Associated Press file photo
Michael Soulé, a renowned conservation biologist,
says the return of wolves to Colorado would benefit the region’s overall
ecosystem. Soule spoke to about 100 people Wednesday at the San Juan
Citizen Alliance’s Green Business Roundtable.
By
the mid-1930s, wolves had been all but eradicated from Colorado. Feared
by ranchers trying to protect their livestock, the species fell victim
to America’s expansion and the taming of the West.
Jonathan Romeo/Durango Herald
Michael Soulé, considered the “Father of
Conservation Biology,” spoke at San Juan Citizen Alliance’s Green
Business Roundtable on Wednesday. “Top predators maintain diversity of
the ecosystem, and that’s why we need to protect them,” he said. “But
it’s hard to protect them because they eat animals people invest
livelihoods in.”
But during the last 10 years, wolves
have been reintroduced to areas of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico
and Arizona. For the most part, packs have remained stable, with
wildlife officials estimating about 1,650 wolves living across the West.
Even
in California, two adult wolves and five 4-month-old pups were spotted
in early August in a northern part of the state, marking the first
sighting of the species in the state in almost 100 years.
Still, no wolf is believed to have set foot in Colorado for almost a century.
Michael
Soulé, a renowned conservation biologist, believes the return of wolves
to Colorado is inevitable, and the ramifications will have an
incredibly positive impact on the region’s overall ecosystem.
Soulé
spoke Wednesday at the San Juan Citizens Alliance’s first Green
Business Roundtable of the fall. Considered the “Father of Conservation
Biology,” he also will be speaking at the Durango Arts Center’s members’
exhibit at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Soulé
told about 100 people at the Henry Strater Theater that large predatory
animals are the most crucial component of a balanced habitat.
As
a professor in San Diego, a few students stopped by his office to ask
about potential class projects. He took the students to two nearby
canyons: one with songbirds and another without. He asked, “Why is
that?”
“The answer is one had
coyotes and the other didn’t, and the one with coyotes had a lot more
kinds of birds. It was the opposite of what the students expected,” he
said.
That’s because Soulé believes
the presence of coyotes even out the amount of cats in the area, which
can devastate bird populations. It’s a small example that can be applied
on a grander scale when thinking about biodiversity.
“Top
predators maintain diversity of the ecosystem, and that’s why we need
to protect them,” he said. “But it’s hard to protect them because they
eat animals people invest livelihoods in.”
Soulé
pointed out that when pioneers migrated west, they traveled with a
mindset to control and dominate the land, as evidenced by the prevalent
Manifest Destiny attitude.
Frontiersmen
scoured the wilds, butchering large animals along the way, sometimes
just for sheer sport. The result is that, today, cattle are among the
most abundant animals in the world.
“It’s
really shocking how few wild animals are left in the world,” Soulé
said. “Domesticated animals totally dominated the world. There’s not
much space left for anything else.”
But
Soulé said there is hope as thousands of organizations work to protect
the wildlands that are left on the planet – specifically Rocky
Mountains, which contain more wildlife than any other part of the
country, excluding southern parts of Florida and Texas.
“This spine of the continent is really important because it’s a major road for species to adapt to climate change,” he said.
“Ecosystems
are moving about three miles a year because of climate change. As it
gets hotter and hotter, things have to go further north to survive.
There’s no other factor that effects nature as much as warming will.”
When
Soulé opened the floor for questions, attendees focused on the
reintroduction of wolves. He acknowledged the difficulties of such an
action, especially when ranchers who depend on livestock are taken into
account.
“But the wolf is really
important for protecting nature. They control populations of deer, which
destroy vegetation and then ecosystems collapse,” he said. “Ideally,
ranchers would be interested in protecting wildlife.”
Soulé
drew the difference between American and European mentalities when it
comes to raising livestock. In Europe, he said you never see a herd not
looked after by a human or dog for protection. Whereas in America,
livestock is commonly left unattended, making easy prey for wolves.
Soulé
believes it is “politically possible” for a ballot initiative to pass
that would require state wildlife officials to reintroduce wolves to
Colorado, citing a recent poll that said 70 percent of Coloradans are in
favor of repatriation.
But, he
said the issue would be a big fight that would fragment the state. The
Front Range, with its more “universal view,” would easily pass the
measure. The Western Slope, however, takes a more local approach and
knows how it would affect the economy.
“It’s
not black and white,” Soulé said. “In the long run, it would be better
for wildlife and biodiversity to have the top predator back in the
system. Will it happen overnight? No, I don’t think so. But it’s
possible.”
Soulé referred to issues
such as these as “wicked problems,” meaning there’s no outcome
desirable to all parties in the community. He told The Durango Herald
after the lecture there are a lot of wicked problems in his profession.
Soulé
is co-founder of The Society for Conservation Biology, and was listed
as one of the 20th century’s 100 Champions of Conservation by Audubon
Magazine. He said protecting non-domesticated species has long been his
mission in life.
But he did admit
it’s hard to hold hope when fact after fact shows the planet is headed
on an irreversible downturn, evidenced by the growing impact of global
warming and alarming rate of animal extinction.
“A
lot of people in this profession know what they love, and what they
work all their life to protect, is going to be lost,” he said.
“For
me, there’s always a possibility of slowing things down, and protecting
pockets where native species can survive. We can’t give up. If we can
just save a few things, it’s better than nothing.”
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