Mia Soviero (04/20/26) Decade of the Wolf: A Return of Balance

 Written by Douglas W. Smith, Decade of the Wolf explores the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and the ecological impact they had. Wolves were removed from Yellowstone due to predator control programs, but when they left, elk populations began to grow rapidly, causing an ecological imbalance. This is because overgrazing began to happen, destroying the natural environment. The return of wolves affected prey populations, vegetation, and even river patterns, which shows how interconnected ecosystems are. I related this to the topics of keystone species and ecological restoration. Sometimes, humans do not realize how important a keystone species can be for an environment. Humans also do not realize the impact their actions may have on an ecosystem, as they were the ones to originally remove the wolves, and they were the ones to put them back. Without their intervention, there would have been no need for a restoration project, raising questions on whether or not humans are restoring balance or creating a new version of the ecosystem.

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