The Return of the Gray Wolf: Changing Attitudes

The gray wolf is relatively secure in its ecological niche within the political borders of Canada and Alaska. Not so in the contiguous United States, where Canis lupus has been hunted almost to extinction. In 1995 the gray wolf was reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Its presence is sparking debate between ranchers and environmentalists over the rightful place of wolves and their role in the ecosystem. This lesson challenges students to measure community opinion toward wolves and to predict the future of gray wolves in North America.

• Standard 1: “How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective”
• Standard 6: “How culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions”
• Standard 14: “How human actions modify the physical environment”
• Standard 15: “How physical systems affect human systems”

• copies of the May 1998 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC article “Return of the Gray Wolf”
• blank transparency maps of North America from the Xpeditions atlas
• transparency marking pens (a different color for each student group)
• five world atlases
• a computer with Internet access

Students will map the changing species range of the gray wolf, explore the wolf’s effect on the environment, past and present, develop and conduct a survey of attitudes toward the reintroduction of the gray wolf, and formulate conclusions about the benefits and drawbacks of gray wolf reintroduction.

Ask students to list on paper or the blackboard the things they know or believe about wolves. From this list have them circle items that reflect their attitudes toward wolves. Explain that they will be reading an article about the gray wolf. As they read, they should continue to add to the list. The lists can be referred to later in the lesson by students while constructing their surveys.

1. Divide students into five groups. Give each group an atlas, a blank transparency map, a transparency pen, and a copy of the map “Recolonizing a continent” from the May 1998 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC article “Return of the Gray Wolf.”
2. Assign each group a task below to complete:
   (Map A) Label the ranges of the five known gray wolf species.
   (Map B) Label the states which form the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park and the Frank Church—River of No Return Wilderness.
   (Map C) Label the past species range of the gray wolf.
   (Map D) Label the present species range of the gray wolf.
   (Map E) Predict and label the gray wolf’s species range into the next century.
   
3. As each group completes its map, share it with the class via the projector. Then put all the maps on the projector together. The result should be a stack with all five maps in alignment and all five regions demarcated by the students visible at once.
4. Discuss observations from the maps:
   
   • the limits of the wolf’s range due to human-made boundaries and environmental boundaries,
     
   • the differences between past and present ranges,
     
   • rationales for the anticipated future range, and
     
   • the lessons environmentalists might learn from the gray wolf project.
     
5. Ask each group to create a survey to gauge public opinion about wolves. They can focus on issues raised in the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC article, Geoguide/wolves online, and other sources. The survey should present points of view as statements (e.g., “Ranchers should not bear the cost of replacing livestock killed by introduced wolves.”) and ask people to rank their level of agreement with each statement—strongly agree, mildly agree, no opinion, mildly disagree, strongly disagree.
6. Have groups survey parents, neighbors, or students in other classes.

1. Ask student teams to tally the results of their surveys and present the most interesting findings using bar graphs or pie graphs. Discuss the results as a class.
2. Display the class results on paper or poster board in a hallway at school or build a Web site to share them with the world!

• Preparation of maps
• Content of survey
• Presentation and interpretation of survey data

Have your students research other species such as prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, and sea otters that have been reintroduced to geographic regions where they once ranged.

Ask students to use the Internet to locate organizations that support wildlife, marine life, and habitat conservation. The Geoguide/wolves Resources & Links screen is a great place to start. Ask students to learn how these organizations work to protect wildlife and to critique their efforts based on what they’ve learned about wolves.