CHAKIKR 1: AKKKC TKDKNVIKONMKNT 



Recreational Trip Values. Two of the nation's premier national parks (Yellowstone and Glacier) are 

 found, al least partly, within Montana. A number of studies documented the popularity of these parks as 

 tourist destinations, both nationally and internationally. A 1999 summer visitor survey for YNP found 

 that Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho residents placed a net economic value of $56.80 for their summer trips 

 and nonresidents placed a value of $349.09 on their trips (Duffield et al. 2000). 



The 1999 YNP winter and summer surveys also asked visitors whether the possibility of seeing wolves 

 had affected their decision to visit the GYA (Table 16). Nineteen to 42% of visitors reported that seeing 

 or hearing wolves was one of the reasons for making their trip to the GYA. However, a substantial 

 majority would still have made the trip to the GYA if wolves were not present. Approximately 3.5% of 

 current visitors to the park would not make the trip if wolves were not present in the park. Given that 

 there are over three million visitors annually to YNP, it represents over 100,000 visitors. 



Table 16. Percent of respondents who reported whether the possibility of seeing wolves affected their 

 decision to visit the GYA. Source: Duffield et al. 2001 . 



Social and Cultural Values. Wolf recolonization in northwestern Montana and the reintroduction of 

 wolves into YNP and central Idaho raise a number of issues, including their place in the ecosystem and 

 their effects on people and other animals. Because public comments were used to develop the alternatives 

 for this EIS and to assess their consequences, public issues and concerns are integrated throughout the 

 draft EIS. The purpose of this section is to discuss the social and cultural attitudes and values that 

 underlie the public comments, and to lay the groundwork for assessing how cultural values and the social 

 environment could be affected by the various alternatives. 



When discussing social and cultural implications associated with wolves, the primary affected 

 environment is the values of people living within or near the recovery areas and the values of people 

 statewide. To many, the gray wolf symbolizes wildness and is valued intrinsically for reinhabiting parts 

 of their former range. Others value the role the wolf plays in the larger ecosystem. For many farmers and 

 ranchers, however, the wolf is a potential threat to their livestock and livelihood. Also, many people fear 

 wolves and view them as a personal threat. For Native Americans, the wolf plays an important positive 

 role and many traditional views of the wolf continue today. The gray wolf attained a cultural significance 

 to many Native American tribes in Montana. For the Blackfeet, the wolf is a powerful religious symbol 

 and is known as a "medicine animal" (Vest 1988). 



52 



