Yellowstone National Park is commemorating 25 years since the reintroduction of wolves with a series of live broadcasts on Facebook during the month of March.
The five broadcasts will take place at 11 a.m. each Tuesday with a presentation by park biologists, followed by a session of answering questions. The programs will be shown on the park’s Facebook page at facebook.com/YellowstoneNPS.
“In November 1994 when I first arrived in Yellowstone, I remember looking around and wondering what this place would be like when wolves returned,” said senior wildlife biologist Doug Smith in a park news release. “Now, 25 years later, having chronicled much of the reintroduction, our team has learned that wolves make the park a different, better and more natural ecosystem. We also know that much is still to be understood. Commemorate with us this March as we share 25 years of knowledge and experience gained about the restoration of the ecological role of wolves in Yellowstone.”
From 1995 to 1997, 41 wild wolves from Canada and northwest Montana were released in Yellowstone. As of January, there are at least 94 wolves in the park with about eight packs. Wolf numbers have fluctuated between 83 and 108 wolves since 2009, according to the park.
To learn more about wolves in the park, go to the park’s website tinyurl.com/pr-wolf-info.
Each Facebook session will look at different aspects of the reintroduction, such as history, discoveries, impacts and the future. Here are the planned sessions:
March 3: Senior Wildlife Biologist Doug Smith will recap the significant events that led to the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone.
March 10: Wildlife Biologist Dan Stahler and Wildlife Research Associate Kira Cassidy will highlight scientific discoveries learned over the last 25 years.
March 17: Retired Wolf Interpreter Rick McIntyre and Senior Wildlife Biologist Doug Smith will tell stories from the field about how wolves have impacted the visitor experience.
March 24: Wildlife Research Associate Kira Cassidy and Wildlife Biologist Dan Stahler will talk about the global impact of reintroduction.
March 31: Senior Wildlife Biologist Doug Smith will look to the future and discuss the relationship between wolves and people.