Denali National Park is best known for its highest peak, Denali, or “the high one”, that reaches 20,320 feet tall. Each summer, tourists flock to the park, jump on tour buses, and cruise along the roads in guided tours to sightsee. Each year, more than 400,000 people visit the park to hike, catch a glimpse of the highest peak, see animals, and much more. In 1917, after many efforts, many headed by naturalist Charles Sheldon, Denali National Park was created. The park holds many wonders, like the aurora borealis, but is most well known for its wolf population. There are three main packs in Denali: Grant Creek, Nenana Canyon, and East Fork. Many park visitors come hoping they will get the chance to see one of these famous wolves. But recently, the wolf population in Denali National Park has been surrounded by controversy. Denali National Park along with members of the public have been fighting the Alaska Board of Game to establish a hunting free buffer zone along park boundaries in effort to maintain the wolf population that has recently began to fall.
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In “Denali’s Wolves” Bill Sherwonit says, “Denali’s wolf numbers have ranged from 48 to 134, a nearly threefold difference.” So it is not uncommon for the wolf population to have such a large range in size. Sherwonit goes on to add that “the species is known to experience cyclical highs and lows in response to prey availability, weather, human harvest, and other factors”. But up until recently, numbers never fell below 78, and most of the time were more than 90 (Sherwonit). This is the cause of concern. For the last few decades, numbers have been on the higher end of the range. Now, historic packs known for their numbers are on the brink of extinction. The Board of Game has not been concerned, keeping their belief that the population will rise naturally, despite the sudden extreme drop in wolf
In “Denali’s Wolves” Bill Sherwonit says, “Denali’s wolf numbers have ranged from 48 to 134, a nearly threefold difference.” So it is not uncommon for the wolf population to have such a large range in size. Sherwonit goes on to add that “the species is known to experience cyclical highs and lows in response to prey availability, weather, human harvest, and other factors”. But up until recently, numbers never fell below 78, and most of the time were more than 90 (Sherwonit). This is the cause of concern. For the last few decades, numbers have been on the higher end of the range. Now, historic packs known for their numbers are on the brink of extinction. The Board of Game has not been concerned, keeping their belief that the population will rise naturally, despite the sudden extreme drop in wolf