I was thinking more in terms as to who the players were that started the ball rolling here in the lower 48 as to how we got from "got no wolves" to "wow, need to go get some wolves". Operationss such as this are not born full grown complete with their own government budget and staff overnight. There is an starting point (often based in testimony and hearings), a gestation period (proposals and structure building), before things just "take off" (the first government allocation of funds).

In terms of the players who were present at the beginning, I wonder: whose money, whose time, whose push was it that got it going in the beginning?

Was it sportsmen?
Was it wildlife folks?
Was it the Sierra Club?
Was it PETA?

I don't know, it could tell an interesting tale.

EKM