THE RELATIONSHIP OF WOLF RECOVERY TO HABITAT CONSERVATION AND BIODIVERSITY IN THE NORTHWESTERN UNITED-STATES

Gray wolves were systematically and fervently eliminated from the nort hwestern United States between the mid-1800s and early 1900s. Wolves d isappeared from lower elevations first and generally persisted longer in more remote, mountainous areas. Preservation of large tracts of pub lic land, primarily for commodity use, at the tum of the century, had the unforeseen effect of allowing conditions for wolf recovery to occu r later. Improving attitudes toward the species and the recovery of un gulate prey populations from their tum of the century lows are the pro ximate factors making wolf recovery possible in areas with vast public lands. Planners for wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies identified three areas for wolf recovery, northwestern Montana, central Idaho, an d the Greater Yellowstone area, because they consisted primarily of na tional parks, designated wilderness, and national forests. Those areas had previously been designated as public lands largely because they w ere too unproductive for agriculture; they consist in part of high ele vation habitat that supports relatively few prey for wolves in winter. So far, recolonizing wolves have settled in lower elevation habitats where deer and elk are most abundant. Since private lands are most oft en in these lower elevations, they may be more important to the recove ry and maintenance of viable wolf populations than was earlier envisio ned. The negative symbolic nature of the wolf was a major factor in it s eradication and continues to be a major factor in considerations of reintroduction and natural recolonization; the newer positive symbolic nature of the animal will ultimately facilitate its return and contri bute indirectly toward long-term conservation of wild spaces and biodi versity in North America.