Nature knows more about ecology than government experts. Wolves are a classic example. There is evidence that wolves were part of the ecosystem in North America for well over 1,000 years. Yet, to us, wolves act like the mafia of the animal world. They were considered such a threat to the environment that they were completely eliminated from Yellowstone National Park in 1926 and almost completely eliminated intentionally from the lower 48 states by the 1950s. This was driven by government officials responding to farmers and ranchers who saw wolves as threats to their livestock.
But, instead of the peace and tranquility that was expected from the demise of wolves, nature itself revolted. Within five years of the wolf’s eradication in Yellowstone, it became obvious that the eco structure of the area was out of sorts. A certain number of species were eroding, and this impacted the soil and animals’ grazing areas. It took fifty years before the Department of the Interior officials realized that they needed to bring the wolves back. Since this was the federal government we are talking about, it took another two decades before it would be initiated. Finally, in 1995, eight wolves were released back into Yellowstone.
Wolves do what wolves are, of course, which is to act as predators that feed off other animals. Yet, ecologically, the wolf restoration in Yellowstone had results that amazed everyone. The wolves’ return triggered what ecologists call a trophic cascade. Imagine a pyramid with wolves on top. Their presence will limit the number of their prey, such as elk. This then impacts the next level down the pyramid or the trophic level. Since there were fewer elks, there was a resurgence of willow, aspen, and cottonwood trees because these were the trees from which elks were eating from.
Like the pyramid, the impact continues to enlarge the more it goes down. When the trees started coming back, so did other small animals. The songbirds returned to their nests to raise their young. New trees came alongside new streams, which meant the beavers could build more dams once again. The number of beavers multiplied nine times over after the wolves returned.
The beaver dams provided valuable new habitat for fish, salamanders, reptiles, muskrats, otters, and a whole host of other small animals. Elk carcasses left from wolves provided scavenger food for bears, cougars, ravens, and even eagles, which before the wolves had meager pickings. After the wolves arrived, there was plenty of food for all, and in fact, the numbers for each of these animal groups would begin to climb. In the past, when wolves were not around, coyotes preyed on rabbits, weasels, badgers, and beautiful pronghorns (antelopes with black horns). That all changed with the return of the wolves, as all of these animal groups increased in number when the wolves returned.
Humbly, mankind discovered that those terrible predators that we thought were so dangerous and thus should be eliminated from the ecosystem turned out to be a NECESSARY part of the system. In fact, the wolves literally transformed Yellowstone’s entire ecosystem upon their return in a rather short time. Yet, that is not all that happened after the wolves returned.
The elk had been overgrazing, but this changed after the wolves returned. Now that the elk were not eating the small bushes and trees lining the beds of the rivers, the trees and bushes began to grow back. These stabilized the riverbanks, which caused erosion to decrease, and the river’s winding zigzags from low water levels began to change. The riverbeds deepened, and the rivers widened, which also brought more aquatic life. Even the rivers were impacted by the return of the wolves.
Of course, wolves are not heroes. They are still predators, and they do cause livestock losses. But nature is teaching us a valuable lesson. Every time a government official or legislator comes up with an idea to “fix” a problem, they focus only on the problem and not the impact that could result from the “solution.”
I have especially seen this in my activities with volunteer organizations. The local library system is consistently getting more and more requirements to meet the standards that state funding revolves around. The volunteer fire companies must jump through fire itself to meet the endless bureaucratic nonsense from on high that is placed on first responders and the work they do. I have also seen this in local government when a candidate runs for office more for ego than service and suddenly has a position with a title and can’t wait to change something and be recognized for it.
Historically, Dwight D. Eisenhower has not been recognized as an effective president because he appeared to do very little. But President Eisenhower understood restraint. He remarked, “Don’t move a marker until you know what it was placed there for.” The wolves of Yellowstone are a great lesson in ecology, bureaucracy, and even a little theology. As Psalms 36:6 reminds us, God preserves man and beast.
