Saturday Soapbox: Wolves benefit habitat, and there are ways to aid ranchers

News of discovery of wolves in the Teanaway River area of the Washington Cascades is celebrated by all who understand the important role this magnificent predator plays in preservation of healthy ecosystems. Wolves are apex predators and mostly hunt weak prey, leaving stronger individuals to survive and reproduce. In this way, they help maintain ecosystem balance and create more robust ecosystems.

Many ranchers and hunters are vehemently opposed to the arrival of wolves in the wildlands of Washington. These concerns are understandable. However, wolf recovery can occur in ways that minimize hardship on ranchers. For example, guard dogs, range riders and electric fences have proven to be nonlethal ways to prevent wolves from preying on livestock. Hunters should not be at odds with wolves, either, because wolves typically prey on old and sick elk/deer that oftentimes are no longer reproducing. A special fund could (and maybe should) be established to compensate ranchers for any livestock proven to have been killed by wolves.

In the Yellowstone area, Defenders of Wildlife has such a wolf depredation mitigation fund. Hunters, in contrast, target more robust members of a herd. Wolves help to cull the weakest members of a herd, while hunters have a more significant impact on ungulates because they take healthy individuals. As the Yellowstone experience shows, wolf predation soon leads to a healthier ecosystem as active predation upon elk and deer populations results in habitat renewal.

In-depth scientific studies reveal a dramatic improvement in the health of riparian areas, rangelands and forest communities when wolves are an integral part of the ecosystem. In fact, elk and deer are as numerous now in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as before the introduction of wolves. Bring the Yellowstone experience with wolves to our Cascades!