Yellowstone National Park

Gray wolves were reintroduced to Colorado in December 2023, the latest attempt in a decadeslong effort to build up wolf populations in the Rocky Mountain states. SciLine interviewed Joanna Lambert, professor of wildlife ecology and director of the American Canid Project at the University of Colorado Boulder, who discussed how and why gray wolf populations declined in the U.S. and the value of reintroducing them to ecosystems in the West. Dr. Joanna Lambert discusses the gray wolf restoration campaign. Below are some highlights from the discussion. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity. How can protecting gray wolf populations affect ecosystems? Joanna Lambert: Apex predators, and predators in general, are disappearing from landscapes around the planet. Without apex predators, their prey species can become overly abundant. But when apex predators are reintroduced, prey populations decrease and vegetation can rebound. So in cert...