3-8-24
Yesterday, the Fairbanks News Miner published my editorial on protecting Denali's wolves within the state lands called The Wolf Townships (which is adjacent to the park). To learn more about The Wolf Townships - see the video that I created here:
Denali's Wolves & The Wolf Townships
You can view the editorial here:
Protecting Denali's wolves is a benefit for all
In case some do not have a subscription to the News Miner, this is what I submitted:
I am a long term Alaskan who has worked in the tourism industry in Denali National Park for the past 36 years.
As a TWT guide, I take up to 52 visitors (including Alaskans) into the park and give them a guided tour that includes wolves and other wildlife. Conservatively, I have taken over a 100,000 visitors into Denali during my career.
While the BOG may only concern itself with populations of animals, we in Denali never see entire populations of wildlife. What we see are the representatives of those populations: the individuals, family groups, small herds and flocks of wildlife that visitors from all over the world, (including Alaskans) visit Denali to see and enjoy.
Consequently, they have great value to the 600,000+ visitors to Denali each year. In fact, previous to 2012, I have been told on many occasions that wolves are what made a visitor’s trip to Alaska.
The trapping/hunting caused deaths of breeding females/male wolves in past years has repeatedly disrupted travel, use of territory, hunting, rendezvous and den site locations in wolf family groups and has severely impacted visitor viewing.
Visitor viewing peaked in 2010 at 45% due to Grant Creek denning 1/4 mile away from the park road. This provided visitors unparalleled opportunities to view wolves and their pups with high quality sightings being common.
In 2012, the breeding female of Grant Creek was baited and killed outside the park by a local trapper.
The death of this breeding female created massive behavioral disruptions leading to a serious decline from 15 wolves to 3 within one year. Furthermore, visitor viewing plummeted to 4% in 2013 and has not recovered on a semi consistent basis.
Wolves are not expendable biological cogs that replicate the behaviors of previous wolf family groups. Each individual and family group is unique in its behaviors and whether they will be viewed by visitors or not.
Over the past three seasons, I and my passengers had 0 sightings for 2021, 2 sightings for 2022 and 3 sightings for 2023.
NPS would establish that in 2019 and 2022, wolf viewing declined to its all time low of 1%. This is the reality of the state’s policies in that visitors are being denied a truly rare and unique experience as not only wolves are being eliminated/disrupted but so to is wolf viewing in Denali National Park.
All visitors should have a realistic opportunity to experience Denali’s Big Five (moose, caribou, Dall Sheep, grizzlies & wolves). Targeting, trapping and killing Denali’s wolves in The Wolf Townships significantly impacts wolf viewing and the visitor experience in the park.
Wolf viewing isn’t based on the numbers of wolves, but on the behaviors that individual wolves and family groups adopt such as: travel and hunting near or on the park road.
Far more rare, is the establishment of rendezvous sites and the ultra rare den site near the park road; with den sites being the ultimate gold standard for viewing.
The killing of Denali’s wolves within The Wolf Townships has repeatedly disrupted wolf family group dynamics impacting not only the wolves themselves but the viewing of wolves for the up to 600,000+ visitors per year.
The above demonstrates the fragility of wolf family structure and the behaviors that allow for visitor viewing. The above and more point out that one knowledgable trapper can destructively impact the social structure of Denali wolf family groups and visitor viewing of wolves………for years.
Alaska typically treats wolves in its management as expendable, biological cogs while ignoring fundamental wolf family structure, behavior, and significant ecosystem and economic benefits. And in Denali’s case, the state further ignores the devastating impacts to visitor viewing.
The Wolf Townships have been recognized for decades as critical winter habitat for Denali’s caribou herd and wolves. Yet, while the caribou herd has enjoyed protection since 1972; the wolves have not. Why the double standard in wildlife management between these two species both of which spend most of their time within the park?
The state’s policies have undermined and sabotaged wolf viewing in Denali to such a degree that the odds of visitors seeing and experiencing wolves is “almost nonexistent”.
While wolf viewing cannot be guaranteed, the stage can be set for its realistic possibility if wolves are fully protected in their critical habitats that are adjacent to Denali National Park.
I urge you to support Proposal 186 to the Alaska Board of Game in it’s entirety and on a year round basis.