The 1995 reintroduction of wolves to the greater Yellowstone
area has generated enormous controversy. The Montana Stockgrowers
Association recently began weighing in with radio ads suggesting
the cattle industry is severely impacted by the presence of these
predators. While articles in the Chronicle have provided statistics
indicating the number of livestock killed by wolves is but a tiny
fraction of losses from weather, disease, coyotes, domestic dogs
and other factors, the loss of even a single cow is no doubt
aggravating to an operator, and wolves have impacted some herds.
Rather than debate predator losses, I'd like to offer a perspective
that's received far less consideration: the positive economic
benefit wolves have for our region.
Our tourism-related business, Yellowstone Safari Company,
provides wildlife and cultural history field trips throughout the
greater Yellowstone area. A professional wildlife biologist guides
clients. I've offered this service for 12 years, so it's safe to
say that I have a feeling for the eco-tourism market. In addition
to providing jobs and serving the public, one of the goals of this
business is to directly demonstrate the non-hunting market value of
wildlife. People often ask our guides how we feel, and how other
people feel, about the presence of wolves. We would be remiss if we
did not point out that people pay us to show them wolves. Like
everyone else, we have our own inherent, unavoidable biases. The
reality is, there are as many perspectives as individuals. We do
know that the vast majority of people love wildlife, as evidenced
by U.S. Fish and Wildlife surveys and the array of television shows
available for national consumption. In particular, people love
predators.
There are a number of reasons for this. In general, predators
are more intelligent, rare, powerful and more socially complex than
typical prey animals. Consequently, when wolves are mentioned in
national news, people tend to listen. We all know that the media
loves controversy, so they're happy to mention wolves a lot. The
old adage, "Any publicity is good publicity," applies. The more the
word "Yellowstone" is in the news, whether in relation to wolves or
not, the more the non-resident public will think about our region
of the world and possibly come to visit.
I can guarantee that any morning will find people in
Yellowstone's Lamar Valley focused on wolves. A few of these people
pay Yellowstone Safari Company to help them experience these and
other animals. But, keep in mind, tourists come not only for
wolves, but also for what they represent: Whether true or false, in
the minds of the general public, wolves represent a wild and
complete environment. If we perceive of wolves as a "product" for
visitors to experience, our wildlife and tourism resource base has
expanded.
The restoration of the wolf to the greater Yellowstone region
has been a boon to all regional tourism operators and peripheral
businesses. Services such as ours obviously benefit, but not all
tourists use guides. All tourists must, however, have a place to
sleep, eat and shop. Shopping is the number one activity tourists
participate in and, based on inventory in regional gift shops, they
buy lots of wolf icons.
According to a story in the November/December 2002 issue of
Montana Outdoors, hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers spend more
than $1 billion in Montana, supporting thousands of jobs. Wildlife
viewing alone reaps almost $100 million more for Montana businesses
than hunting, according to the article. It also cited a study
concluding that wildlife viewing is the single most popular outdoor
activity among Montana's visitors.
For the record: I also guide elk hunters in wolf country for a
regional outfitter. As usual, wolves generate controversy around
the dinner table, but I've heard numerous hunters say it was a neat
experience to hear or see wolves. Many look forward to the day when
delisting will allow them to harvest a wolf as a trophy animal.
The restoration of wolves has been, and will continue to be,
controversial. When the Montana Stockgrowers speak, I'll be
listening. I can only hope that everyone will respect the wildland
resources which are uniquely experienced in our area, so rare in
the rest of the world, and which provide the economic foundation in
which Yellowstone Safari Company and the entire tourism industry
are investing.
Ken Sinay is the director of the Yellowstone Safari Company in
Bozeman.
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