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Values can also be described in terms of attitudes toward wildlife and wildlife management. Respondents 

 to the 1999 winter and summer YNP visitor surveys were asked to state their level of agreement or 

 disagreement with a number of statements pertaining to wildlife and the environment. Table 17 shows 

 how Montana residents responded during the two visitor surveys. Responses are remarkably stable 

 between winter and summer YNP visits and both sample groups indicate a very high level of 

 environmental interest and concern. 



What drives the differences in attitudes towards wolves might be summed up as the perceived chance of 

 personal benefit or loss resulting from the presence of wolves. Those who feel they will benefit either 

 directly or vicariously tend to favor wolf restoration, and those who perceive the threat of personal loss 

 oppose restoration. A survey in Flathead County in northwestern Montana indicated that most 

 respondents were supportive of wolves naturally recolonizing the area, but that support could decrease if 

 recreational and commercial land uses were restricted to promote wolf recovery (Tucker and Pletscher 

 1989). One survey in Wyoming found that most respondents who opposed wolf reintroduction would not 

 change their responses even if a variety of their concerns were met, such as providing financial 

 compensation for livestock losses due to wolves (Bath and Phillips 1990). This firmness of position 

 indicates that some attitudes towards wolves have their basis not only in the tangible fear of financial 

 losses but also, more deeply, in the history of the area and its people. Furthermore, attitudes towards 

 wolves are rooted in society at least as much as they are based on wolf biology and will not be susceptible 

 to campaigns intended to change them. Williams et al. (2002) advises that wildlife managers would do 

 well to recognize that and maintain open dialogue with the general public and the affected interests. 



One of the most detailed sources of data on Montana resident attitudes towards wolves specific to the 

 wolf reintroduction effort is a survey of GYA residents conducted in 1993, including Montana counties 

 contiguous to the park and several mostly lairal counties in Idaho and Wyoming (Table 18). The 

 responses show both general support for wolf presence in the park and specific concerns associated with 

 potential problems related to livestock depredation and reduced big game hunting opportunities outside 

 the park. 



Table 17. Comparison of responses by Montana residents to statements concerning wildlife and wildlife 

 habitat when asked during winter or summer visits to Yellowstone National Park. Source: 

 Duffieldetal. 2001. 



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