16 | T e a c h e r G u i d e - W o l v e s o f Y e l l o w s t o n e
14. The moderator will guide the discussion and project the Wolf Reintroduction Scenarios Matrix.
USFWS employees will volunteer information to help complete the matrix. They will need to
decide which ecosystem services are promoted by the scenario and also include design
constraints for each scenario; these could include social, scientific, and economic limitations. It is
possible for the USFWS to make modifications to the scenarios to deal with the possible constraints
and to support ecosystem services. They should use their notes from the public hearing and the
pro/con sheet to guide their discussion.
15. While the USFWS are discussing the best scenario to choose and if there should be any
modifications, the students representing the public should be taking notes on the course of the
discussion and making note of how their concerns were addressed. They should also complete the
Wolf Reintroduction Scenarios Matrix along with the USFWS. The public may not comment during
this time. This round should last about 20-25 minutes. The answer key for the Wolf Reintroduction
Scenarios Matrix is on page 17 of this guide.
16. If your class periods are only 45 minutes long, you may wish to start the next round during the
next class period. After the USFWS employees have discussed which scenario they feel would best
fit, if it seems unanimous, they can propose that scenario to the public. If there are still
disagreements, they could do a majority rules vote or however you would like them to come to a
decision. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
17. The USFWS employees will then announce their decision and supporting reasons to the public. If
they have decided to make any modifications to the alternatives, they should explain how they
have modified the initial proposal and give reasons why. This should take about 5 minutes.
18. After the announcement, they can ask the public if they have any remaining concerns and if they
have ideas about how to address these concerns.
19. At the conclusion of the role play, have students write a short reflection about the process. If they
were on the USFWS side of the role play, they should write about the challenges in coming up with
an acceptable proposal that balances the needs of the park and YNP ecosystem with the
demands of the public. If the students were members of the public, they should write a reflection
on how they felt about the final decision given the needs of their particular character. Students
should also include in the reflection if their final decision differs or is similar to the scenario chosen
by the USFWS.
20. Collect the reflections and debrief with the class during the next class period.
21. At this point, you may want to share with students that the USFWS service ultimately chose scenario
#1 with a few modifications based on public comment.
22. To illustrate to the students the impact that the wolves had on Yellowstone, show the remainder of
the Wolves of Yellowstone | EARTH A New Wild video (2 min, 40 sec) and have students do a
second bubble map on the conditions in YNP when the wolves are PRESENT. There is a bubble map
and two viewing questions on the student worksheet for Part 2 that you can print and distribute to
students. Answers can be found on the teacher answer key for Part 2 on page 18 of this guide.