The famed Toklat wolf pack is in trouble, according to this Washington Post story. While Alaskan wolf populations, as a whole, are increasing, this well-studied wolf pack is threatened by trappers operating legally on the outskirts of the Denali National Park.

Wolf advocates maintain that the federal government has a particular interest in this wolf pack, insofar as it helps attract park visitors. One problem, however, is that current federal policy does not allow, let alone encourage, park managers to address such issues. If the wolves do indeed increase park visitiation, it would make sense to allow Denali to charge increased park visit fees to fund wolf conservation efforts. Such funds could be used in the park to protect wolves, but -- in principle -- could also be used to purchase buffer zones, buy-out trappers, and the like. Instead, it's unlikely the park service will do much of anything to help the wolf pack until it is too late.