Wolves in Yellowstone

CNN:Brad Lendon, Wolves in Yellowstone

Brad Lendon from CNN news wrote about the contribution to the ecosystem of Yellowstone that the wolf brings with its return. With the reintroduction of the Gray Wolf to the Yellowstone area they brought with them a balance to the ecosystem that was once lost. I think this is a good example of how past unregulated hunting or extracting still affects our world to this day. The idea that the wolf was a nuisance to livestock and killed off the grounds for this reason shows the great need for management or conservation efforts. This relationship between wolf and environment reminds me of what we have in the southeast with the coyote. Sure it attacks and kills the white tail deer which angers pretty much any and all deer hunters and has lead to a kill on site management plan, but what if the coyote is the only thing keeping the deer population at a healthy level. Too many deer lead to over grazing and the starvation of not only the deer but other species that eat the same things or that live in the cover that is under the browse line. Growing up on a farm and being a hunter I can see how coyotes can be a nuisance but at the same time I can look at the coyote on a conservationist level and see that maybe they are doing more good than bad on a larger more long term scale just like the benefit found with the presence of the wolf in Yellowstone.