By Long Beach State’s Environmental Science and Policy program hosted “Wolf Talk” at The Pointe inside the Walter Pyramid on April 15, focusing on the role wolves play in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Speaker Taylor Rabe, a biological science technician for Yellowstone National Park, discussed four core areas: monitoring, management, education and research, with a focus on public education about wolves that highlights their role in the ecosystem beyond their image as predators.
During the presentation, Rabe shared videos of the wolves that live in the GYE, including trail cam footage showing wolf pups carrying bones, wolves playing leapfrog and a few wolves play-fighting within the pack.
“People seeing wolves act like dogs helps people relate to them, and gives the public a better understanding of them,” Rabe said.
The project’s goal is to give the public a better understanding of the animals.
“Wolves are extremely political, controversial, and it’s important to have these conversations with all different types of people,” Rabe said. “These conversations will help them know why wolves benefit the landscape and how they help the ecosystem.”
One of the groups that she works with every year is students from Idaho. Most of the group’s members come from farming families that view the wolves as a bother.
“At the beginning of the week, I’ll say, ‘Who here likes wolves? Raise your hand.’ None of them will raise their hands.” Rabe said.
However, after a week of watching the wolves, seeing the pups and going out to the field, she heard one of the students say, “Hey, wolves aren’t that bad.”
“That’s going to be the generational shift in the change of attitudes towards wolves and predators,” Rabe said. “That’s the important part of my work, and that’s why I like what I do.”
Rabe’s visit to campus was the result of a collaborative effort by the Environmental Science and Policy faculty.
Monica Argandoña, faculty advisor for the Environmental Science and Policy program, and professor Lily House-Peters, the newly appointed program director, helped organize the event.
“Dr. Monica Argandoña was instrumental in setting all of this up by having the opportunity to go on an incredible experience at Yellowstone,” House-Peters said.
Every spring break, students in the program have the opportunity to visit Yellowstone National Park. It was during one of those trips that they met Rabe.
“Two years ago, we ran into Taylor, doing what she does best,” Argandoña said. “The students started talking to her and engaging with her and thought bringing her out to campus would be great, and we did just that.”
