Heed the howl of America’s greatest symbol

After reading your April 10 article "Don't Tread on Me," I felt an immediate sense of both worry and dread. The article mentions the potential closing of the WNC Nature Center, and that place is more than just an economic burden.

Rather, I would argue that it has helped the city of Asheville. It has brought around 100,000 people to the city each year, and the howls of the red wolves are ones of gratitude. A dying species, the red wolves are faced with some of the gravest threats by people today, and places like the WNC Nature Center do much to preserve them and educate others about them.

I encourage people not to hear the howl of this crimson wolf as either a monstrous bellow or even a divine voice but as a call from one of the greatest symbols of the American wild and a remnant of America's natural history.

— Jonathan W. Thurston

Nashville, Tenn.

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