Mich Biesbroek has been tracking wildlife since he was a young boy. He is one of the group leaders and guides for the White Wilderness weeks of Slovak Wildlife Society, where they monitor large carnivores in Slovakia with the help of volunteer citizens scientists. He is also a core member of Werkgroep Wolf Nederland. 

Mich spoke about his experiences tracking animals, his guiding practices when he's with Slovak Wildlife Society, the state of wolves in the Netherlands and his involvement with Werkgroep Wolf Nederland. 

Slovak Wildlife Society

Werkgroep Wolf Nederland

@tallmanhiking

@thewolfconnectionpod

Luigi Boitani has been studying, researching and propelling the conservation of wolves in Italy for over 50 years. He is currently a Professor Emeritus at the University of Rome, Italy, and Chair of the IUCN Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. 

Luigi went into great detail explaining his initial experiences researching wolves, how wolves, other predators and ungulates have had to adapt to a changing landscape in Italy, describing initiatives for coexistence in the region, and his overall assessment of wolf behaviors in present day Italy. 

Luigi Boitani Research Gate

IUCN Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe

@thewolfconnectionpod

Bridgett VonHoldt and Kristin Brzeski are the Director and Co-Director of the Gulf Coast Canine Project. The GCCP was created to encompass their research and the community-based approach they are developing to understand, monitor, and manage the unique canines persisting across the Gulf Coast.

Bridgett and Kristin gave updates on genomics research, community scientific engagement, expansion of non-invasive data collection, and future goals of the project. 

Gulf Coast Canine Project

@thewolfconnectionpod

Mollie Cameron is the Wolf Campaigner for Pacific Wild in British Columbia. She has extensive field experience monitoring carnivores, studying their behavior through remote camera traps, investigating wildlife signs, and documenting predation events.

She discussed the impact of old-growth forest loss, the history and current status of the wolf cull, habitat destruction, and how these factors are reshaping the landscape. 

Pacific Wild

BC Wolf Campaign 

@pacificwild

@thewolfconnectionpod

Michelle Valberg has been a fixture in the photography world for over 40 years. A Nikon Ambassador, she was honored with the prestigious Order of Canada in 2022 for her contributions to the craft. Additionally, she is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

In our conversation, Michelle shared the story of her photographic journey, discussed how she mentors newcomers to the art of photography, and recounted her two recent trips where she had the unique opportunity to photograph wolves.

Michelle Valberg Website

@michellevalbergphotography

@thewolfconnectionpod

Ian Wargo is a first generation Montanan who is a member of the Region 1 FWP Citizen Advisory Council and FWP Mule Deer Citizen Advisory Council. He is an avid outdoorsman, hunter and concerned resident on the state of the land, herds and practices impacting wild spaces in Northwestern Montana. 

We discussed potential common ground issues between the non-consumptive and hunting communities, including the sale of federal public land, changes to habitat management, and their impacts. Additionally, we explored topics such as studying predation and environmental easements. 

**This is Part 2 of our 2-part discussion with Ian.**

@thewolfconnectionpod

Ian Wargo is a first generation Montanan who is a member of the Region 1 FWP Citizen Advisory Council and FWP Mule Deer Citizen Advisory Council. He is an avid outdoorsman, hunter and concerned resident on the state of the land, herds and practices impacting wild spaces in Northwestern Montana. 

Ian discussed changes he's been witnessing on the landscape, practices that have impacted land management, wolves returning to the area, and how he feels there are ways to come together on common ground issues. 

**This is Part 1 of our 2-part discussion with Ian.**

@thewolfconnectionpod

Back from the Brink: Montana's Wildlife Legacy (PBS)

Fire History in the Bob Marshall Wilderness (U.S. Forest Service)

Brenna Cassidy started her work with Colorado Parks & Wildlife as the Wolf Monitoring and Data Coordinator in late 2023. She had a pivotal role in both wolf translocations, bringing wolves from Oregon and B.C. 

Brenna went into detail about her new position at CPW, the data she is looking for with the new wolves in Colorado, how she is able to track collar information, and what this data is going to be used for in their annual reports. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Wolves)

@coparkswildlife

@brennajcassidy

@thewolfconnectionpod

Caitlin McLean is studying Ecology and Conservation Biology at the University of Stirling and recently returned from tracking predators with The Slovak Wildlife Society. 

She explained the absence of predators in her home country of Scotland and the impacts on the landscape, her deep connection to nature, the experiences she had in Slovakia, and her engagement in conflict mitigation with groups in the predator coexistence space. 

@saor.wolf

The Slovak Wildlife Society

@thewolfconnectionpod

Hannah Rheaume has been a professional photographer for 5 years. She has traveled the globe, sharing her stories through the lens of her camera, while aiming to explore the complexities of humans and their impact on the natural world.

She spoke at length on her process when preparing to go on photo shoots, how  photography is unique to her vision, promoting wild places and human spaces to help with conservation and education, and sharing stories on a few selected photos with us. 

**Go to the Wolf Connection Podcast Instagram to see photos we spoke about!**

Hannah's Website

@hannahrheaume

@thewolfconnectionpod