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Ralph Maughan clips 1 | 2 Opposition to Wolf Reintroduction in the Northern Rockies Although raised in the midst of Utah’s livestock-degraded landscapes, Ralph Maughan did not take a great interest in environmental conservation until he returned to the West after completing a PhD in political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Maughan went on to co-found the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and has held leadership positions in the Sierra Club, including that of chair of the Northern Rockies Chapter. Dr. Maughan is a professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University, and is the president of the Wolf Recovery Foundation, an organization that advocates for the presence forever of wolves in places where they have been extirpated.
The government’s reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 sparked opposition from ranchers, farmers, and hunters that continues to this day. Ralph Maughan draws upon his background as a political scientist to cut through the rhetoric of these groups and to propose the real sources of their opposition.
Recorded in August 2003. This video is an excerpt from Ralph Maughan’s interview in Western Turf Wars: The Politics of Public Lands Ranching. |
