International Wolf Center reaches into the western United States
Wolves at Our Door goes to states with rebounding wolf numbers
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Wolves have undeniably begun to reclaim portions of their historic range in the western United States. As their numbers in the western U.S. quickly grew after being reintroduced at Yellowstone National Park 24 years ago, education about these predators hasn’t always kept pace. The International Wolf Center is reaching out to help.
Without question, a great many organizations based in the western United States have worked to educate the public about wolves. But this problem is greater than any one organization can solve, so the International Wolf Center is expanding its popular Wolves at Our Door program to those western states.
The program educates more than 15,000 students in Minnesota every year. Now, the Center is teaching partnering organizations how to launch the program and share it with schools in their states. Two training sessions have been held with these organizations, including one in Ely, Minnesota, and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, from June 10-13.
During that session, representatives from the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in Oregon and Museum and the Sequoia Park Zoo in California were flown to Minneapolis and then driven by the Center to Ely. Over the next three days, those representatives got a full wolf education by retired Wisconsin wolf biologist Dick Thiel, as well as background on the program by the Center’s Outreach Director, Misi Stine. The group returned to the Twin Cities for further education with renowned wolf biologist Dr. Dave Mech, who founded the Center in 1985.
“There’s no question that many of those who live in the western United States have strong opinions about wolves,” said Chad Richardson, the Center’s Administrator. “For some, those opinions aren’t formed from facts but rather are formed from myths and fears. We’re trying to change that with these programs, which are based wholly on science.”
The Center has a unique aim, which is focused on advancing wolf populations by teaching the world about wolves. It presents many sides to the wolf debate during its Wolves at Our Door program and encourages attendees to make up their own minds about wolves, only after hearing the science-based facts.
“As I’ve traveled around Minnesota to present these programs, I’ve found two sources of misunderstanding,” said Stine, the Center’s Outreach Director. “When I speak to school children, their only exposure to wolves has typically been through fairy tales. When I speak to adults, many have formed their opinions based on what they heard in a 20-second newscast or through an exaggerated report on the evening news. So many people just don’t have the facts to support their strong opinions. Hopefully we can continue to fix that.”
Future training sessions are being planned by Stine involving organizations in the western United States.
The Western Wolves at Our Door project is funded with two grants, including one from The Margaret A. Cargill Fund at the Minnesota Community Foundation.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org
New survey methods will help produce the first estimate of Idaho’s total wolf numbers since 2015
From the Idaho County Free Press:
How many wolves are on the landscape in Idaho? That’s an often-asked question that Idaho Fish and Game is aiming to answer using game cameras during a new statewide population monitoring program.
In recent months, Fish and Game staff have deployed over 800 game cameras in a high-density grid throughout the state, which will take millions of pictures. When Fish and Game staff collect the cameras at the end of September, researchers will download and analyze the photos and apply statistical modeling to estimate the population.
Click here for the full story.
International Wolf Center reaches into the western United States
International Wolf Center reaches into the western United States
Wolves at Our Door goes to states with rebounding wolf numbers
Contact:
Chad Richardson, communications director
International Wolf Center
Office: 763-560-7374, ext. 225
[email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Wolves have undeniably begun to reclaim portions of their historic range in the western United States. As their numbers in the western U.S. quickly grew after being reintroduced at Yellowstone National Park 24 years ago, education about these predators hasn’t always kept pace. The International Wolf Center is reaching out to help.
Without question, a great many organizations based in the western United States have worked to educate the public about wolves. But this problem is greater than any one organization can solve, so the International Wolf Center is expanding its popular Wolves at Our Door program to those western states.
The program educates more than 15,000 students in Minnesota every year. Now, the Center is teaching partnering organizations how to launch the program and share it with schools in their states. Two training sessions have been held with these organizations, including one in Ely, Minnesota, and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, from June 10-13.
During that session, representatives from the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in Oregon and Museum and the Sequoia Park Zoo in California were flown to Minneapolis and then driven by the Center to Ely. Over the next three days, those representatives got a full wolf education by retired Wisconsin wolf biologist Dick Thiel, as well as background on the program by the Center’s Outreach Director, Misi Stine. The group returned to the Twin Cities for further education with renowned wolf biologist Dr. Dave Mech, who founded the Center in 1985.
“There’s no question that many of those who live in the western United States have strong opinions about wolves,” said Chad Richardson, the Center’s Administrator. “For some, those opinions aren’t formed from facts but rather are formed from myths and fears. We’re trying to change that with these programs, which are based wholly on science.”
The Center has a unique aim, which is focused on advancing wolf populations by teaching the world about wolves. It presents many sides to the wolf debate during its Wolves at Our Door program and encourages attendees to make up their own minds about wolves, only after hearing the science-based facts.
“As I’ve traveled around Minnesota to present these programs, I’ve found two sources of misunderstanding,” said Stine, the Center’s Outreach Director. “When I speak to school children, their only exposure to wolves has typically been through fairy tales. When I speak to adults, many have formed their opinions based on what they heard in a 20-second newscast or through an exaggerated report on the evening news. So many people just don’t have the facts to support their strong opinions. Hopefully we can continue to fix that.”
Future training sessions are being planned by Stine involving organizations in the western United States.
The Western Wolves at Our Door project is funded with two grants, including one from The Margaret A. Cargill Fund at the Minnesota Community Foundation.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. For more information about the International Wolf Center, visit wolf.org
Gray wolves remain protected in Arizona, N.M.
From The Copper Era in Safford, Arizona:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — While remaining safe within Arizona, the gray wolf faces the threat of delistment elsewhere in the country by the Department of Interior.
The commenting period for removing the wolf from the Endangered Species Act ended July 15, with officials touting the success of conservation efforts in restoring populations throughout the country.
Click here for the full story.
US authorities investigate death of Mexican gray wolf
From WRAL.com:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Wildlife managers say investigators are looking into the death of a Mexican gray wolf that found last month in New Mexico.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the male endangered wolf belonged to the Elk Horn pack, which has been roaming an area just west of the Arizona-New Mexico state line.
Click here for the full story.
Life on the range: Early history of wolves in Idaho
From MagicValley.com:
Wolves are a mysterious, highly intelligent creature. Living at the top of the food chain, they are effective predators, hunting in packs as a family unit.
Native American tribes had great respect for wolves. They had strong spiritual connections to them. But over the span of history, it’s rare that wolves have been able to coexist with European man. Wolves evoked fear in the Grimm’s fairy tale classic “Little Red Riding Hood,” dating to the 10th Century. Wolves were exterminated from Northern Europe by the Middle Ages. To many, they were the symbol of the devil.
Click here for the full story.
Cattlemen say ‘incremental’ removal of wolves ineffective
From the Capital Press:
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s incremental approach to thinning a wolfpack in the Kettle River Range leads to a cycle of conflict between wolves and livestock, a cattlemen’s group said Monday.
By not removing the entire pack, Fish and Wildlife allows cattle-killing wolves to regroup, reproduce and renew attacks, according to the Stevens County Cattlemen’s Association.
Click here for the full story.
USDA offers pet safety tips after dog killed by wolf in Wood Co.
From WAOW.com in Wausau, Wisconsin:
TOWN OF HANSEN (WAOW) — USDA Wildlife Services officials responded to a Wood County residence Monday, where a family dog was killed by a wolf, according to the organization.
Officials tell News 9 that they are unsure if more than one wolf attacked and killed the 65-pound mixed breed dog, but did advise owners to take added care in protecting their pets from potential wolf attacks.
Click here for the full story.
Kelly donkey downed by Pinnacle Peak Pack
From the Jackson Hole News and Guide in Wyoming:
Sometime during the middle of last week a couple of donkeys escaped from their fenced Kelly enclosure and were roaming the adjacent National Elk Refuge when they encountered a wolf pack undoubtably more accustomed to seeing elk.
The Pinnacle Peak Pack’s instincts kicked in, and the unplanned rendezvous didn’t end well for the donkeys. After receiving a report, Wyoming Game and Fish Department large carnivore biologist Mike Boyce and his technician, Becca Lyon, investigated the scene where the domesticated equids and wild canines clashed, Game and Fish spokesman Mark Gocke said.
Click here for the full story.
6 wolf pups caught on trail cam in Mount Hood area
From KGW8 in Portland, Oregon and the Associated Press:
MOUNT HOOD, Ore. — Officials say six wolf pups have been born this year to Oregon’s White River wolf pack in the Mount Hood area.
Biologists with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs posted footage of the pups from a trail camera that was shared online by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Oregon.
Click here for the full story.
Wolves not to blame for declining deer populations on Vancouver Island, says researcher
From the Campbell River Mirror in Canada:
A recent wolf sighting in Campbell River raised questions about the animal’s conservation status on Vancouver Island, and whether wolves are responsible for reduced numbers of animals including deer and marmots.
Chris Darimont, a leading wolf expert and Raincoast Research Chair at the University of Victoria, says there’s no immediate threat to wolf populations on Vancouver Island, and forestry practices, not wolf populations, are to blame for a decline in animals such as deer.
Click here for the full story.