The Wolf Connection

Kira Cassidy has been a Research Associate with the Yellowstone Wolf Project for over 12 years. She has always been a source of important facts & research of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park.

Kira spoke about Wolf 907F, who has reached the age of 11.4 years old, the dynamics of the Junction Butte Pack which she's been a part of her entire life, and discussed important topics regarding wolf elders and their roles in the pack.

@kira_cassidy

CBC Article on 907F

@thewolfconnectionpod

Forrest Galante has many titles, a wildlife biologist, television host and explorer just to name just a few! His mission is to inspire and educate people about animals and adventure through the media, including hosting programs on Animal Planet, on-camera expert interviews, and production of his own wildlife and natural history shows.

Forrest came to Wolf Connection to visit the pack, shared his thoughts on wolves, wildlife, biodiversity and where his next ventures are.

Forrest Galante Website

@forrest.galante

Forrest Galante YouTube

@thewolfconnecitonpod

Taylor Rabe has been a Wildlife Technician in Yellowstone National Park for the Wolf, Cougar and Elk Projects for over 2 1/2 years. She is also the Inaugural Fellow for Conservation Nation.

Taylor updated us on what's happening inside Yellowstone National Park, the new Bioacoustics Program they are using to help identify populations of wolves, cougars and other animals, how they're dealing with wolf, bear and elk habituation issues and touched on the upcoming conference, Wolves Across Borders, taking place in The Netherlands in June of 2025.

Conservation Nation: Taylor Rabe

@taylorlrabe

@thewolfconnectionpod

Marc Bekoff is a professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Marc has published 31 books and has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, animal emotions (cognitive ethology), compassionate conservation, and animal protection. He has worked closely with Jane Goodall as co-chair of the ethics committee of the Jane Goodall Institute, and is a former Guggenheim Fellow.

Marc spoke at length about one of his books, The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy - and Why They Matter, his research throughout the course of his career, and the relationships between humans and animals in many settings.

Marc Bekoff Website

Psychology Today Blog

Colorado's Wolves: Good News for Their Future as Wild Animals

@thewolfconnectionpod

Will Stenberg and his brother Zack Stentz recently visited Wolf Connection to spend time with the pack and recorded a quick podcast!

They gave an update on their Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone  project, and spoke about their visit to the sanctuary.
 
Will Stenberg is a writer and musician, and his brother Zack Stentz is a writer and film producer known for his work on films like X-Men: First Class & Thor.

Stampede Ventures recently optioned the rights to Rick McIntyre's first 3 books in the Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone series for Will and Zack to script a film adaptation.

@thewillstenberg

@musezack

'The Alpha Wolves Of Yellowstone’: Stampede Ventures Taps Zack Stentz, Will Stenberg To Script Film Based On Non-Fiction Book Series (Deadline)

@thewolfconnectionpod

Samantha Miller is the CATs (Cats Aren't Trophies) Campaign Manager in Colorado. The Colorado Ballot Measure, Initiative 91, has gained enough signatures to be on the ballot in the November Election. The basis of the proposal is to end trophy hunting of mountain lions and fur-trapping of bobcats.

Samantha went into great detail on the ballot measure, the dangers mountain lions, bobcats and Canadian lynx face in Colorado, how the organization operates, and what they hope to achieve if the measure passes.

Ballot Measure Press Release (CATs Website)

CATs Website

@catsarenttrophiescolorado

@samanthakmiller

Leo Leckie is the Lead of Program Education & Outreach for Wolf Connection and has begun working with Yellowstone Wolf Tracker.

He recently came back onsite to visit Wolf Connection, worked with the program staff, visited the wolf pack, and sat down for a quick podcast!

Leo spoke about moving back to Yellowstone, shared stories about wolves & elk, specifically Wolf 907F, and his connections to the youth in the Wolf Connection programs.

@yellowstoneleo

@wolftracker

The Yellowstone Wolf Family Tree

@thewolfconnectionpod

This is our first podcast crossover episode and we were so excited to have this discussion with Brooke Mitchell from Rewildology! Brooke is the host, founder and executive producer for Rewildology which is a podcast that talks about conservation, travel and rewilding the planet. Brooke engages with guests from across the globe, delving into their personal stories, what motivates them to dedicate their lives to conservation, and the profound discoveries they have made throughout their careers.

We all discussed what led us down the nature path, how our respective podcasts got started, and how they navigate the science, nature and wildlife space while looking to bring valuable information to our respective audiences.

Rewildolgy Website

@rewildology

@brookerewild

@thewolfconnectionpod

Ryan Sedgeley is the Southern Rockies Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition. Alan Lacy is the Founder & Chief Filmmaker for Reel Earth Films. Both organizations worked on the new film 'Welcome Home', that tells the story of wolves’ return to Colorado and how wildlife and people can live together.

Ryan and Alan spoke about their own connections to nature, the process of creating this film for the public, and the deeper meanings behind the films message for wolves' and humans coexistence moving forward.

**See the trailer and updates on film screenings below**

Welcome Home Film Website

Endangered Species Coalition

Reel Earth Films

@endangeredspeciescoalition

@reelearthfilms

@thewolfconnectionpod

Doug Smith is a former Senior Wildlife Biologist and the former Yellowstone National Park Wolf Program Lead for 28 years. Chris Servheen was the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for 35 years.

Both Doug and Chris went into great detail about the history of grizzly bear and wolf recovery, the changing landscape in predator management since the 1980's, and their concerns about the future of both species in the western United States.

**Please read their paper published in The Yellowstonian below**

Will Two Of The World’s Greatest Wildlife Conservation Success Stories Be Unwritten?

Bear Specialist Group

Yellowstone Wolf Project

@thewolfconnectionpod