Journey of Discovery

Wolves in the News

Many thanks to Art Judd &Fran Bentley of Santa Fe, NM for regularly sending clippings of wolf news.

We encourage all of you to send us wolf related newspaper & magazine clippings or articles to the Wolf Teacher address.

Wildlife groups call for end to Mexican wolf removal policy

Associated Press - May 2, 2008

PHOENIX - Two wildlife conservation groups have filed a lawsuit to keep federal agencies from aggressively removing endangered Mexican gray wolves from a recovery program in Arizona and New Mexico. Read More.

In the West, A Fierce Battle Over Wolves

The New York Times - April 13, 2008

DENVER - Gray wolves have entered the spin cycle. Since March 28, when the wolf was taken off the list of federally protected species in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, a fierce battle of perceptions and posturing has unfolded ... Read More.

 

Conservationists want probe into wolf baiting

Associated Press - January 3, 2008

SILVER CITY, N.M. (AP) - Conservation groups want a federal investigation into allegations that a Mexican gray wolf was baited into killing a cow so the wolf, in turn, could be killed. Read More.

 

Catron County Kids Get Wolf Protection

RQE News 13, Albuqerque, NM - 12/6/07

GLENWOOD, N. M. - A lot of people in Glenwood and Reserve are scared as Mexican gray wolves recently reintroduced to the area have been coming into the Catron County communities. Read More.

 

 

 

"Don't Cry Wolf"

Oct. 2005, Addison, VT.

AN ADULT FEMALE wolf named Magpie, abolve, walks acrossthe Mary Hogan Elementary School gym Tuesday afternoon during a visit from Mission:Wolf, a national education program in Colorado that promotes respect for wolves and other wildlife. Students at Mary Hogan and other Addison County Schools were introduced to two wolves, Magpie and Raven, below left, and learned about the animals' recovery from near extinction.

 

 

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Getting Involved!

 

Letters to the Editor of newspapers are a great way to express ideas & opinions on the wolf / environment issues. It stimulates discussion & solutions, and lets communities know that the world is itnerested in their local story. Remember to speak with respect. To comment on wolf news in:

Idaho	Montana	New Mexico	Wyoming
The Idaho Statesman P.O. Box 40 1200 N. Curtis Rd. Boise, ID 83707 Ph. (208) 377-6200 www.idahostatesman.com	Billings Gazette P. O. Box 36300, Billings, MT 59107 Ph. (406) 657-1200 www.billingsgazette.com	Albuquerque Journal P. O. Box J. Albuquerque, NM 87103 Ph. (505) 823-7777 www.abqjournal.com	Casper Star-Tribune P. O. Box 80 Casper, WY 82602 Ph. (307) 266-0500 www.casperstartribune.net
Lewiston Tribune 505 C. St. Lewiston, ID 83501 Ph. (208)743-9411 www.lmtribune.com	Daily Interlake P. O. Box 7610 Kalispell, MT 59903 Ph. (406) 755-7000 www.dailyinterlake.com	New Mexican P. O. Box 2048 Santa Fe, NM 87504 Ph. (505) 983-3302 letters@sfnewmexican.com	Sheridan Press P. O. Box 2006 Sheridan, WY 82801 Ph. (307) 672-2431 editor@thesheridanpress.com

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Book Reviews by Pam Brown

 

"In the Shadow of a Rainbow: The True Story of a Friendship Between Man and Wolf"
By Robert Franklin Leslie

This book ranks among my personal favorites in wolf literature. First published in 1974, this engrossing story was reissued in 1996 in response to a growing public need to reconnect with wolf wisdom. It begins with the poetry of Lord Byron, giving us a hint of what's to come:

There is pleasure in the pathless woods
There is rapture in the lonely shore
There is society where non intrudes ...
I love not man less, but nature more.

- George Gordon, Lord Byron

Book Description:

In 1970, a young Indian beached his canoe near the author's Babine Lake campsite in the backwoods of British Columbia. He introduced himself as Gregory Tah-Kloma. Night after night the two men talked by the campfire. Gradually, the young Indian told the remarkable story of his devotion to a pack of timber wolves and their legendary female leader Nahani, "the one who shines."

Greg had first met the magnificent silver she-wolf six summers before. From the beginning a bond existed between them, and it grew to amazing proportions. Greg's days were punctuated by his visits with Nahani and, like th pack members, he became her willing subject.

When the black frosts forced Greg to return to civilization, he determined to search again for Nahani, to find the wolf and her pack before trappers and bounty hunters could destroy them. During the harsh months of winter and throughout two summers he searched, always wondering whether Nahani would recognize him. Finally, in the vast wilderness, he learned the meaning of the Indian saying, "When anything strenghtens a bond of friendship, the friends have walked in the shadow of the rainbow".

This book is appropriate for mid-level students through adults. It would make an excellent gift that would provide a good read during winter's snowbound confinement. Purchase this book.

 

Predator Bureacracy - The Extermination of Wolves and the Transformation of the West
by Michael J. Robinson

Want to learn the history behind the near-extinction of the wolf, buffalo and other wildings of the West? For adult readers and serious students, the story is well covered in this timely tome. When my copy arrived this past winter, I ignored the frigid flurries outside the frosted windowpane and stayed in my pajamas for 3 days until I reached the end. Keep your dictionary handy - Michael is a savant of semantics.

Robinson traces the relentless crushing of flourishing wild and human cultures in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, from the 1800s till present. His detailed research leads the reader through a jungle of understanding how career politicians designed their financial future with perpetually funded programs of species eradication. Many of these scams of poisoning and violence persist today, paid for with our tax dollars. As goverment / corporate hirelings "sanitized" a once healthy, balanced habitat, the way was paved for vast ranching and commercial monocultures. The tale brings us to the nation's cultural revolutions of the 1960's, and passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and resultant wolf reintroductions. Reference is made on Page 321, to this program's impact, wherein Republican rep. Goe. Goodling of Penna. notes in a 1973 subcommittee that a wolf on a leash had been active in his district: "Right now I am busy answering letters coming from the high school students with this plea, 'Please save our wolves.' " See photo,below right.

The saga is woven throughout with fascinating stories of cleverly resistant wolves and other natives; plus vivid observations of wolf behavior and personalities, making it worth the reader's patient committment. A must for dedicated wolfers. By tale's end, we know we've made advances, but we also understand the healing is only beginning. From this story, our resolve to advocated for wolves and wild is reborn.

Here's a sampling from Predator Bureaucracy, in which Robinson recounts the narrative of Colorado conservationist Enos Mills in the early 1900's: "A tumbleweed in a Wyoming windstorm furnished the plaything in an exciting game for a pack of wolves. I watched the play from the shelter of a ravine. Flying before the wind, the tumbleweed bounded a ridge with a huge wolf after it. Closely pressing him came a pursuing pack of twenty. A lull in the wind and the tumbleweed, colliding with the leading wolf's head, bounded off to one side. Other wolves sprang in the air after it, but the wind carried the tumbleweed along and the entire pack rushed in pursuit."

"This big, much-branched, ball-shaped weed was two feet in diameter. When it touched the earth the gale swept it, bounding forward and rolling over and over, across the brown, wide plains. After it came the closely massed wolves. Just as those in the lead were nearing this animated plaything it was caught by a whirlwind and pulled high into the air. Two wolves leaped and tried to seize it. Several sat down and stared after it as though it were gone forever. the tumbleweed commenced to descend, but buoyed up by the air it came down slowly. The pack surged this way and that, as the weed surged in descending, to be beneath it; and while it was still several feet above them a high-leaping fellow struck it head-on and sent it flying to one side. It disappeared in a hollow and the wolves vanished after it."

Signed copies of Predator Bureaucracy can be ordered for $25 puls shipping from the Center for Biological Diversity, P. O. Box 710, Tuscon, AZ 85702-0710.

Review by Pam Brown; 2/1/07

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Chain Reaction: The Power of Grassroots

When I was booking programs in Ulster County in New York State, longtime friends Janet and Darryl Greene donated lodging at their New Paltz, Orchard Heights Bed and breakfast for the Mission:Wolf crew. As a result, the program was presented at the Mt. Laurel Waldorf School in New Paltz, where the Greene Children are students. Another parent at the school, Joe Shaughnessey, noting the positive impact of wolf education, asked if the wolves could come to his son's cub scout meeting in nearby Wallkill. If he could get together several scout packs and create a larger audience, we could do it, I told the motivated father.

Joe's outreach to area packs resulted in a program held at the middle school that was attended by more than 500 scouts and parents! Boy's Life scouting magazine sent their photographer from Colorado to cover the event which became an article in one of its issues, reaching thousands more nationally. At right is a note card I recently received, featuring wolf artwork of 3rd grader, Isabell Ross, of Mt. Laurel Waldorf School.

 

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Wolf Teacher Program Feedback

 

From Pat Lewis with the Greece Public Library in Greece (Rochester), NY.

September 25, 2007

Dear Pam,

My idea of a good program is whether I enjoyed myself. Having two of my own dogs, learning abut the wolves really taught me a lot about them. Thank you for a professional and excellent program.

Best,

Pat

 

From Meghann Marshall with Minuteman Regional High School

June 4th, 2007

Dear Ms. Brown,

As this current school year drawsw to a close, I am happy to reflect upon another successful and engaging school year. For my students, the highlight of this year was easily the visit from Mission: Wolf. We feel so incredibly fortunate to have been witness to such an amazing and engaging presentation. While your speakers provided a wealth of fascinating information about the role of wolves in an ecosystem and wolf recovery, it was clearly Maggie who stole the show. Many students took several pictures of Maggie - at one point during the presentation; I looked across the gym to witness every third student with his or her cell phone taking Maggie's photo - what a commentary on technological changes in society!

Read More (PDF 6.5 MB)

 

From Kelly Harrer & Anne Oliphant, 3rd grade teachers from Anna Merritt Elementary School in Lockport, NY.

05/07

Dear Pam,

Thank you so very much for coming to visit our school. The students (and the teachers) truly enjoyed learning and laughing with you! We all had a wonderful time and would love to see you again soon. Please enjoy our reflections ...

Love and respect,

Kelly Harrer and Ann Oliphant

 

Below is a letter from one of their students and a colored-in wolf picture from another student:

Dear Wolf Teacher,

Thank you for coming to Anna Merritt today. You made our day special when you showed us the movie about the wolves and the cutest of all, the black one.

My favorite part about the wolf presentation was when we got to see the baby wolves and you described about the feathers and everything of the poster. The one thing I learned today that I did not know yesterday is that they hug eachother differently, biting their ears and biting their noses.

Thank you for being a good sport and following your dream.

Sincerely,

Your friend, best reward,

Shamaru L.

 

 

From Marge and Jim Geisler, long time wolf friends and owners of the Ocean Gold Bed & Breakfast.

October 26, 2006

Dear Pamela,

Thank you for calling us to have Kent & Tracy (of Mission:Wolf) stay here with wonderful "Maggie". We had a weekend we will always remember. What an honor to have a small part in this needed program. I get tears in my eyes every time I think of Maggie.

Fondly,

Marge & Jim Geisler

ps. Hope to do it again!

 

 

 

 

 

From Mohonk Mountain House

To Whom it May Concern:

It is my pleasure to recommend Pamela Brown and her Wolf Teacher program to any establishment. As Entertainment Manager for Mohonk Mountain House, I have the job of finding programs that are both educational and entertaining. Pamela is a perfect match to that search! She is passionately dedicated to educating the public about timber wolves, and her enthusiasm is easily passed along to her audience . . . Read More (PDF 671 KB).