Why the Wolf
For more from George Monbiot, visit http://www.monbiot.com/ and for more on "rewilding" visit http://bit.ly/1hKGemK and/or check out George Monbiot's book Feral: rewilding the land, the sea and human life: http://amzn.to/1fjgirx
NOTE: There are "elk" pictured in this video when the narrator is referring to "deer." This is because the narrator is British and the British word for "elk" is "red deer" or "deer" for short. The scientific report this is based on refers to elk so we wanted to be accurate with the truth of the story.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir
When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable "trophic cascade" occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix.
Narration from TED: "For more wonder, rewild the world" by George Monbiot. Watch the full talk, here: http://bit.ly/N3m62h
B-Roll Credits:
"Greater Yellowstone Coalition - Wolves" (http://bit.ly/1lK4LaT)
"Wolf Mountain" (http://bit.ly/1hgi6JE)
"Primodial - Yellowstone" (https://vimeo.com/77097538)
"Timelapse: Yellowstone National Park" (http://bit.ly/1kF5axc)
"Yellowstone" (http://bit.ly/1bPI6DM)
"Howling Wolves - Heulende Wölfe" (http://bit.ly/1c2Oidv)
"Fooled by Nature: Beaver Dams" (http://bit.ly/NGgQSU)
Music Credits:
"Unfoldment, Revealment, Evolution, Exposition, Integration, Arson" by Chris Zabriskie (http://bit.ly/1c2uckW)
This video was edited by Steve Agnos with editorial assistance from Chris Agnos (who also conceived the idea for the video) the brothers behind Sustainable Man. For more from Steve Agnos visit https://vimeo.com/steveagnos or https://vimeo.com/thesustainableman
For any concerns or questions, you may contact us at http://sustainableman.org/contact/
Help protect the imperiled Archipelago wolf! The population of Archipelago wolves found on Prince of Wales Island, a remote island in southeast Alaska, has plummeted in recent years due to unsustainable old-growth logging and hunting. Recent studies have documented a 60 percent decline in Archipelago wolf numbers between 2013 and 2014. Despite this population crash, the federal government plans to allow subsistence hunting – a decision that may push the population to the edge of extinction. The subsistence hunting season for Archipelago wolves on Prince of Wales Island will open on September 1st unless the Federal Subsistence Board cancels the hunt. Take action – Demand that hunting of these unique and imperiled wolves be halted.
California Wolves Are Getting The Warm Welcome They Deserve: We updated you last week (see below) on the wonderful news that California is now home to a new resident wolf pack. And, what’s even better? Their return is receiving a warm welcome by residents and by media outlets alike. We were thrilled to read the LA Times excellent editorial which ran earlier this week and touted wolves’ return as a huge conservation milestone. We know from our latest polling that 69% of residents support restoring wolves in the state and we’re building on this opportunity to forge new partnerships to help people and wolves co-exist in their new California home! This part of this post Wildlife Weekly Wrap Up appeared first on Defenders of Wildlife Blog.
Gray wolves seem to love California!
We just learned that an entire new pack has been discovered in northern California. The pack, dubbed the "Shasta Pack," consists of a breeding pair of adults and five pups. The pups are thought to be three or four months old.
This news comes just weeks after officials announced sightings of a suspected wolf caught on trail cameras in May and July.
This is a landmark development in the return of wolves to their historic Golden State habitat. And because these wolves are protected by both federal and California state law, it is unlikely this new pack will face the same fate as so many of its Northern Rockies brethren.
Hope for re-establishing wolves in California soared in 2011 when OR-7, the famous wandering wolf, became the first wolf in decades to enter the state. This new pack means that restoration of wolves in California is now a dream that's finally coming true.
We have been given a second chance to restore this iconic species to a landscape they had been missing from for nearly one hundred years. We must seize this opportunity to forge new partnerships to help wolves live in harmony with people and livestock in their California home.
Please join us in celebrating California’s first wolf family of the 21st century!
After Almost 100 Years, a Gray Wolf Pack Lives in
California
Exciting, inspiring news from Northern
California: For the first time in almost a century, a family of gray wolves is
living wild in the state. In remote Siskiyou County, a trail camera has captured
a series of photographs of both the adult wolves and the black pups.The two adult, black-furred wolves and five 4-month-old pups have been named the Shasta pack, after the area's spectacular volcano.
Thanks to foresight and pressure from the Center for Biological Diversity and our allies that resulted in state action in 2014, these wolves have the benefit of legal protection under California's Endangered Species Act. According to state biologists, one or more of the animals will soon be radio-collared for monitoring; in the meantime, their black color should make it virtually impossible for any hunters to claim to mistake them for coyotes -- and very difficult for any actual mistaken ID to occur.
Read more in the Los Angeles Times.
Click Here by August 29 to Help Save Isle Royale's
Wolves!
(This link will take you to the National Park Service's Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website.)  |
But with only three wolves left on the island, the character of Isle Royale is in jeopardy.
If wolves die off, the island’s moose population will continue to increase, consuming the native vegetation and eventually running out of food, disrupting the natural balance of the island. We don't want that to happen.
The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for protecting and managing the beautiful natural resources and wildlife at Isle Royale. NPS is seeking your input by August 29 on how best to manage the wolf and moose community, as well as plants and other wildlife in the park.
One option NPS is considering--Alternative Concept B--includes introducing new wolves to the island to balance the delicate ecosystem, preserve the native plant life, and keep the moose population in check. After many years of consulting scientific experts and conducting extensive research to determine what we view is the right response, we at NPCA support this option.
We are urging NPS to bring new wolves to the island so this iconic species does not become extinct at Isle Royale and they continue to fulfill the critical role of balancing the island’s natural environment.
Take Action: Tell the National Park Service to bring new wolves to Isle Royale National Park to help balance the park's ecosystem.
Here’s how to submit your comments to the Park Service.
Step 1: Go to https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=66961 and carefully follow the form instructions.
Step 2: Submit your comments by copying and pasting the sample message below into the "Comments" box on the web form. Questions 1-6 on the form are optional. Remember to personalize your comments by adding personal observations or stories.
Step 3: Once you have completed all of the required fields on the form, click the gray “submit” button at the bottom of the page.
Sample Message/Comments
Dear Superintendent Green,
I care about the wildlife at our national parks, including the wolves and moose at Isle Royale. Right now there are only three wolves left at the park--the lowest number of wolves in more than 50 years--threatening the overall ecosystem health of this iconic national park.
I support management Alternative B to bring new wolves to the island, but urge the Park Service to do this as needed, rather than one time only. Without wolves, the moose population on the island will continue to increase, eating until the food sources are gone. If we bring new wolves to the island, they will help keep the moose population from rapidly expanding and minimize impacts to the native vegetation.
This option is much less intrusive in this wilderness park than culling moose, removing moose from the island, or having to replant native vegetation once the moose consume it.
As stewards of this park, the National Park Service should take the least intrusive action that results in the biggest benefit to the island’s wildlife and ecosystem. I support the Park Service taking action to bring new wolves to the park immediately, before the population vanishes altogether.
Thank you for considering my concerns.
Sincerely,
[your name here]
Thank you for taking the time to help protect Isle Royale's fragile environment.
