A Walk on Yellowstone's Wild Side

Page 4

I remember Bergholz’s feelings toward that wolf on my last evening in Yellowstone. I stand under the dome of a winter’s night completely dedicated to the sparkling of stars, the toasty warmth of my cabin just a few crunch-cold steps away. The night bends beneath a broad silence, reminding me that silence once suffused this valley. From 1926—when the last Yellowstone wolf pack was taken out at Soda Butte, not far from where I stand—until 1995 it would have been folly to expect to hear anything at all.

But on this night the silence is different, loaded and expectant. And then I hear it: The howl of a wolf floating from across the valley, piercing the great darkness. The lone, dolorous notes seemed not lonely, but insistent with hope. It seemed a song of knowing—knowing that if it kept being sung, it would be answered. And then it was—another howl drifted beneath the stars.

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Jeff Hull

Jeff Hull, a freelance writer in Huson, Montana, is the author of Streams of Consciousness, a collection of outdoor essays.

Type: Author | From: Audubon Magazine

فساتين زفاف 2013 فساتين زفاف

Submitted by عدلات (not verified) on Tue, 2013/02/19 - 12:46pm.

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2013/02/18 - 5:41pm.

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Wolves

Submitted by Kat Brekken (not verified) on Fri, 2013/02/08 - 11:11am.

I come from ranching, pioneer families to this area. I have watched and learned much from the wolf. I have had them walk close and just look at me. I have seen the positive effects the reintroduction has had upon the entire area. The Park is no longer over-grazed, and we have healthier elk. We have increased vegetation, since the elk aren't over browsing any given area, so now there's vegetation for all species to benefit from. Beavers are increasing in numbers, since there are more willows now. The Riparian Areas are greatly improved, helping all forms of aquatic life. And the Trophic Cascade goes on and on. Wolves bring great joy to the millions of visitors. The wolf belongs here and deserves our respect and attention. WE are now facing a problem with the delisting of the wolf. It was done last year in a back-room deal, not in consultation with any scientist, in attempt to balance the Federal Budget. We have now lost 8 collared research wolves to the hunting seasons surrounding the Park. And the anti-wolf hunters are targeting the Yellowstone Wolves, specifically. It is vitally important for anyone who is concerned about the future of the wolf, to become vocal and advocate for them. You can do so by going to : National Wolfwatcher Coalition on Facebook-we have links to who to write/call and ideas on what you can do to help. Thank you. Kat Brekken, Eco-Education and Tourism Director for the NAtional Wolfwatcher Coalition.

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Why is it wolves wound elk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2013/02/04 - 4:19pm.

Why is it wolves wound elk and let them suffer to come back and kill them later, fight until half a pack is wiped out (natures cure to overpopulation).TThan for the state to raise money on hunters with a less than 1% success rate? Is it better to be attacked by a fellow wolf or an instant painless death from a bullet?

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Bullets or wloves

Submitted by DorisV (not verified) on Thu, 2013/02/21 - 4:03pm.

We, humans, do not totally understand the reasons other species do what they do. Instant painless death from a bullet, says you but not always happens. Humans also set traps for animals and they suffer greatly in these.

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the Wolves of Yellowstone

Submitted by Ruth Housman (not verified) on Mon, 2013/02/04 - 3:53pm.

I was in Yellowstone two weeks ago, staying at Mammoth Springs. We met a woman from England, who had a house in the area, who purchased this just to be near the wolves as she loves them, and works hard at conservation efforts. She was passionate about tourism bringing in more dollars than hunting, and felt this a viable way to promote not killing wolves. It was surely, a beautiful time to visit, without crowds, and with all this beauty of snow, and ice and steam. We watched the bison up close, the elk, and other wildlife. Even caught a woodpecker on film, in action. A fox we had spotted while skiing actually later came walking down a path in the woods, directly toward me. I would have veered off, because I wasn't sure about such a close encounter, but just as I contemplated this, he scampered into the woods. But I felt a connection. A deep connection, and under my breath the whisper, from me, and from him, about LOVE. So I am not sure the wolves do not care about us. They seem to "know" something deep about who cares and who doesn't. And there is a connection, a bond, that can be forged, even, for the very first time, as in the crows who did, clearly follow me, and talk to me.

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front door

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2013/02/01 - 5:38am.

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My son and I were on that

Submitted by Jim Weller (not verified) on Wed, 2012/12/19 - 8:25pm.

My son and I were on that field seminar with Jeff. Just amazing seeing these animals in the wild. While in popular myth and lore they regularly stalk people, we had a hard time getting closer to them than a mile and did most of our observing through scopes. If you haven't seen Yellowstone in winter, it's dramatically different than from the summer.

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