Jellystone National Park Case Study Mrs. Dagher 6 th Grade Science Bryant Middle School

Background Have you ever heard of the story about the big, bad wolf and the three little pigs? Wolves arent always bad. In Yellowstone National Park, wolves were brought into the park to help restore the species.

Background: Before 1994, there were fewer than 500 wolves in the wild in the United States. Scientists and park rangers worked together to bring back this species to Yellowstone National Park. The scientists and park rangers captured 31 wolves from Canada and released them in Yellowstone National Park. By 2004, there were over 170 wolves in the park.

Background: The wolves have helped to hunt down the overpopulated elk species in the park. As a result, other species began to increase their populations including grass, aspen trees, ravens, eagles, coyotes, bears, and rabbits.

The Problem: As park rangers at Jellystone National Park (which is very close to Yellowstone National Park), your team have noticed that there has been a decline in the wolf population. As a result, the elk population has increased dramatically. Much of the grass in the park has been eaten by the elk. Other herbivores such as deer and rabbits have found little food and their populations have decreased.

The Problem: Ravens, eagles, and coyotes have been able to prey on some of the starving, diseased, or dead deer and rabbits in the park. As a result, the raven, eagle, and coyote population has begun to increase. Also, some of the ravens, eagles, and coyotes have become sick by eating some of the diseased rabbits and deer, which means that their population may start to decrease soon.

Two Possible Solutions: You have read about the success that has happened in Yellowstone National Park, but it was very costly to implement this type of plan and your park does not have much money available. You have also thought about allowing hunters to use the park to hunt the elk population, but are worried that the hunters may accidentally injure or kill a tourist.

The Task: Winter is approaching quickly and you will need to make a decision soon so that the wolf population has a chance to adapt or so that the hunters have a chance to hunt before it becomes too cold! You will need to submit a proposal to the park director soon so that you can help to bring balance to this ecosystem.

The Task 1: Title: Jellystone National Park Report 2: A. Should we reintroduce wolves to Jellystone National Park or allow people to hunt the elk population? B. Describe why we should reintroduce wolves to Jellystone National Park or allow the hunting of the elk. Sentence Stems 1. I believe that we should reintroduce wolves into Jellystone park because…explain 2. I think that we should be able to hunt the elk…explain You may use your book on p for additional support.

Sentence stems OR Describe why we should allow elk hunting. 3: A. What can be done to cover the cost of reintroducing the wolves? OR B. What can be done to protect the tourists from the hunters?