The Big Bad Wolf in Big Bend.

[SHANEA]

REINTRODUCTION OF THE MEXICAN WOLF WITHIN
ITS HISTORIC RANGE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES

Incredibly long report discussing the possibility of reintroducing the Mexican wolf into parts of the United States.  Study is several years old, 1996.  The portion concerning Big Bend starts on 3-50.  Here is a short excerpt.

Animals History of Wolves Historically, Mexican wolves probably were common in the Big Bend region of Texas (Bailey 1905). Aggressive
predator control programs, begun in the late 1800s and supported by local, state, and federal agencies, effectively eliminated packs from the area by 1945. Lone wolves occasionally were seen and sometimes killed by ranchers or hunters until 1970, when two were killed (Brown 1983). Since 1983, occasional reports of “wolves” within park boundaries have
occurred; all these are unconfirmed (Wolok 1994).

The TOC starts on page 16.

The environmental consequences for Big Bend start on 4-42 (PDF page 165)

Conclusion: Major impacts on agency policies and
plans are not expected, but some changes in park
plans might be necessary.

 

Impacts on Recreation.-Wolves probably would attract the public. The initiation of a wolf interpretive program could lead to enhanced visitor use. In Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, about
60 public howling sessions have been conducted since 1963 (except 1966-68), with 74,250 visitors participating through 1992 (averaging about 1,200 per session) (Strickland 1992). Prince Albert, Riding
Mountain, and Jasper National Parks in Canada also have successful wolf howling programs, although on a smaller scale than those in Algonquin.
Visitor interactions with wolves in the Chisos Mountains could occur, due to the high concentration of visitor use in this area, especially during the
summer months and holidays. Visitor access by trail or road might need to be limited or temporarily blocked to avoid disturbance of wolf dens and
rendezvous sites. However, disturbance by visitors in the desert regions of the park is unlikely because of the low concentration of visitors and limited accessibility, and because wolves probably would not prefer
these areas. Conclusion: Wolf recolonization could result in
increased visitation to the Big Bend National Park and could require minor temporary restrictions on human access to particular areas as necessary to prevent harm to the wolves.

Of course, we really don't want more visitors out there, so if the wolfs are reintroduced, then we shouldn't publicize it.    

NOTE:  This entire report is in PDF format and is 369 pages in length.
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/mexicanwolf/pdf/MW_EIS.pdf