Geos 220
Writing Assignment 1
Re-introduction of the Wolf in the Southwest
"We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. … I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunter's paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view." Aldo Leopold, 1944, from A Sand County Almanac. Scientific Articles
Here are some preselected scientific articles to read and cite in your paper. You may start with the articles linked here, but feel free to find other peer-reviewed articles if you're so motivated.
NOTE: The pdf password for these articles is the same as for other course materials.
- Brown, David, E. (ed.) 1983. The long and dismal howl. In: The wolf in the Southwest: The making of an endangered species. The University of Arizona Press. Pages 11-24. A short overview of the historical occurrence of the wolf in the Southwest.
- Parsons, David R. 1998. 'Green fire' returns to the Southwest: re-introduction of the Mexican wolf. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26: 799-809. An excellent background reading that includes the natural history, population status, and the recovery status of the Mexican wolf. Additionally, environmental, sociopolitical, and legal topics about the Mexican wolf and the plan for re-introduction are discussed.
- Schoenecker, Kathryn A., and William W. Shaw. 1997. Attitudes toward a proposed re-introduction of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 2: 42-55. A survey of human attitudes towards wolves in the communities surrounding the wolf re-introduction site in Arizona. Also provides good information about human concerns and possible reasons for opposing or supporting the re-introduction of the Mexican wolf.
- Soulé, Michael E., and John Terbough. 1999. Conserving nature at regional and continental scales—a scientific program for North America. Bioscience 49: 809-817. A nice paper describing the important role of large predators in ecosystems and the top-down approach to ecological restoration.
- McKinsey, Krista. 1998. Lupus in limbo. Scientific American 278: 13. A short overview of the re-introduction program for Mexican wolves as experimental populations by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
- Robbins, Jim. 2004. Lessons from the WOLF. Scientific American 290(6): 76-81. A review of results of the re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. A nice comparison for the re-introduction program in the Southwest.
- Williams, C.K., G. Ericsson, and T.A. Heberlein. 2002. A quantitative summary of attitudes toward wolves and their reintroduction (1972–2000). Wildlife Society Bulletin 30(2):1–10. Another study of public opinion about wolf re-introduction.
- Martin, Paul, S., and David A. Burney. 1999. Bring back the elephants. Wild Earth, Spring 1999: pg. 57-64. A discussion of the possibilities surrounding the re-introduction of elephants to the Southwest. Similar concepts apply to re-introducing the wolf.
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