They’ll help the ecosystem

Iagree with Shayne Jones in her recent column that coming together on middle ground on wolf reintroduction is worth pursuing.

Yes, as a keystone species, wolves affect other species. From 35 years of studying wolves, I see all those effects as positive. Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal: “We scarcely see a gang of buffaloe without observing a parsel of those faithfull shepherds on their skirts in readiness to take care of the mamed & wounded.”

And: “Game is still ver y abundant we can scarcely cast our eyes in any direction without perceiving deer Elk Buffaloes or Antelopes. The quantity of wolves appear to increase in the same proportion.”

Recent studies in Banff and Yellowstone reveal that wolves feed dozens of other creatures, from grizzly bears to beetles. No other predator feeds as many other birds, mammals, and insects as do wolves. They also promote the health of their prey species by taking only what they can catch and kill: old and sick animals that can infect others — read, chronic wasting disease.

Hunters and ranchers can relax. In Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, there are more elk today than in 1995. Wolves in those states take one in 10,000 cattle present annually; three in 10,000 sheep. All confirmed losses are compensated, and coexistence programs have been proven to work.

Is Proposition 114 a chasm of public division? Hardly. A Colorado State University poll found that 84 percent of Colorado voters intend to vote for Proposition 114 this fall, which will require that Colorado Parks and Wildlife reintroduce wolves into the state by the end of 2023.

Importantly, 79.8 percent of Western Slope residents said they will vote for wolf restoration, as did 69.5 percent of those who strongly identified as ranchers and 66.1 percent of those who strongly identified as hunters. Approval of Proposition 114 is democracy at its best.

NORMAN A. BISHOP

Bozeman, MT

made out of recycled plastic. Most companies have to sort the plastics, and they can’t earn enough money because most people aren’t buying the recycled plastic products.

Most people know about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but did you know that it is carrying about 79,000 metric tons of plastic? It’s surprising, even if you knew that there was a lot of plastic in the ocean.

It makes more sense when you find out that there are about 1.8 trillion pieces of trash in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The bigger pieces of plastic take up more than three quarters of the

Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

If people could try using other alternatives, it would help a lot. Even if you only use a metal soda container or you bring your own bag to the store every once in a while, it will still help us have less plastic everywhere.

CAROLYN LI

Boulder