CHAPTER 4: E.NVIRONMKNTAI. CONSEQUENCES 



Table 33. Number of licenses sold to nonresidents (NR) for a variety of deer and elk hunting 

 opportunities, 1990-2000. 



Wildlife Viewing and Recreational Trip Values . Wolves are charismatic and gamer the public's interest 

 nationwide. Many people value the opportunity to see or hear wolves, or simply to recreate in areas 

 where wolves are present (Duffield 1992, Duffield et al. 2001 ). The reinlroduction of wolves to YNP 

 demonstrated the potential for strong links between visitor experiences, visitor spending, and the presence 

 of wolves in an ecosystem. Since the 1995 reintroduction, a significant amount of recreational and 

 economic activity has developed specifically around viewing and listening to wolves within the park. 



YNP's Lamar River Valley provides a unique open setting with excellent viewing opportunities for 

 wolves, grizzlies, and elk. Large numbers of visitors now go to this area in the spring and early summer 

 specifically to see wolves. Over 20,000 visitors have actually seen wolves in the park since 

 reintroduction (R. Mclntire pers. comm.). In addition to those park visitors who travel to the Lamar 

 Valley independently, a number of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations have formed or located 

 near Yellowstone in recent years to provide wolf-watching tours. These operators (including operations 

 out of Bozeman, Gardiner, and Livingston, Montana) charge up to $2,000 per week (J. Williams pers. 

 comm.). Some business owners in Gardiner, Montana target their advertising to "wolf watchers." 



It is possible to roughly estimate the economic impact on Montana from wildlife viewing specifically 

 as.sociated with wolves in YNP. Surveys have shown that 3.3% of visitors to YNP would not have made 

 the trip if wolves were not present (Duffield et al. 2001 ). Of the 1 .8 million visitors to YNP per year from 

 outside the tri-state region, approximately 60,000 nonresident visitor trips are due to the presence of 

 wolves. 



Although wolf watching can take place throughout the park, it is concentrated in the Lamar Valley. 

 Visitor use in the Lamar Valley is clo.sely tied to the North Entrance (Gardiner, Montana) and the 

 Northeast Entrance (Cooke City, Montana). A conservative assumption is thai wolf-watching impacts are 

 instead distributed proportionally to entry through all gates. Given that, about 65% of these wolf 



