The Wolf Connection

Rick Lamplugh is an Amazon best selling author who has written 3 books, including In The Temple of Wolves: A Winter's Immersion in Wild Yellowstone,  and Deep Into Yellowstone: A Year's Immersion in Grandeur & Controversy.  A naturalist and wildlife advocate, Rick weaves his knowledge and experience into all of his works.   He writes and speaks about wildlife to help preserve wild la...

Wolf Tracker, Naturalist and Field Biologist Nathan Varley studied the relationship and impact between wolves and elk in Yellowstone National Park for almost 20 years. He was involved in the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Recovery Project and studied the environmental impacts of reintroducing wolves to the park. Nathan and his wife Linda Thurston now run a wildlife guide service called Yellowstone Wolf Tra...

Wolf Tales explores the journeys of Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers explaining how they made their way to Wolf Connection and the impact that the wolves and the organization has had on their lives. Stephen Rivera relocated to Los Angeles from Connecticut at 23 years old and joined Wolf Connection in 2018. He has immersed himself in all forms of media at Wolf Connection from photography...

Forrest Galante is the host of Animal Planet's Extinct or Alive  where he travels the world in search of species on the brink of extinction or species believed to be extinct. He is truly passionate about education and helping people save our planet. As a conservationist, he attempts to leave a positive biological impact in every place he visits. Forrest works with a variety of conservation gr...

Jeremy SunderRaj is a Biological Science Technician for the Yellowstone Wolf Project. He discusses his path from being a visitor at Yellowstone National Park at the age of 11 to working alongside Doug Smith and Rick McIntyre. Jeremy describes what wolf hazing is, the benefits it has to wolves in Yellowstone National Park and sheds light on the current state of wolf populations in the Western Unite...

Miguel Rivera has been doing healing work for over 40 years and leads multiple ceremonies that include talking circles, vision quests and has participated in over 5,000 sweat lodges. He is a founding member of the Western Gate Roots and Wings Foundation, a member of the Guild of Future Architects and a Board Member for Wolf Connection. Miguel joined us to discuss his journey to learn these ceremon...

Wolf Tales explores the journeys of Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers explaining how they made their way to Wolf Connection and the impact that the wolves and the organization has had on their lives. Annette Golden relocated from Chicago, Illinois more than 7 years ago and now serves as Wolf Connection's Operations Coordinator, an interdepartmental support and advisory role that cha...

Research Associate and Biologist for the Yellowstone Wolf Project with Yellowstone Forever, Kira Cassidy joins the podcast to discuss her findings on pack dynamics, mortality rates of wolves, pack altercations and the impact of elder wolves within the packs in Yellowstone. Kira also talks about the longest surviving wolf pack in Yellowstone, the Mollie's Pack. Kira Cassidy has been with the W...

Wolf Tales explores the journeys of Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers explaining how they made their way to Wolf Connection and the impact that the wolves and the organization has had on their lives. Kris Espiritu is a volunteer at Wolf Connection who is also an environmental & outdoor educator where he provides experiential nature-based learning  for grades K-12. He teaches about th...

Sportscaster and the first and only female NBA scout for the Los Angeles Lakers Bonnie-Jill Laflin discusses her career, her journey to Wolf Connection and the special bond she formed with one of our pack ancestors Beau. Bonnie-Jill Laflin has cheered in both the NBA and NFL and earned 5 championships rings as an executive for Lakers. She is currently a co-host of KNBR’s “Murph and Mac” Show, rank...

Wolf Tales explores the journeys of Wolf Connection's staff and volunteers explaining how they made their way to Wolf Connection and the impact that the wolves and the organization has had on their lives. Micha Thomas is a Wolf Connection Program Lead and an Associate Marriage & Family therapist and group facilitator. She is also the founder of weREWILD, which is a research-based psycholo...

Rick McIntyre, who has been observing and studying wolves in Yellowstone National Park for over 20 years, discusses two of his books, ' The Rise of Wolf 8' and ' The Reign of Wolf 21'. He talks in detail about the life stories of two of Yellowstone's most famous alpha male wolves and other personal stories from his time in the park. In his over 40 years of work, Rick has w...

Amaroq Weiss, the Senior West Coast Wolf Advocate, discusses federal and state protections for wolves in California, Oregon and Washington. She talks about how each state is managing wolves in their area and what the future holds for wolf populations in the United States. A biologist and former attorney, Amaroq has worked on wolf issues in the northern Rockies, Alaska, the Southwest, Pacific West...

Amanda Beer and Micha Thomas are back to continue our conversation about the 'Women & Wolves' program and discuss the wolves that have influenced and impacted the program. Amanda is a licensed psychologist and educator, and at Wolf Connection® she collaborates with the wolf pack and human program team to facilitate powerful opportunities for awareness, connection, healing, and growth...

Wolf Connection's Director of Programs Amanda Beer and Wolf Connection Program Lead Micha Thomas sit down to discuss the origins of the 'Women and Wolves' program and why it's become a staple program offered through Wolf Connection. Amanda is a licensed psychologist and educator, and at Wolf Connection® she collaborates with the wolf pack and human program team to facilitate po...

Founder and Executive Director of Street Poets Inc. & Wolf Connection Board Member Chris Henrikson talks about his 23+ years of supporting youth and young adults around the Los Angeles area. He has served as a consultant and retreat facilitator for a wide range of companies and organizations including Snap Inc. and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC). Streetpoetsinc.com @christopherhenrikson @...

Vice Principal and On-site Administrator of Phoenix H.S. in Lancaster, CA, JR Chatman joins us to discuss the impact that Wolf Connection's youth programs continues to have on the students who participate in the program and how the partnership began between Wolf Connection and the Antelope Valley School District. JR Chatman has been in education over 20 years and has been a pivotal individual...

Scientist, ecologist, naturalist and educator Dr. Jim Halfpenny shares his experiences from the wolf re-introduction project in Yellowstone 25 years ago. He discusses his views and ideas on how humans, wolves and other species can coexist in North America in today's landscape. Jim Halfpenny has over 50 years of experience researching carnivores in North America and across the globe. He has wr...

CEO and Founder of Wolf Connection Teo Alfero drops by again to discuss the process of writing his first book, the wolves and humans that influenced him and the overall message he hopes you receive. 'The Wolf Connection: What Wolves Can Teach Us About Being Human' is published by Simon & Schuster and is available on Amazon and other book retailers. Wolf Connection on Amazon @alferote...

Piper and Devin join us to discuss the ongoing studies they are conducting with the youth programs at Wolf Connection, and the experiences they had while interacting with the students. Devin Larsen is President and Knowledge Curator at Ascending Edge Creative Evaluation. He is currently pursuing a Ph. D studying Evaluation & Applied Research Methods at Claremont Graduate University. Devin has...

Wolf Connection's resident wild wolf expert Leo Leckie is back! On this episode we discuss a wolf pack residing in California and two well known wolf packs that continue to thrive in Yellowstone National Park. Leo is a Lead of Program Education at Wolf Connection and is the co-creator of the Yellowstone Wolf Family Tree which includes life stories of over 1,200 wolves from Yellowstone Nationa...

CEO & Founder of Audiojack, David Tobin joins the podcast this week to discuss how Audiojack was started and the benefits it offers to students, teachers and you! He also plays a sample of the 'Wolf' Audiojack created with our very own wolves from the Wolf Connection pack (Headphones recommended).  Want to hear the full version of “Wolf”? Download the Audiojack app and if you use thi...

Renee Alfero is back! This time she drops in to talk about how guests, students and volunteers are all able to bond with the Wolf Connection pack and the lasting impact it has moving forward. Renee oversees the socialization of the rescued wolves and wolf-dogs and the general care taking training for volunteers. She collaborates with the Co-Leads of Pack Services to ensure that volunteers and staf...

Julia Huffman, Director of the award-winning documentary Medicine of the Wolf joins us for a discussion about the making of the film and the impact it has made on her life. It stars world-renowned National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg and is available to stream on Amazon Prime, Hulu & iTunes. Julia has been a proud supporter of Wolf Connection since 2014 and several other wolf and e...

Lara Wickes, Executive Producer & President of Canyon Road Films, speaks about the influence wolves have had on her throughout her life and the impact Wolf Connection has made since Lara first sponsored Wolf Connection's Wolfee in 2017. Lara Wickes is an Emmy Nominated and Promax Award Winning Producer. Hailing from Toronto, Canada, she has been immersed in television and film production...