The Wolf Connection

Welcome to our 150th episode! Stephen Rivera and John Calfa preview the Yellowstone Wolf Summit taking place in Montana June 21st through June 23rd, discuss the speakers coming to the event, and talk about incredible content that will be shared from that week. Follow us on our Instagram for stories, content and posts throughout the summit and feel free to DM us: @thewolfconnectionpodEmail us your questions for potential guests in Yellowstone! podcast@wolfconnection.org

Anna Maziuk is a Polish journalist  and author that specializes in nature writings. She also conducts creative workshops for children and adults, often inspired by natural phenomena and direct contact with nature in all its forms. Since 2014, she has dedicated her life to telling the stories of wolves. Anna's book Instynkt, About Wolves in Polish Forests, discusses the social, cultural and legal issues surrounding wolves in Poland. She spoke about her childhood growing up near forests and nature, how she got into journalism, when wolves became her life's work, and the complicated relationship wolves have with people in Poland. @anna_maziuk

Matt Yamashita has been with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for 17 years. He is currently the Supervisor and Area 8 CPW Wildlife Manager for the agency and wasrecently invited to take part on the panel discussion at the ACES event, 'Living with Wolves: Coexistence in Colorado' in Aspen. Listen to the event here! Matt spoke to us about his background at CPW, delved extensively into the wolf reintroduction coming up soon in and the many contributing factors surrounding the process. Wolves in Colorado & Wolf Management Plan (CPW)@coparkswildlife

Kurt Holtzen has been a Field Advisor and a Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Specialist for nearly 20 years. He assists with predator coexistence at Lava Lake Lamb in Idaho and is a Conflict Reduction Consortium for the Western Landowner Association. Kurt explained his techniques on preventing predation among livestock, updated us on his endeavors in Colorado ahead of wolf reintroduction, and spoke about new tools he has created to help reduce wolf-livestock depredation. @wilderness_trails_projectLava Lake Lamb WebsiteSquawk Box Demonstration

Tom Walker has been living near Denali National Park in Alaska for nearly 60 years. He is an award winning photographer and writer specializing in Alaska's natural history and wildlife. His latest book, The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf's Final Journey, details the epic journey of Wolf 258, as he traveled nearly 3,000 miles in less than 6 months. Tom discussed his process when writing this book, the incredible terrain and obstacles on Wolf 258's trek, and the impacts of politics, climate, and social tolerance that were surrounding this story. The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf's Final Journey  is published by Mountaineers Books and can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible and local book stores. @mtnbooksTom Walker WebsiteMountaineers Books Website

Amanda Beer is the Director of Programs for Wolf Connection. She joined John and Stephen to discuss the new multimedia educational platform for youth called "Wolf Lessons for Human Lives", which was a project years in the making.  This platform is meant to bring Wolf Connection's signature empowerment program to the internet and beyond! Amanda, John & Stephen discussed their overall  involvement in the project, the message and vision of the program, and how everyone can get involved as a tester, partner, and collaborator. For more information www.wolflessons.orgEmail: wolflessons@wolfconnection.org@wolfconnection@thewolfconnectionpod

The short film 'Almost Ancestors' illustrates the parallel paths of displacement experienced by Mexican gray wolves and indigenous peoples.Sheila Hollow Horn is Dineh and Oglala Lakota, and was born and raised in Tuba City on the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Sheila has numerous Hopi family members and  plays the lead role of the Hopi Daughter in 'Almost Ancestors'.Bertram Tsavadawa grew up in his family home on the plaza in the village of Old Oraibi and has been guiding tours on Hopi lands for over 15 years. Bertram plays the Hopi Uncle in 'Almost Ancestors'. Sheila and Bertram talked about their backgrounds, cultural impacts throughout their life and the messages they hoped the film would convey to the public. Almost Ancestors TrailerAlmost Ancestors InformationLobos of the Southwest 

Emily Renn is the Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, and Erin Hunt is the Managing Director for Lobos of the Southwest. Both were heavily involved in celebrating and promoting the 25th Anniversary of the Mexican Gray Wolf being reintroduced into the wild. Emily and Erin spoke in depth about the challenges this specific population of wolf encounters politically, socially and geographically, the background of both their organizations, and the ways they are promoting positive information distribution about Mexican Gray Wolves. Lobos Of the SouthwestGrand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project@gcwolfrecovery@lobosofthesouthwest

Julia Cook is a wildlife photographer based in Wyoming who is currently finishing her degree in Environmental and Natural Resources. She has an incredible portfolio, capturing images from wildlife in and around Yellowstone National Park ranging from bears to wolves. Julia spoke about her upbringing near Yellowstone, the influence that the natural environment has had on her photography, and the message she tries to convey with her photos to the community at large. **For this episode we spoke about 3 specific wolf photos of Julia's. Click the links in the description to hear her stories on each one!**Wolf Photo 1 Wolf Photo 2 Wolf Photo 3 @julia.littlelightningnatureLittle Lightning Nature Website

Rachel Tilseth is the Producer & Director and Manish Bhatt is the Associate Producer of People & Wolves: A Wisconsin Story Mired in Political Intrigue. The film tells the story of Wisconsin’s gray wolves, the controversies surrounding them, and how people learn to coexist as these native predators are finally back on the landscape after nearly 45 years.Rachel and Manish both spoke about the filmmaking process, the impact these issues have had on them personally, and what they are looking to achieve with the films message. Wolves of Douglas County WebsitePeople & Wolves TrailerDonate to the Film@peopleandwolves