, and aquatic species all benefit from the presence of wolves. This phenomenon is known as a trophic cascade.
Wolves also regulate ungulate herds by maintaining healthy populations through culling the old and sick animals. This helps prevent the spread of disease throughout the herd. Predator pressure keeps elk herds moving, which prevents overgrazing, leading to more resilient native plant communities and biodiversity. Every wolf killed, whether by hunting, poaching, and/or aerial gunning tactics, lessens the species ability to fulfill his or her ecological niche on the landscape.
After conservation groups successfully challenged delisting efforts by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Montana Senator Jon Tester intervened in 2011 and attached a rider to a must-pass spending bill, automatically removing the northern Rockies grey wolf population from the Endangered Species List. The rider also exempted judicial review of the delisting. As a result, states have assumed management of the species and killed over 1,100 wolves in two-years time.
Scientific studies have shown that grey wolf recovery is an essential component of a healthy forest ecosystem. The grey wolf is an apex predator whose presence benefits dozens of other species, increasing biodiversity. Soils, plant communities, riparian areas, and aquatic species all benefit from the presence of wolves. This phenomenon is known as a trophic cascade.
Wolves also regulate ungulate herds by maintaining healthy populations through culling the old and sick animals. This helps prevent the spread of disease throughout the herd. Predator pressure keeps elk herds moving, which prevents overgrazing, leading to more resilient native plant communities and biodiversity. Every wolf killed, whether by hunting, poaching, and/or aerial gunning tactics, lessens the species ability to fulfill his or her ecological niche on the landscape.