Wolves and Beavers in Yellowstone National Park

Wolves and Beavers in Yellowstone National Park The elimination of two animal groups from Yellowstone National Park changed the course of rivers and decreased plant and animal diversity. What two animals had such a big impact?  Creatures that humans have long considered competitors and pests: wolves and beavers. Why Eliminate Wolves? It all started with good intentions. In the 1800s, wolves were seen as a threat to settlers’ livestock. Fear of the wolves also made it seem logical to eliminate them. Other predator populations such as bears, cougars, and coyotes were also hunted during this time in order to enhance other, preferred species. By the early 1970s, a survey of Yellowstone National Park showed no evidence of a wolf population. How Did a Lack of Wolves Change the Physical Geography of the Park? Without wolves to thin herds, elk and deer populations surpassed the park carrying capacity. Despite efforts to manage deer and elk populations, their preferred food sources of aspen and willow trees were decimated.  This resulted in a lack of food for beavers and their populations declined. Without beaver dams to slow the flow of rivers and create appropriate habitat, water-loving willows nearly disappeared.  The lack of shallow marshes created by beaver dams also decreased the quality of habitats for birds, amphibians, and other animals.  Rivers became faster and deeper. Reintroduction of the Wolves The process to restore habitat conditions was made possible with the passage of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. The law compelled US Fish and Wildlife Service to reestablish endangered populations when possible. Yellowstone National Park became one of three designated recovery sites for the Gray Wolf.  Amid much controversy, wolf reintroduction finally began in 1994 with the capture of wild wolves from Canada that were released in Yellowstone. A few years later, wolf populations stabilized and a wonderful story emerged about the restoration of park ecology.  It was hoped that with reduced elk populations, beavers would have access to their favored food and return to create lush wetlands. The return of the previously maligned wolf would transform the ecosystem for the better. It was a wonderful vision and some of it has come true, but nothing is ever easy in the restoration of complex ecosystems. Why Yellowstone Needs to Have Beavers Come Back Beavers have not returned to Yellowstone for a simple reason - they need food. Willows are preferred by beavers for dam construction and nutrition; however, despite the decline in the elk population, willows have not been recovering at the pace predicted.  The potential reason for this is a lack of the marshy habitat that favors their growth and expansion. Willows thrive in areas where soil is kept moist from regular flow of nearby water. Rivers in Yellowstone run faster and have steeper banks than they did during the era with beavers.  Without beaver ponds and meandering, slow-flow areas, willow trees are not thriving. Without willows, beavers are less likely to return.   Scientists have tried to resolve this dilemma by building dams that recreate beaver habitats. So far, willows have not spread into these man-made ponding areas.  Time, rainy conditions, and still lower elk and deer populations may all need to converge before there will be mature willows to lure back a large beaver population. Yellowstone Wolf Restoration Still a Great Story The great debate over how fully wolves have restored Yellowstone ecology may go on for years, but scientists seem to agree that the wolves have improved conditions. Wildlife biologists have noted that endangered grizzly bears often manage to steal wolf kills. This could be critical if other food sources such as fish populations continue to decline. Coyote and foxes still thrive, but in smaller numbers; perhaps due to competition with wolves. Fewer small predators have allowed populations of rodents and other small mammals to recover. It has even been suggested that deer and elk health has improved because they must move more quickly and remain alert with wolves in the area. Wolves in Yellowstone Today The expansion of the wolf population has been amazing. In 2011, the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that there were about 1,650 wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In addition, the wolves were taken off the endangered-species list in Idaho and Montana. Today, the packs in Yellowstone range from two to eleven wolves. The size of the packs varies with the size of the prey. Wolves are currently hunted in areas surrounding Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service is still monitoring the wolf population in the park and surrounding areas. Hope for the Beaver? Beavers are among the most persistent wildlife on the planet.  Their reputation of nuisance comes from the challenge of discouraging them once they become attached to a stream or river. While they prefer willows, they can survive from other tree species, such as aspens. The National Park Service continues to monitor the beaver population. It is possible that over time the combination of reduced elk populations, improving aspens and willows, and a wet weather period could combine to create ideal conditions for their return.

Avoid Run-On Sentences in Your Business Writing

Avoid Run-On Sentences in Your Business Writing This statement contains an error. Find and correct it: The next few weeks will be busy. Both the website update and the app launch have deadlines in December.Huang is our most diligent employee, I would like him on my team. Run-on sentences and sentence fragments are becoming more and more common, and seem to be a tricky area for many people. I certainly have been guilty of all of these before, particularly when I am texting. While I think it is somewhat inconsequential to have a grammatical mistake in a quick text dashed off to a friend, these types of mistakes become problematic when they spill into more formal business contexts such as emails, letters, and memos. In fact, run-on sentence construction (also called fused sentences) is the #1 most common business writing grammar error we see in client writing. Fragmented sentences is the #2 error, and they are very related. Let's back up a step or two (we have to go back to middle school grammar class now) and look at the difference between Independent and Dependent Clauses. The difference between these two is the foundational reason that run-on sentences and sentence fragments are wrong. First of all, what is a clause? A clause is a group of words with a subject and a verb. There are two main types of clauses: Independent and Dependent. An Independent Clause can stand alone as a complete sentence. Ex. John is a highly intelligent business man. Ex. Suzette was recognized for her contributions. A Dependent Clause can't stand alone, and therefore it must be connected to an Independent Clause. A Dependent Clause usually happens when you add a dependent marker word. These words are often conjunctions or adverbs, and leave us with a question. Ex. Because John is a highly intelligent businessman, Ex. When Suzette was recognized for her contributions. You should notice that by adding the dependent marker word to these clauses, they become incomplete sentence fragments, and you are essentially left hanging; what happened when Suzette was recognized? What happened because John was a highly intelligent businessman? To fix this situation, you need to connect those Dependent Clauses to Independent Clauses. Ex. Because John is a highly intelligent businessman, his company is very profitable. Ex. When Suzette was recognized for her contributions, she was given a promotion and a corner office. Connecting a dependent clause to an independent clause helps us to avoid sentence fragments. But what about the more common run-on sentences? Run-on sentences occur when we connect two independent clauses without using proper punctuation. Ex. Huang is the most diligent employee, I would like him on my team. There are many ways to fix the sentence above: Huang is the most diligent employee; I would like him on my team. (You could also add a transition here if you would like: Huang is the most diligent employee; therefore, I would like him on my team.) Huang is the most diligent employee. I would like him on my team. (Like the sentence above, you could also add a transition here: Huang is the most diligent employee. As a result, I would like him on my team.) Huang is the most diligent employee, and I would like him on my team. Because Huang is the most diligent employee, I would like him on my team. Simple clear language is the key to good business writing, soit is typically best to simply split the run-on into two complete sentences, as shown in number 2: Huang is the most diligent employee. I would like him on my team. Run-on sentences and sentence fragments are easy mistakes to make, and are just as easy to fix. Start by asking yourself this question: Does this clause express a complete thought? If not, connect it to another clause that answers the unanswered question. If it does, make sure that it isn't connected to another complete thought with a comma (use a period or a semi-colon instead). This one question should make it easy for you to find the run-on sentences and sentence fragments in your business writing, and fix them on your own. If you want additional support in this area, Instructional Solutions offers business writing courses that include detailed, individualized instructor feedback on your business writing.