The Wolf Connection

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, videography and musical production. Stephen is also the co-host and producer of 'The Wolf Connection' podcast and helps with the care, feeding and enrichment of the pack at Wolf Connection.When he's not with the wolves, Stephen runs his own production company called SR Productions LLC where he collaborates on many different projects for music and film. @srprodllcStephen Rivera Link Tree@wolfconnection

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 groups from around the world doing outreach and helping spread awareness and understanding of wildlife and environments in need.He spoke with us about growing up in Zimbabwe, the path to being a biologist, conservationist and television host, and his journey to Wolf Connection. Extinct or Alive on Animal PlanetForrestGalante.com@forrest.galante@wolfconnection

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 United States.Before working at Yellowstone National Park, Jeremy spent three summers trapping and collaring wolves for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department. He then became a wildlife guide as a Yellowstone Wolf Tracker before getting a full-time position with the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Jeremy has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana.Yellowstone Wolf Project@critter_chaser@wolfconnection

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 ceremonies from Native American elders, how he uses these teachings to help youth, veterans and rehab participants from all cultures, and also his work with Wolf Connection. Through all these organizations, Miguel looks to bring people into a collaborative, kind, inclusive and prosperous world. Western Gate Roots and Wings FoundationGuild of Future Architects Wolf Connection@wolfconnection

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 changes with the needs of the organization. Annette also helps with the care, feeding and enrichment of the pack at Wolf Connection. @agolden629@wolfconnectionwolfconnection.org

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 Wolf Project for 14 years and a Research Associate for 9 years. Kira holds her M.S. degree from the University of Minnesota, with projects focusing on territoriality and aggression between packs of gray wolves. She is stationed at Mammoth Hot Springs, near the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Gray Wolf Information YellowstoneKira Cassidy Tedx TalkYellowstone Wolves Book Pre-Order@kira_cassidy

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 the interdependence between ecosystems, humans role as stewards of the environment and team building skills. @thenatureinquisitive@wolfconnection

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, ranked #2 in the country, reporter for NBC Sports Bay Area and host of the Westwood One podcast “The Weekly Pass”. Beyond her professional ventures, Laflin is committed to and passionate about animal welfare and the nation’s veterans, founding the non-profit Hounds and Heroes. @bonniejillHounds and Heroes@wolfconnection

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 psychological, anthropological and story-centered organization, emphasizing therapeutic engagement in the natural world. Micha has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate University.weREWILD@michaleethomas@wolfconnection

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 worn many hats - as a naturalist, Wolf Interpreter and Biological Technician (wolf research). He has amassed over 100,000 wolf sightings. For 15 years, he went out for 6,175 straight days and in one stretch saw wolves on 892 consecutive days. Though retired, he still studies and observes wolves at Yellowstone National Park. He is currently working on two more books for his Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone Series. Rise of Wolf 8 & Reign of Wolf 21 are available on Amazon and other book retailers and are published by Greystone Books. Rise of Wolf 8 - AmazonReign of Wolf 21 - Amazon@wolfconnection