Frontiers of Wolf Recovery Conference
Report from the Wolf Recovery Foundation
Oct. 15, 2005
The International Wolf Center of Ely, Minnesota sponsored the Frontiers of Wolf Recovery conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado from October 1st – 4th. It was attended by wolf advocates, wildlife managers, research scientists, ranchers and artisans the world over. This conference, with its concurrent sessions was rich with international flair as well as many focus panels on the Red Wolf, The Mexican Wolf, and the Northern Rockies update. There were wolf representatives from Scandinavia, Spain, Romania, Canada, Germany, Poland, India, Italy, Mexico and of course the U.S. Along with expert presentations, the Wolf Den Store offered many unique wolf gifts and items. The posters and exhibits offered much to browsers taking a break from the very full schedule.
The first day of the conference, Saturday, offered a full day of sessions for the educator, providing ideas and concepts for the preschooler through the high school student, with Terry B. Johnson, Endangered Species Coordinator, Arizona Game and Fish as the keynote speaker. Concurrently in the afternoon, the IUCN Wolf Specialist Group conducted their meeting, chaired by L. David Mech. Even though this meeting was open to the conference attendees, participation or questioning was not permitted. Saturday was also the day for the field trips: a cog train railway ride to the 14,110 foot summit of Pikes Peak or a professionally guided tour of the Garden of the Gods were great options offered for attendees.
An icebreaking reception, ended the first day. These receptions are a fine way to network, meet new friends as well as reconnect with old ones!
Sunday also started out in high gear with everyone gathering for the opening remarks from L. David Mech, IWC founder. His topic “What is the Long-term Future of Wolves in the Southwest and the World?” was a theme carried through the next two and a half days in the conference sessions. A panel that followed, focusing on “Wolf Recovery in the Southwest: An Introduction to the Issues”, consisted of representatives from USFWS, Turner Endangered Species Fund, Klamath Center for Conservation Research, the Southwestern Distinct Population Segment Recovery Team and the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The day continued with rich presentations discussing the Mexican Wolf, the Ethical Question, The Role of Education and Living with Wolves, and ended with a most impressive and energetic film and presentation by Doug Smith of the Yellowstone Wolf Project. The evening concluded with a book signing by many renowned authors, including Doug (Decade of the Wolf: Restoring the Wild to Yellowstone, co-authored by Gary Ferguson), Lu Carbyn, Bobbie Holaday and Dave Mech.
Monday morning began with a presentation by Alistair Bath discussing the Human Dimension (HD) in wolf management, issues he has been working on for more that 20 years worldwide. The day continued with a Red Wolf Panel, talks on North American Status and Challenges and was filled with many of the international speakers (Juan Carlos Blanco of Spain, Ilpo Kojola of Finland, Olof Liberg of Sweden and Dr. Y. Jhala of India to name a few) sharing many of the same issues in their countries we deal with here in the U.S., such as illegal killing, livestock depredation and habitat needs. One memorable panel in the afternoon, “The Value of Long-term Studies”, was star-studded with wolf biologists highly respected in the wolf world. Chaired by Mike Phillips, talks were presented by Lu Carbyn, (Canadian Wildlife Services), John Theberge, (University of Waterloo), Petter Wabakken, (Hedmark University College, Norway), Dave Mech (US Geological Survey) and Doug Smith, (Yellowstone National Park). Among these scholars there was over 100 years of wolf research.
Monday evening was a true wild-west experience for the conference attendees. Buses transported everyone out to the Flying W Ranch for a true chuck wagon style barbeque, in beautiful natural surroundings. The IWC presented some very special awards, two especially near and dear to the Wolf Recovery Foundation went to Bob Landis for his outstanding film making and to Rick McIntyre for his dedication in field study of the wolves of Yellowstone, in particular the well known Druid Pack. (Although Rick was not there, Doug Smith accepted for him and commented that Rick would be quite happy to receive the award, but happier he wasn’t there to receive it!!) The night was topped off with some fabulous old country-western entertainment by the Flying W Wranglers.
Weary conference goers were not lulled to sleep by any means on Tuesday morning, the last day of this busy conference. Bob Landis had us all spellbound with his “Yellowstone Wolves, A Retrospective: a High Definition Look at Wolf Behavior” film footage. His skill as a filmmaker is unparalleled and all were held captive by his big screen magic. Sessions on Prey, Predator Environment, Practices of Wolf Management and a feature film on the wolves of India took everyone up to the final Keynote Closing talk, by Martin Nie, (University of Montana), “Of Wolves and Politics”. Professor Nie summed up the conference with finesse and eloquence and left us all with a wonderful perspective of the past few days as well as the future in wolf recovery, conservation and management. Bridges have been built, strides have been made, but there is work to be done!
The International Wolf Center did a fantastic job on this conference. Special recognition should go to Walter Medwid, the Executive Director as well as the Board, Staff and Volunteers who worked tirelessly to provide us with a full, smooth-flowing conference. Our hats are off to the IWC!!
Kim Holt
Secretary/Treasurer
Wolf Recovery Foundation
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