In winter there is only one road open to traffic in Yellowstone Park. As it moves east to west through the wide valleys of the Park's northern range, it crosses the territories of a number of grey wolves. The wolves live in packs - family groups - consisting of a dominant breeding pair and their subordinate offspring. The breeders ('alphas') and a few of their subordinates ('betas') are radio-collared so that we can monitor their movements. Every day during winter I drive along the road and snowshoe the adjacent hills checking for signals, triangulating locations and, with a bit of luck, observing the wolves.

LRB 7 February 2002 | PDF Download