The recent shooting by a hunter of 926F, a collared female admired by wolf watchers, has reignited the debate on hunting wolves near national parks. Protected in parks—as 926F was in Yellowstone—wolves can hunt, breed, and raise families without fear of humans. Watching them do so excites and educates tens of thousands of park visitors and informs many scientists. But once wolves step outside a park they can become trophies—as 926F did—for a few hunters or trappers.

Little more than a week remains to comment on an environmental assessment the National Park Service has written to ease back on protections for predators in national preserves in Alaska. The Park Service's latest position is a wholesale reversal from where it stood in 2015 when it pushed back against Alaska's requests to allow for the killing of more wolves and bears from national preserves and refused to back down.

Autumn is a spectacular time to visit Denali National Park. The alpine and subalpine tundra at higher elevations gleam with fall color by mid- to late-August. The taiga at lower elevations is aglow in reds by early September, a time when the aspen and balsam poplar near the park entrance turn brilliant yellow and gold.

National Park Service staff, who have been asked to relax sport hunting regulations for wolves and bears in national preserves in Alaska, are relying on the state of Alaska's position that increased hunting of the predators will not have an overall impact on their populations. But the regulatory changes likely would reduce opportunities for wildlife viewing and degrade wilderness character in the preserves, the Park Service adds in an assessment of the rule changes.