The Wolf Connection

Ellen has studied and investigated the effects of pathogen infections on social groups within wolf and elk populations in Yellowstone National Park. Her research is focused in canine distemper virus, sarcoptic mange, and chronic wasting disease. She has also been involved in research that informs wolf management, such as disease risk analyses for endangered species act petitions and wolf re-introductions.

Ellen spoke about the effects of these diseases & pathogens in wolf packs and how they can impact multiple facets of their life.

Ellen Brandell

@eeeeeeb8

Wolf Connection

Rachel Tilseth has been a volunteer winter wolf tracker for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources since 2000. Rachel has also worked with the Wisconsin Wolf Recovery Program since 1998. She is an author for the Wolves of Douglas County News website as well as an artist, educator and environmentalist.

Rachel joined us to discuss the recent wolf hunt in Wisconsin that took place in February of 2021, and the steps that are being taken to change how wolves are managed in the state.

Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin

Wisconsin Wolf Management Plan

Wolf Connection

Wendi McLendon-Covey is an actress and comedian who stars in the television series Reno 911!  (Comedy Central) & The Goldbergs (ABC) and played a supporting role in the movie Bridesmaids (2011). She has been in multiple movies and television shows over the course of her career and is currently involved in three new releases:  Sylvie's Love, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, and Long Weekend.

Wendi spoke to us about her career and the profound effect Wolf Connection has had on her since first visiting. Wendi and her husband Greg have sponsored Annie for the last few years and continue to be supportive members of our pack.

@wendimclendoncovey

The Goldbergs

@wolfconnection
 
 

Suzanne has spent over 30+ years looking to restore wolves to the Rockies and Pacific Northwest. She was a member of both the Idaho and Yellowstone wolf reintroduction teams that restored wolves to central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. She is co-founder of the Wood River Wolf Project which promotes the coexistence of livestock and wolves by proactively using non-lethal  measures to prevent depredation.

Suzanne spoke about her experiences in the Idaho wolf reintroduction project, the mission and success of the Wood River Wolf Project, and how their non-lethal methods are being used across the globe.

Wood River Wolf Project

International Wildlife Coexistence Network

Wolf Connection

Mike Phillips has played a key role in wolf conservation and recovery for 40+ years. He was part of the red wolf & gray wolf recovery efforts in the 1990's and is a founding member of the Turner Endangered Species Fund and Turner Biodiversity Divisions. As a former Democratic legislator in Montana, Mike helped inform the public about Colorado Proposition 114, which will be reintroducing gray wolves back to Colorado west of the continental divide.

Mike offered his thoughts on the Colorado wolf reintroduction project, his work throughout the years, and the state of wolves & our natural world as it stands today.

Rocky Mountain Wolf Project

Turner Endangered Species Fund

Wolf Connection
   

Carter Niemeyer retired from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2006 as the Wolf Recovery Coordinator for the state of Idaho. He was an integral part of the Federal Wolf Reintroduction in both Yellowstone and Idaho. Carter has authored two books, Wolfer and Wolf Land which can be purchased through multiple book retailers.

He spoke about growing up in Iowa, his time spent as a government trapper and the experiences he had as he helped bring wolves back into the western United States.

CarterNiemeyer.com

Wolfer & Wolf Land

wolfconnection.org

**Click the link to view Kate's pictures that we discuss on the podcast**  https://www.instagram.com/p/CLe9h2eAgtg/?igshid=sg4hdl5rcgp1


Kate Ochsman is a wildlife photographer, certified South African Safari Guide and conservationist. She has traveled the globe photographing, guiding and conserving wildlife until it landed her in Montana - on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park.

Kate spoke about her artistic process and the techniques she uses while taking photographs of animals, all while being non-invasive to the natural landscape. She shared with us 4 photos of wolves that have impacted her on a personal level. Her work can be seen at the links below.

KateOchsman.com

@kateochsman

Wolf Connection

Maddy Jackson is a Project Technician with the Yellowstone Wolf Project. She is currently working on studies pertaining to wolf scat and the information that can be gathered non-invasively from wolf packs. She has a B.S. in Ecology/Evolution/Behavior from the University of Minnesota and currently resides in Gardiner, Montana.

Maddy described growing up in Minnesota close to the Superior National Forest & The Boundary Waters. She talks about her work for wolves in Minnesota, Idaho and Yellowstone and the studies she's conducting with the Yellowstone Wolf Project.

@mountain_maddy

International Wolf Center

Wildlife Science Center

Wolf Connection

Taylor Bland has been a wildlife guide and wolf observer for over 2 years with Yellowstone Wolf Tracker. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Zoology, studied abroad at Kruger National Park in South Africa and now sits on the board of the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota.

Taylor talks about her guiding style when she takes groups around Yellowstone. She also discusses the effects she sees that photography and videography are having on wolves in the park and how wolves may be becoming habituated to human presence inside and outside the park.

Yellowstone Wolf Tracker

@taylorlbland

@wolfconnection