Parsing Perceptions: Watch the video, and then click on the two maps to enlarge and examine them. Compare the scientific data presented in the maps and video to the three misperceptions using a two-column table or graphic organizer.
Game (could be suggested as an out-of-class activity): Wolf Quest! Live the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone. http://wolfquest.org
Misconception activity support: Read or provide the below text to your students once they have finished the activity. Show any of the five sources below to help confirm each scientific fact.
These two maps show that the western portion of Colorado Rocky Mountains is suitable habitat for wolves to return to¹. Suitable habitat is determined by prey density, roads and road use, vegetation types, presence or absence of livestock, amount of human development, and the land’s slope and elevation. Given that these factors have been taken into account, we know that Colorado’s Western Slope will easily support wolves. Furthermore, at least 23 million acres in Colorado are public land², and elk and other game animals are at or above target levels, meaning the prey population is large enough to support wolves there³ ⁴ ⁵.
References
- Wolf Range in North America: Past, Present and Potential from Defenders of Wildlife.
- Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data from Congressional Research Service (2017).
- Elk Numbers Across 6 States from goHUNT (2014).
- Call of the wild: Should Colorado bring back the wolf? from The Christian Science Monitor (2019).
- Crying wolf, or cause for alarm? from Gunnison Country Times (2019).