1) The second howling clip: that wolf is damn beautiful man
2) The last clip of the starry sky is also damn beautiful and it makes me want to paint
3) Ive actually studied this before. It was a part of my speech I gave in high school. Ive used it to emphasize points about hunting and how humans should pay closer attention to the effects their actions have on ecosystems.
However, it is entirely more complex than the video makes it out to seem. In fact, wolves actually had very little effect on the rivers. You see, the main factor of the changing rivers has to do with the beavers, and the beavers are drawn to one very important thing: willows. Willows attract beaver because to them it tastes like candy. Now yes the elk and bisons eating habits did attribute to the thinning of willow populations, but an elks diet is actually 90% grass- they dont eat that much willow.
And willows are a particular tree. They like to grow on the edge of water sources where their roots can practically be in said water source. So when looking at the regrowth of willows you must also look at geography, climate and water supply for the willows. (Our climate has definitely changed since the 90s)
You also have to take into account the impact of humans on the elk population. When elk migrate away from the park into parts of Montana every year they are hunted by humans. This had a pretty decent effect on their numbers in the early two thousands. And the fact that a lot of elk deer and moose have started to move away from the park because of increasing wolf populations can actually be seen as a negative. Besides, elk population numbers are currently on the rise again because of the restriction put on elk hunting. So clearly humans had just as great an impact on the herds as wolves did.
And the part that the video ignored? Bison. American Bison are actually much more destructive than elk, but the video doesnt touch on this because wolves do not feed on Bison and therefore there is not a noticeable impact on their populations and behavior in regards to the wolves. And as the bison move into the grazing areas the elk have left behind, they are causing just as much destruction to the native flora. Some certain valleys and areas are actually even worse off than before!
You want to know who the real keystone predator is here? Humans. We were the ones who erased the wolves form Yellowstone, and we were the ones who put them back in. We are the top hunters. Have wolves made an impact? Yes, of course. Are they solely responsible for all the positive changes happening? Um, no sorry. Nature is much more complicated than that. Humans, climate, and other animal species definitely had their own role.
Overall, I think it is a really cool video that hits some really cool points and is not wrong in any way. It simply over simplifies the situation. Im a huge fan of wolves myself and it certainly was fun to rewatch!
Have you ever done/enjoyed public speaking or giving presentations?
_________________
*404 Error: Inspirational quote not found*