Until January of 1995, many people throughout the world believed there was one thing missing from Yellowstone National Park, and that was the wild gray wolf. This animal, which since 1973 has been listed as an Endangered Species in the Lower 48 states, isn't missing from the nation's oldest national park anymore.

During 1995, 14 gray wolves were reintroduced into the park from timbered areas of Alberta, Canada. Never before has an environmental issue attracted so much public response. During a public comment period in the the summer of 1995, leading up to the initial reintroduction, 160.000 concerned individuals submitted comments. Team TriBolt will revisit this controversial issue and look at the various sides of the issue. After a week of research the students will write a compare and contrast paper on the reintroduction of the gray wolf into Yellowstone and in this paper will state their opinion based on the research they have read. 

Before the students write their paper they will do the following:

• Read the introductory article," Gray Wolves reintroduced to Park over 2 years faring well." This is a very informative about the gray wolf.

• View the videotape: Wolves at our Door

• Read a speech by Senator Conrad Burns

• Read the article: The Big (Not so bad) Wolves of Yellowstone

• Read the article: Wolves and ranchers don't mix

• Read the article: Wolves return to Yellowstone sparks controversy

Before the students write their paper they will consider:

• The range of viewpoints on the issue

• The main arguments for each viewpoint (biased, opinion, fact)

• Students own opinion / supported

The student paper will include:

• Introductory paragraph (Attention getter, thesis statement, preview)

• Body (Different viewpoints on the gray wolf issue, transitions)

• Student opinion

• Conclusion

• Work Cited page

Student Learnings

1. Become familiar with media center procedures

2. Develop skills to access information from a variety or resources

3. Develop an awareness of a variety of information sources

4. Begin to apply Boolean and multiple keyword search strategies

5. Identify primary and secondary sources

6. Begin to effectively integrate information to support a thesis/form a question

7. Understand the concept of plagiarism and apply  methods of accurate source identification

8. Implement correct citation format, recognizing the existence of a variety of available styles