When Yellowstone Park officials kept three areas closed beyond that date this year, long-time wolf opponents jumped on them. The issue is largely resolved now, however, with only Druid Peak remaining closed. The Druid Peak closure is only the mountain itself (about two square miles). The pack has two den sites on it and they are apparently still using them. Five pups have been observed so far.

"The concern is that that den is so close to the road that people could walk in and the wolves would abandon the den," said Cheryl Matthews of Yellowstone Public Affairs.

Druid Peak is directly above the NE Entrance road near Soda Butte, and each day hundreds of people drive by and stop in an effort to spot the wolves. Their efforts are often rewarded.

Druid Peak has never been a magnet for hikers or climbers. It has no trails, nor roads; and in the past, it was rarely hiked or climbed.

The controversy was, in my opinion, merely an effort to harass the wolf restoration effort.