Howling Heritage: UM Researcher reflects on 30 years of wolves in Yellowstone
O-Six, one of the best-known wolves in the history of Yellowstone National Park, crosses a road in the park with remains from a kill. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy SunderRaj)
Snow crunched underfoot as Mark Hebblewhite scanned the ridgelines of Canada’s Banff National Park. It was 1995, and the young biologist, fresh out of undergrad, was trailing one of the park’s most elusive wildlife species – the gray wolf.
Though rare to see, the wolves of Banff had radio collars that allowed biologists like Hebblewhite to track their movements from many miles away.
Meanwhile in Montana, 14 Canadian wolves were already on their way to a new home. Following an Environmental Impact Statement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – for which over 160,000 public comments were received – the federal government approved the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.
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