u/SharpShooterM1

I tried to open the app tonight only to find it wouldn’t load anything even though I had full reception so I deleted than reinstalled the app only to find the entire layout of the app changed. It’s ugly, inconvenient, and far less enjoyable. I don’t know if I got forced into some sort of test group or if everyone suddenly got this update but either way I don’t want it and need my old layout back.

This episode of the MeatEater podcast goes over many behind the scenes details of the Colorado wolf introduction, including things like its origins, how and where the state acquired their wolves, what the animals did once released, what the state has done so far to try to mitigate cattle predation, and the likely ramifications of the introduction in the far future for native ungulates populations.

This is the most recent episode of the MeatEater podcast with Steven Rinella, and the guest is the recently retired head manager of the Colorado wolf reintroduction program. In this episode they go over in detail how the program was started, were and how the state sourced their wolves, the behavior of the animals upon release, how the state has been dealing with cattle depredation, and the potential future of the program.

Here is the Spotify link if you want to listen to it while doing other things: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2PHy4Ipw7g5RpDTWSVX2Sa?si=dA7lCCAnSaOj_FnkJi26Og&utm_source=copy-link

Side note: Steve does mention wanting wolves federally delisted as endangered, which may sound bad to first-time listeners, but it makes more sense with context. He’s repeatedly said in past episodes he wants wolves managed on a state-by-state level because he believes that allows for better management practices that reduces conflict with people. He also believes wolves should be managed like elk, deer, bears, and other game species and furbearers, rather than treated as above management. Take that opinion however you will; I’m only providing context for his comment about delisting wolves.

In my opinion the Longleaf pine barrens of the American south is one of the most overlooked ecosystems in the United States, and also one of the most tragic. This continuous habitat of pine savanna once stretched as much as 92 million acres, but during the reconstruction era after the civil war it was discovered that the sap of Longleaf pine could readily be made into many industrial products like turpentine, pitch, tar, paint, varnishes, and even early plastics. For the impoverished south this meant an easy source of much needed cash, but for the many species that were endemic to Longleaf pine ecosystems, like the gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker, and indigo snake, it meant the loss of their home to the point many of them are now endangered or threatened.

This documentary goes over the ongoing efforts to rewild the species listed above, from physically relocating colonies of birds, to rescuing tortoises from construction sites, to breeding programs.

Side note: at there lowest point in the 1980’s Longleaf pine forest covered less than 3.8 million acres, but thanks to the work of various conservation organizations Longleaf pine’s have reclaimed roughly 2 million acres of their historic range in the last 30 years.

Also here is another

In 1941, a group of Utah sportsmen successfully petitioned to reintroduce American bison to the Henry Mountains of southern Utah. The founding herd consisted of just 18 animals translocated from Yellowstone National Park, establishing what would become one of North America's most unique bison populations. Surrounded on all sides by vast expanses of desert, the Henry Mountains function as a natural ecological island, providing abundant habitat while creating little incentive for the herd to disperse beyond the region. Unlike Yellowstone bison, which are intensively managed and often rounded up or culled when they leave park boundaries, the Henry Mountains herd has had no human limitations placed on where they are allowed to go. As a result, it became the first truly free-ranging plains bison herd established in the United States since the species was largely extirpated from its historic range during the late nineteenth century. The above video follows a man as he explores the Henry Mountains trying to find one of the smaller herds that call this harsh habitat home.

The only limiting factor for the herd today is the fact that the Henry mountains have large tracts of BLM lands that are leased for cattle ranching, though do keep in mind these are not temporary or new ranches, as many of the leases have been with the same families for several generations, with most having started before the bison were even reintroduced. The conflicts between the bison and cattle are mitigated by the Utah DNR having one of only 7 bison hunting seasons in the country, with the tags for these animals being literally once in a lifetime. Through the help of hunters the population is kept to under 400 animals, which prevents the herd from having to much of an impact that it hinders cattle production, while still allowing for the bison to perform their niche as a keystone species. In the last few decades its been found that bison and cattle utilize ecosystems very differently at different times of year, which allows the bison to coexist with cattle without having to much of an impact so long as the numbers of both remain in moderation. This secondary video goes over the compromise between ranchers and bison in greater detail. https://youtu.be/gwghe3jta4w?si=w7MBJc0rnl7vYjuq

The herd has also been used in recent years as a source for further reintroductions in the state, with a new herd in the Book Cliffs being established in 2008, and talks of a potential 3rd herd in the near future.

side note: both of these videos refer to this herd as being "genetically pure" as they were sourced from the Yellowstone herd which was believed to be completely devoid of cattle genetics but this was recently found to be false. the second video pre-dates that discovery and the first video i believe simply has bad information.