The Ninemile Wolves: An Essay

In 1989, two wolves appeared in a valley in northwestern Montana--the first known pair to den outside Glacier National Park in 60 years. The rancher let them stay long enough for the pups to mature; a month later, after attacks on dogs and calves (probably by coyotes), the wolves were removed, kept in captivity for several weeks and released. One pup escaped, then was captured; the other two died of starvation. The following year, another pair came to Ninemile and produced six pups. Bass ( Winter: Notes from Montana ), a champion of reintroduction, follows the fortunes and misfortunes of the young wolves caught in a bureaucratic and political crossfire. He has interviewed ranchers, farmers and wildlife biologists, and accompanied federal agents as they tracked the wolves. For Bass, wolf recovery has become a moral as well as an environmental issue. Here he makes a persuasive case for wolves. (June)