The Wolf Connection

Aaron Bott is a Wildlife Biologist and a PhD student at Utah State University studying wolves across the American West. He has recently become an Associate Researcher for the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative. Aaron's family roots in the American West date back into the mid-1800's where they have lived ever since.  Aaron talked to us about his family heritage, where his passion f...

Bernd Blossey has been a Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University for almost 30 years. His research has involved assessing impacts of deer on ecosystems and how large carnivores may, or may not, aid in ecosystem recovery.  Another focus of Bernd’s work is addressing the responsibility and accountability of humans on the conservation and management of these species....

Arthur Lefo is a French-American wildlife and conservation photographer, writer, nature guide and storyteller. His inspiring visual arts work has captured the attention of global audiences and has been featured by acclaimed outlets such as National Geographic & World Wildlife Fund. Arthur spoke to us about his personal journeys into photography & guiding, described his experiences while ph...

Marc Cooke and Kim Bean are the President and Vice President of the non-profit organization Wolves of the Rockies. Since 2011, their mission has been to protect and defend wolves from Yellowstone & the Rocky Mountains while trying to enact positive change for all wolves across the country. Marc and Kim joined us again to speak about the proposed Montana Wolf Hunting and Trapping Plan for 2022....

Wolf Tales is where you'll hear stories from Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers about their experiences. We'll also be speaking with musicians, artists, photographers and videographers about how the wolf has impacted their work. Edward Amaya is a former student who participated in the Wolf Connection youth program. He now works at Wolf Connection as a Program Assistant, mentorin...

Wolf Tales is where you'll hear stories from Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers about their experiences. We'll also be speaking with musicians, artists, photographers and videographers about how the wolf has impacted their work. Renee has been with Wolf Connection for 13 years and is the Lead of Pack Behavior. She has interacted with all the wolves that have come through the org...

Welcome to the 100th episode of The Wolf Connection Podcast! Thank you to all our guests and listeners who have been along for the journey. Here's to the next 100 episodes and beyond! HOWLS! Project Coyote is a national non-profit organization based in Northern California whose mission is to promote compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, scie...

Brenna Cassidy is a PhD Candidate at the University of Montana where she is studying the recent effects of Montana's wolf harvest on the packs in Yellowstone National Park. Her research is vital to understanding how humans can impact the survival of wolves that live most of their lives inside Yellowstone. Brenna spoke to us about her love for the outdoors, how she was able to begin working in...

Rick McIntyre has been watching wolves for over 40 years, with 25 of those years in Yellowstone National Park. Rick has spent more time documenting wolves in the wild than almost anyone, surpassing 9,000 days in the field with over 100,000 sightings in that time. Rick joined us to give updates on the Junction Butte pack in Yellowstone, the impacts that recent wolf hunts have had on the packs in th...

Cheryl Alexander is an environmental photographer with a focus on wilderness. She is increasing the awareness of the natural world and encouraging a sustainable human relationship with the earth. She has authored the book Takaya: Lone Wolf   that chronicled the journey of a sea wolf on a group of uninhabited islands in British Colombia's Salish Sea. Cheryl told us about her early work with at...

Wolf Tales is where you'll hear stories from Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers about their experiences. We'll also be speaking with musicians, artists, photographers and videographers about how the wolf has impacted their work. Kacey has been a volunteer at Wolf Connection for almost 2 years since coming on a visit to Wolf Heart Ranch.  She's currently the head of Marketin...

Brad Orsted is an award-winning conservation and wildlife filmmaker, photographer and writer. He has spent the better part of a decade sharing stories of the wild through the lens of his camera, podcast and upcoming memoir due out in 2023. Brad spoke about his photography & filmmaking and how the tragic loss of his daughter Marley, has forever changed the way he views, films and speaks about t...

Laurie McConnell is the Director of Community and Systems for Pacific Wild. She also is the Wolf Campaigner for Save BC Wolves which is working to stop the wolf cull and resist ongoing efforts to escalate the persecution of wolves across the province. Laurie explained the dynamics of the Great Bear Rainforest, the history and continuing conservation efforts of Pacific Wild, and describes the sea w...

Daniel Curry joins us once more to talk about the expansion of his business into ecotourism. He is inviting guests to go on guided trail rides, photography tours and be a range rider for a day, all in the name of conservation and coexistence. **Links to these adventures are below** Daniel is a range rider who specializes in human wildlife conflict mitigation using non-lethal methods in northeaster...

Casey Anderson is the Creative Director of VisionHawk Films, an Emmy nominated filmmaker, explorer and adventurer. Cara McGary is the owner of In Our Nature Guiding Services and has a Masters in Biology. Both are part of the Wild Livelihoods Business Coalition. Their mission is to give a voice to local businesses near Yellowstone National Park whose livelihoods depend upon wild places. They do thi...

Wolf Tales is where you'll hear stories from Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers about their experiences. We'll also be speaking with musicians, artists, photographers and videographers about how the wolf has impacted their work. Elena Albanese is the Manager of Pack Services for Wolf Connection after beginning as a volunteer in 2016. She and her team oversee the health and well...

Maggie Howell has been the Executive Director of the Wolf Conservation Center since 2013. They are a not-for-profit environmental education organization working to protect and preserve wolves in North America through science-based education, advocacy, and participation in the federal recovery and release programs for two critically endangered wolf species - the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf....

For over two decades Gary Skiba was a Wildlife Biologist for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. He is now the Wildlife Manager for the San Juan Citizens Alliance. Gary updated us on the Colorado wolf reintroduction, his history working for the Colorado Division of Wildlife and his role in the San Juan Citizens Alliance. Wolf Posts San Juan Citizens Alliance San Juan Citizens Alliance Colorado Park...

Erin Johnston is a Biologist and Wildlife Lead for the Natural Resources Department in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). Austin Ayres is a Wildlife Technician and a KBIC Tribal Member. Both Erin and Austin spoke about their roles in the KBIC, positive impacts of tribal influence on land & wildlife management in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and the history and current state of wolve...

Louise Liebenberg has been a rancher in Alberta, Canada since 2008 after immigrating from Europe. Since she has come to North America, Louise has been at the forefront of coexistence ranching and teaching others how to deal with predators in Canada's wilderness with the help of livestock guardian dogs. Louise discussed what led her family to come to Canada, her opposition of wolf bounties in...

Matt Barnes is a Rangeland Scientist who continues to study and apply methods for livestock & predator coexistence management in the western United States. He is part of the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative and is an Advisor for the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project. Matt explained his rangeland management methods, how they impact livestock in positive ways opening the door for predator coe...

Dan MacNulty is an Associate Professor at Utah State University. He has focused his research on the long-term collaborative study of carnivores, ungulates, and woody-deciduous plants in northern Yellowstone National Park since 1995. Dan went into great detail explaining the impacts of wolves & other apex predators on the landscape, what happens when their numbers decrease, their affect on CWD...

Raymond Toney is the voice of The Colorado Howl, a radio program that discusses a wide range of wolf topics as well as the wolf reintroduction taking place in Colorado. Raymond spoke about his journey to starting The Colorado Howl, updates on the wolf reintroduction in Colorado and the effects of wolves being given back federal protections via the Endangered Species Act.  The Colorado Howl @thecol...

Hanna Pettersson is a 4th year PhD Researcher at the University of Leeds. She has a Masters in Biodiversity, Conservation & Management, and for the past few years has been studying the impact of wolves in Spain across different communities. Hanna discussed the global conversation surrounding wolves as it pertains to social, economical and political issues. She also describes how her research w...

**UPDATE** After this podcast was recorded, impactful news broke in the wolf community! As of February 10th, a federal judge has reinstated protections for grey wolves under the Endangered Species Act in 44 states, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Wolves in the Northern Rockies (Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana ) were not re-listed as part of the decision. You can read more about the ruling...