The Wolf Connection

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released their status review on grey wolves on February 2nd, stating that wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountain range will not be listed under the Endangered Species Act. This comes after 2 petitions were filed asking for wolves to be re-listed in this region of the Western United States nearly 3 years ago.  Kim Bean from Wolves of the Rockies joined us to discus...

Tom Gable is the Project Lead for Voyageurs Wolf Project and has been studying wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem since 2014. Their ultimate goal is to couple cutting-edge, rigorous wolf research with highly-effective outreach and education. Tom discussed some major topics at length: the effects of wolves on deer populations, wolves shifting beaver behaviors, and he also updated us on a hug...

This is our very first episode of 'Wolf Tracks' where we are discussing multiple wildlife issues and articles pertaining to wolves, mountain lions and bears with Carter Niemeyer! Carter Niemeyer retired from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2006 as the Wolf Recovery Coordinator for the state of Idaho. He was an integral part of the Federal Wolf Reintroduction in both Yellowstone a...

Rob Edward has been working on restoring wild lands and wildlife in the American West for nearly 30 years. He is a Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor for Rocky Mountain Wolf Project and President of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund. Rob went into great detail about the journey to reintroducing wolves into Colorado, his working relationships throughout this initiative, the challenges that are ahea...

Phillip Scrimshaw has been working as a photographer since 2021. He has taken multiple trips to Yellowstone, along with heading to Africa to photograph painted wolves and other wildlife. He tracks all of his adventures on his blog, and informs the public about the plight of the painted wolf on the African continent. Phillip discussed how he came into photography, how the first trip to Africa chang...

James Frystak is an Emmy Award Winning Cinematographer for his work on Netflix's Island of the Sea Wolves. He has been a part of filming other series including America The Beautiful and Incredible Animal Journeys for BBC, CBC, Disney+ and National Geographic. James spoke to us about his experiences filming for Island of the Sea Wolves, his career path becoming a Cinematographer and the impact...

Krisztina Gayler is a part of multiple organizations including The Rewilding Institute, The National Wolfwatcher Coalition and The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project. An avid wolf watcher and coexistence advocate, she imparts her knowledge of European ranching & shepherding to help promote non-lethal methods of living and working with carnivores. Krisztina talked about her upbringing in Hungary, the...

Mike Koshmrl has been and environmental reporter and journalist for over a decade. He previously worked with Jackson Hole News & Guide and currently writes for WyoFile, reporting on environmental, conservation and natural issues concerning the state of Wyoming. He went into great detail about his articles: Border Killings: How Shooters Lured Historic Colorado Wolves to their deaths in Wyoming...

Chris Smith is the Southwest Wildlife Advocate for WildEarth Guardians and Greta Anderson is the Deputy Director for Western Watersheds Project. We were lucky enough to have both of them on the podcast to discuss Asha, the Mexican Grey Wolf who was traveling beyond the I-40 boundary. During our discussion, Asha was re-captured and will ultimately be transported back inside the recovery area. Chris...

Lizzy Pennock is the Carnivore Coexistence Attorney for WildEarth Guardians. Conservation groups Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force and WildEarth Guardians were granted temporary relief for threatened grizzly bears, when a judge issued an interim ban on wolf trapping in Montana grizzly bear habitat. This was all stemming from a lawsuit filed on September 22nd, 2023.  Lizzy went into detai...

Dario Hipolito is a PhD student at both the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. He studies Iberian wolves in Portugal, grey wolves in Croatia and promotes coexistence in both places. Dario explained his journey to studying wolves in Europe, how he engages rural communitie...

For over a decade, Ronan Donovan has been a Conservation Filmmaker & Photographer. His work has included studying chimpanzees in Uganda, to wolves in Yellowstone National Park and the Arctic. His visual storytelling, speaking engagements, and photography exhibits have continued his pursuit of conservation for animals on the human dominated landscape. Ronan spoke about his journey from wildlife...

Eric Odell is the Wolf Conservation Manager for Colorado Parks & Wildlife, and has worked within the agency since 2000. In this role, he directs conservation and management programs to aid in the establishment and protection of native, non-game carnivore species to the state. Eric went into great detail about the wolf reintroduction plan in Colorado, gave updates on where the wolves are coming...

Taylor Ganz is a Wildlife Ecologist who studies how humans and landscape factors influence interactions between species. For the Washington Predator-Prey Project, she evaluated how ungulates responded to predators, forage dynamics, and landscape change driven by humans, including wildfire and timber harvest. Taylor spoke in detail about her research at the Washington Predator-Prey Project, the lan...

Kim Wheeler has been the Executive Director of Red Wolf Coalition for 18 years. The Red Wolf Coalition (RWC) advocates for the long-term survival of red wolf populations by teaching about the red wolf, fostering public involvement in red wolf conservation and envisions the long-term survival of free ranging, self-sustaining red wolf populations at three or more sites. Kim spoke to us about her jou...

Zach Lee is currently based in North Carolina and has been a photographer for nearly 7 years. He has worked on photographing Red Wolves for conservation efforts and informing the public about their endangered status. Zach spoke to us about his journey to North Carolina, how he become involved photographing Red Wolves, and how he helps local NGO's in spreading information about the species. @z...

Erik Molvar is the Executive Director for Western Watersheds Project. The mission of Western Watersheds Project (WWP) is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives, and legal advocacy. He is the author of 16 hiking guidebooks and backpacking techniques manuals for national parks and wilderness areas spanning the West from Alaska to Arizona....

Monica Stahlmann is the author of Trumpet the Miracle Wolf Pup book series. Clint Burson is the Strategic Communications Manager for LightHawk Conservation Flying, and Brooke George is their Wildlife Program Manager. LightHawk has flown many endangered species across the country that are in active recovery programs in the wild, including Mexican Gray and Red Wolves. Monica shared updates on her bo...

Mario Canseco is the President of Research Co. since 2018, and has analyzed and conducted public opinion research since 2003. He has been working with The Fur-Bearers, whose mission is to protect fur-bearing animals through conservation, advocacy, research, and education since 2013 collecting gray wolf public opinion research. The Fur-Bearers have collaborated with researchers Stephanie Rutherford...

Ben Bluhm has been photographing wildlife for over 3 years and volunteers with Utah Mountain Lion Conservation. He has used some of his photos to help non-profit organizations with visual storytelling and promoting their missions. Ben spoke to us about some of his incredible wolf photos, and how he's helping with causes related to conservation and preservation of wildlife in the western U.S....

Claire Davis is the Founder of Washington Wildlife First and Animal & Earth Advocates, a Seattle-area law firm that brings public interest litigation on behalf of animals, wildlife, and the environment. Washington Wildlife First is the only Washington nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to monitoring and reforming the state agency that is supposed to protect the state's fish and...

Brad Orsted is an award-winning wildlife and conservation filmmaker/photographer, author, speaker and wilderness therapy instructor. Brad’s first memoir, Through the Wilderness: My Journey of Redemption and Healing in the American Wild , is out now and available for purchase in all places where books are sold. He spoke to us about his process of writing his memoir, his feelings surrounding its rel...

John E. Marriott has been photographing wildlife for over 30 years and has authored multiple books on wolves, bears and national parks. He is involved in Canadian conservation issues with his non-profit organization, EXPOSED Wildlife Conservancy, which provides ethical and science-based solutions to solve the most pressing wildlife management challenges today. John spoke at length about his experi...

Michelle Lute is the Co-Executive Director for Wildlife For All, whose mission is to reform wildlife management in the U.S. to be more democratic, compassionate and focused on protecting wild species and ecosystems. She is a conservation scientist and advocate with nearly twenty years experience in biodiversity conservation on public and private lands around the globe. Michelle spoke about the eff...

**UPDATE** Shortly after we recorded this episode, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife kill order for the Five Points Pack, claimed the lives of 4 wolves from that pack. That order has been lifted, however another kill order was issued for the Lookout Mountain Pack for up to two wolves. These orders were issued due to livestock depredations and conflicts. Updates on these lethal removal orde...