The Wolf Connection

Matt Barnes, a research associate with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, is a range scientist, wildlife conservationist, and former ranch manager whose work focuses on reintegrating wildness into working landscapes.

Matt works with land managers to improve rangeland stewardship and has worked alongside ranchers to help prevent conflicts with large carnivores, including wolves and grizzly bears, throughout the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming.

In this episode of The Wolf Connection Podcast, Matt joins us following his recent visit to Wolf Connection to talk about his experience at the sanctuary and share the latest updates from the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, including the work being done around wolves and wolf conservation in the Rocky Mountain region.

@mattk.barnes

@rockymtnwolf

Rocky Mountain Wolf Project

Shining Horizons Land Management

@thewolfconnectionpod

The Languages Of Life

Climate change is not just shifting temperatures, it is rewriting the rules of survival for wolves, moose, and entire ecosystems. In this episode, research ecologist Toni Lyn Morelli explains what wildlife experiences as winters warm, snow disappears, parasites spread, and habitats become increasingly fragmented. Drawing from her work at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, Toni explores how animals respond to rapid environmental change and why species that seem adaptable may still be pushed beyond their limits.

We discuss the concept of umwelt, which helps us understand how animals experience the world differently from humans, as well as the effects of snow drought on cold-adapted species like wolves and moose. We examine the impact of winter ticks on moose, the importance of climate refugia, the role of habitat connectivity, and the shifting relationships between deer, moose, lynx, bobcats, and other wildlife. The conversation also explores whether species can move, adapt, or survive in landscapes divided by roads, cities, and human development.

This episode offers a thoughtful look at resilience, interdependence, and what wildlife can teach us about living through a rapidly changing world. 

Morelli Lab

Climate Refugia

2026 Western Snow Drought Was About Four Times More Likely Caused by Climate Change

@thewolfconnectionpod

The Languages of Life

What if the real problem is not the world around us, but the way we’ve been taught to see it? Ecologist and philosopher Matthijs Schouten explores how Western thinking shaped our separation from nature, and why that mindset still affects the way we live today. He makes the case for seeing ourselves not above the natural world, but as part of a larger community of life.

In this episode, Matthijs traces the roots of this worldview through philosophy, religion, and science, while also pointing to other traditions that offer a more connected way of understanding the world. He shares why language matters, how we can reframe our relationship with nature, and what it means to move from control to participation. This conversation is a thoughtful invitation to rediscover wonder, belonging, and reciprocity.

Homepage for Matthijs Schouten

Matthijs Schouten Portfolio

@thewolfconnectionpod

The Languages of Life

Jason Wise is a Certified California Naturalist, environmental educator, conservationist, trail guide, and LBGTQ activist with a Master's Degree in Environmental Policy. 

His passion is fostering a deeper connection between people and nature, and belief that access to and education about the natural world are essential for cultivating strong environmental advocates. 

Jason and I discussed how people can connect with nature in urban settings, the impact of environmental storytelling, what nature can teach us about coming together as a society, and the effects of big conservation efforts like the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. 

Jason Journey Man

@jasonjourneyman

@thewolfconnectionpod

The Languages of Life 

At WildEarth Guardians, Lizzy Pennock works as the Carnivore Coexistence Attorney alongside Joanna Zhang, the Endangered Species Advocate. 

In this episode Lizzy and Joanna came on to discuss three major issues: rollbacks affecting the Endangered Species Act, the state of Montana admitting its tracking models severely overestimated the actual wolf population, and The Department of the Interior introducing a revised proposal altering ESA Rule 4(d) guidelines for grizzly bears. 

WildEarth Guardians

Rally For the Grizzly Webinar

U.S. Department of Interior Rescinds 'Harm' Definition

@wildearthguardians

@thewolfconnectionpod

The Languages of Life

Cassi Camara is a Conservation Communications Consultant who recently completed her PhD in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. 

She is also an Environmental Education Specialist for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Collectively, her work integrates research and practice across governance, policy, education, and communication, with the aim of cultivating environmentally literate citizens, across the globe.

Cassi spoke about her experience at Wolf Connection, some of the barriers in achieving environmental policy, and the positive impacts environmental education can have not only for students, but facilitators and teachers as well. 

Cassiopeia Consulting

Cassiopeiacamara.com

@thewolfconnectionpod

Rick LoBello is one of the founders and Treasurer of the Texas Lobo Coalition, while Phillip Sozansky serves as the organization's Secretary. The Texas Lobo Coalition is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the natural restoration of the Mexican wolf to its native and historic habitats in Texas.

In this conversation, Rick and Phillip explore Texas's ecological and cultural history, the mission of the Texas Lobo Coalition, and the science, challenges, and opportunities surrounding the return of Mexican wolves. They also share why they believe the time is right for this iconic species to reclaim its historic place in the Texas landscape.

Texas Lobo Coalition (Website)

@texaslobocoalition

@thewolfconnectionpod

A Handful of Dirt - Watch on YouTube

Carolyn Johnson is the Founder/CEO/Mechanical Engineer of GuardUs Innovations. Their mission is to save animals, both domestic and wild. GuardUs Innovations strives to create a world where livestock are protected and our natural predators thrive. We plan to achieve this through novel and effective non-lethal predator deterrent innovations. 

Carolyn spoke about her background as a mechanical engineer, the livestock collar which aims to protect cattle & sheep in a non-lethal way, and promoting coexistence with wild predators. 

GuardUs Innovations Website

@thewolfconnectionpod

A Handful of Dirt - Watch on YouTube

Sami Godlove is the is the Central Oregon Field Coordinator at Oregon Wild, which works to protect and restore Oregon’s wild lands, wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations.

Sami spoke about his early influential moments in nature, the importance of the Roadless Rule, potential large environmental rollbacks, and the effects these policies have on large ecosystems, old growth forests and other natural places that they protect. 

Oregon Wild

@oregonwild

@thewolfconnectionpod

A Handful of Dirt - Watch on YouTube

Marc Bekoff is a professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Marc has published over 30 books and has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, animal emotions (cognitive ethology), compassionate conservation, and animal protection. He worked closely with Jane Goodall as co-chair of the ethics committee of the Jane Goodall Institute, and is a former Guggenheim Fellow.

Marc discussed his book Rewinding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence, describing ways to bring compassion back into conservation work, understanding the human impacts on rewilding, how we can shape future generations to become passionate, compassionate conservationists, and his admiration for the late Jane Goodall. 

Marc Bekoff Website

Rewilding Our Hearts

Love In Their Hearts (Pre-Order)

A Handful of Dirt - Watch on YouTube