Wolves are what elk used to be

It doesn’t seem so long ago that folks were all worked up about the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park. There were worries that the predators would devastate the elk herds, then move out of the park and begin preying on cattle. Outfitters and ranchers were up in arms.

While elk numbers in the park fell drastically following the reintroduction, cattle survived relatively unscathed. And we were told the wolves weren’t actually killing all the elk, but simply redistributing them. Whatever it was that happened to the elk, their numbers in Yellowstone remain a fraction of what they were pre-wolf.

Fast forward more than 25 years and folks are all worked up about a wolf hunt in the areas immediately bordering the park. More than 20 wolves that wandered out of the park have been killed this winter, including every member of the Phantom Lake pack.

Wolves -- like elk used to be -- are big business.

Or so we’re told.

The wolf hunt is giving Montana a black eye say business owners and eco-tour outfitters in the gateway communities to the park. They claim tourists will stop coming if this doesn’t end.

It’s an old refrain. The same fears were voiced when Montana instituted a hunt for bison that wandered out of the park. A lot of bison were killed, but park visitations continued to rise.

People really didn’t care.

And except for the handful of van drivers who make a living from leading wolf-watching tours, I doubt a wolf hunt on the park’s borders has much effect on visitation either. More tourists visited Yellowstone last summer than ever before.

They didn’t care that the bison “slaughter” continues or that Montana’s governor capped a wolf last year. They didn’t care that the huge herds of elk are gone, and the moose have vanished. They come to see the park, and have little interest in the political bickering surrounding bison and wolves.

The people who claim to care most deeply about those species are often those who stand to make a dime off their abundance.

Perhaps if tourists really did care visitation to Yellowstone would drop off and the place wouldn’t be so damn busy. But that’s not what drives the engine in Yellowstone Park’s gateway communities, regardless of what business owners there would like you to believe when they cry wolf.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]