Opinion Today: Lessons from a culture war over wolves

Even on thorny issues, there can be unique opportunities for compromise and collaboration.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 1, 2024 By Eliza Barclay Climate Editor, Opinion It has to be one of the most exuberant animal videos of 2023: a clip released by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife department of five gray wolves sprinting out of their crates and into the mountains in a furry embodiment of liberation. But as the Oregon writer Erica Berry argues this week in a guest essay, the wolves reintroduced into the Coloradan wilderness in December make more than just a feel-good image. They also are a counterintuitive, and promising, example of collaboration in highly polarized communities in the West — between people who have historically been at odds over environmental issues. The question that many rural communities have been debating for decades is whether wolves whose populations have been decimated almost to extinction should be brought back to the places they've been driven from. On one side are livestock producers who see wolves as threats to their animals, and on the other are conservationists who envision populations rebounding around the country and offering benefits for both humans and the environment. The latter group has lately been making remarkable inroads in unexpected places, by "helping to shoulder ranchers' costs," Berry writes. Ultimately, she argues, "the inclusive model of community-led conservation" that's evolved in response to conflicts over wolves is successful because it prizes shared values. It's a model we can and should be applying elsewhere. Read the guest essay: Miki Lowe Guest Essay What Can Americans Agree on? Wolves. In expanding pockets of the West, citizens across the political spectrum are finding common ground as they adjust to living beside wolves. By Erica Berry Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks Charles M. 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