Are Isle Royale Wolves Too Big to Fail? A Response to Vucetich et al

Gostomski, Ted

Vucetich et al. (2012) have proposed reintroducing wolves to Isle Royale National Park (Lake Superior, Michigan, USA), arguing that unnatural causes (humans) have brought the island wolf population to the brink of extinction. They argue that protecting Isle Royale’s ecological integrity—a fundamental tenet of National Park Service (NPS) policy—refutes almost any argument to be made against reintroduction. However, in making their case, Vucetich and his colleagues left out some important facts about the history of wolves on Isle Royale, and I believe they exaggerate the wolf ’s role in the significance of the island as a national park and as a federally designated wilderness area. Also, they feel that the “question at stake” in considering reintroduction is whether or not to allow a long-term research project to end (p. 134). That is a far different line of reasoning than the welfare of wolves and moose, ecological integrity, wilderness values, or how visitors form connections with the island. That line of reasoning raises a question about Isle Royale wolves similar to one asked about banks in the United States during the economic recession: “Are they too big to fail?” Vucetich and his co-authors invite broader discussion on the topic of reintroduction, and I hope others will take up that offer, but I think the discussion should be based on all the available information. I present here some of what I think was left out of Vucetich et al.’s article, but which I feel is very relevant to any consideration of wolf reintroduction on Isle Royale.