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Can Wolves Alter Rivers In Yellowstone National Park?

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Are wolves changing the landscape of Yellowstone National Park?/Sustainable Man

While it's certain that wolves are impacting other wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, are the predators also impacting rivers in the park? The folks at Sustainable Man think so, and created the following video to explain their thinking.

If you forgive the narrator's confusion over elk and deer, and the appearance of Grand Teton National Park's Mount Moran, the rest of the video raises some interesting points. Watch the video and let us know if you agree with their premise.

Comments


I think this has been posted here before (but maybe it was somewhere else). I asked at that time what are the sources for the many claims that are made?  Sounds much more like wishful thinking to me than documented reality. 


Where's the science to support this stuff?


The article above says that it raises some interesting points. It doesn't declare a scientific finding of law. Do your own damn research.


http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo19341756.html

His book has about 30 pages of notes and references...

Some information may have come from here:

http://www.cof.orst.edu/leopold/papers/RippleBeschtaYellowstone_BioConse...

But I haven't read the book, so I cannot verify.

Here is an article (peer-reviewed) which verifies that trophic cascades do indeed exist:

https://www.sciencemag.org/content/343/6167/1241484

The jury is still out on Yellowstone as not enough time has passed and the damage is thought to be too great for a quick easy fix.

 


It doesn't declare a scientific finding of law.

It makes many unsubstantiated claims of fact.  But then, I guess you would identify with that.


I found the article an interesting reminder of how samll changes can have far greater impacts than the obvious ones. As for wolves changing the course of rivers I am a bit of a skeptic.


But what was it that John Muir said about everything in the universe being tied together?


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