Letters to the editor Aug. 10

Wildlife conservation

I recall my first backpacking trip in college. Up to that trip I had only known car camping where an electrical outlet wasn’t far away. That backpack and trail opened up the wild’s front door and windows to me.  

The Cascades’, and later the Rocky Mountains’ rivers, wildlife and wide-open spaces were no longer an image in a book or TV, they were real. The wild was filled with adventure, beauty, wonder, trepidation and the first sense of my space in this world. I wasn’t alone and the lens I see it through isn’t the only one available. 

Over my years from college to near retirement I’ve sadly seen those doors shut and sometimes disappear. Every visit to Montana reminds me of what was in my past and generations before. Montana remains one of America’s greatest outdoor destinations. It still holds parts unknown and wild left to wild.

The possibility of seeing the wild up close in Yellowstone is part of that experience. The good chance of seeing wolves thriving and sharing their lens of living in the wild. Even on trips when I don’t see one, knowing they’re still out there makes Montana feel truly wild.

That’s why I hope Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks takes a conservative approach to wolf management this year. With the recent population counts leaving questions needing more time for clarity, I ask for error on the conservative side. Let’s not just allow a species to thrive near a tipping point of human acceptance.

Thoughtful wildlife custodianship strengthens public trust and protects the components that attract visitors from around the world. It also helps preserve Montana’s reputation as a leader in wildlife conservation and coexistence.

Please give our children and their children the wild experiences we treasure today.

A grateful Montana visitor,

­— Jenifer Clark, Kirkland, Wash.