The Wolf Connection

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 un...

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. 

Jas...

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

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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

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...

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...

Naïma has been a professional artist for over 6 years, after her work as a graphic designer for a decade. She describes her connection through art in this way: "Each work is conceived as an intimate space, where anyone can project their own story, emotions, and memories. Over time, I’ve come to understand that this silent connection between a painting and the viewer lies at the heart of my work. It is in this resonance, often hard to explain, that the artwork truly finds its place."

Naïma reflects on how her connection with wolv...

Cadence Truchot has been the Tribal Community Engagement Fellow with Grand Teton National Park for over a year and a half. Her work within the park helps underserved Indigenous communities reconnect with their ancestral lands in week long programmatic settings. 

Cadence shares her deep connection to the natural world and how those values shape the programs she leads in Grand Teton. She speaks to the vital role of tribal partners in guiding storytelling, leadership, and mentorship, and reflects on the ongoing repair and relationship-building between tribal nations and the National Park Service.

@cadence_truchot

Eric Washburn is a fifth-generation Coloradan who is a big game hunter, who is a Senior Policy Advisor for Pioneer Public Affairs. PPA works on clean energy technologies and advocacy movements to combat the climate crisis, protect natural wonders, and empower marginalized communities across America. 

Eric discussed many issues from affecting winter, water and wildlife in Colorado, including the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease within elk and deer herds, pushing for the reintroduction of more beavers and wolves in the state, generational knowledge and traditions within the hunting communities, and climate change. 

@thewolfconnectionpod

Co...

Brianna Godberson is the host of the Find Your Wild podcast, an artist, and business owner of Femme Sauvage based in Long Island, NY. 

Brianna reflected on her transformative visits to three wolf sanctuaries in California alongside Candace Dyar, sharing the lessons, and teachings she's taking with her from the wolves and wolf dogs that she experienced on this trip. She spoke about taking a step back to recharge from her podcast and business, while being reinvigorated with new energy through these visits. 

@findyourwildpodcast

@shopfemmesauvage

Femme Sauvage Store

Find Yo...

Candace Dyar is a nature and conservation photographer, educator, wildlife & wolf advocate based in Washington State for two decades. She has used her platform to collaborate on environmental issues with organizations including Wildlife for All and Team Wolf. 

Candace reflected on her transformative visits to three wolf sanctuaries in California alongside Brianna Godberson, sharing the profound growth and expansion she experienced along the way. Through this journey, she offers a powerful message to women, rooted in the wisdom of wolves, about intuition, resilience, and reconnecting with one’s true nature.

@candacedyar

Candace Dyar Web...

Eleri Lopp is a photographer, videographer, and nature guide in Estonia. She has been tracking wolves for over a decade and observing ecological changes happening within her country. 

Eleri described wolf populations and movements within Estonia, the difference between EU protections and Baltic countries enforcing them for wolves, and the underfunding of science and research to conduct research on carnivores within Estonia. 

Eleri Lopp Photography

@elerilopp_fromestonia

@thewolfconnectionpod

Eleanor Keisman is an American writer living in Vienna, Austria. She holds a BA from The New School and an MFA in creative writing from Drexel University. Her short stories, poetry, and essays have appeared in Litro Magazine, The Bangalore Review, Tough Crime, Last Stanza Poetry Journal, and The Wild Umbrella, as well as adapted for "The Other Stories" podcast. New Animal is her first novella.

Eleanor described her path to writing, the influences that guided her in writing New Animal, and the overall themes that present themselves within the novella. 

Eleanor Keisman Website

Paul Koberstein cofounded Cascadia Times in 1995 and has been its editor ever since. Paul, a journalist for forty years, was a staff writer for The Oregonian and Willamette Week in the 1980s and 1990s. He is the co-author of Canopy of Titans examining the global importance of the Pacific Coastal Temperate Rainforest that stretches from Northern California to Alaska. 

Paul discussed the book Canopy of Titans which details the threats facing this vital environmental resource, and celebrates the beauty and complexity of one of the world's great forests. 

Cascadia Times

OR Books (Order Can...

The Anderson family is a multi-generational ranching operation in Tom Miner Basin, the grizzly bear corridor near Yellowstone National Park's northern boundary. Rather than dominate nature, the Andersons work to prevent predation of livestock by coexisting more harmoniously with wildlife. 

Malou has implemented holistic regenerative grazing management so that these grasslands become more abundant and draw down more carbon into the soil.

She discussed her personal relationship with the land describing peaceful partnerships, breaking down stereotypes within the ranching community, and how  to promote “shared landscapes” where livestock and predators co-exist to protect ecosystems.

@m.t...

Doug Smith retired as the Senior Wildlife Biologist in Yellowstone National park after 28 years of service where he supervised the wolf, elk, and bird programs. Doug has studied wolves for 44 years, done over 2,000 interviews, and appeared on numerous documentaries about wolves and birds for National Geographic, BBC, and CBS 60 Minutes. He is a member of the Mexican Wolf Recovery Team, the Re-Introduction Specialist Group, and the Canid Specialist Group for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

He talked about the lessons he's learned from wolves, his experiences in captive facilities, including observations he made while...

Annick Hus is a Belgian Freelance Journalist who has studied Animal Welfare Science and Ethics and Law at the University of Winchester. Arie Trouwborst is a Nature Conservation Law Professor at Tilburg University. They have both chronicled the political, societal, and legal perspectives of wolves naturally recolonizing Europe. 

They both discussed the challenges within each of these categories, as each country within the European Union is looking to navigate coexistence with wolves and other predators on many levels. 

The Unravelling of a Success Story: How Politics Is Killing Europe’s Wolves

Wolves in Euro...

John Potter grew up in the Upper Great Lakes region, spending his formative years immersed in the lush forests of the Great Northwoods, where he developed a profound love for the natural world that continues to inspire his work today.

After a successful 20-year career as an award-winning illustrator, John transitioned to painting full-time in 2002. 

John visited Wolf Connection for 3 days, immersing himself in the on-site programs, interacting with the wolf pack, and experiencing all the sanctuary had to offer. He spoke about his time at Wolf Connection and what impacted him the most. 

...

Melissa Smith is the Executive Director & Founder of Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife and has served on D.C. environmental committees with a deep understanding of the Endangered Species Act.  

She explored the significance of sociological sciences within state policy management of species, how this influences the effectiveness of State Endangered Species Acts (SESA) and State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP), and the way governmental agencies on all levels can be ineffective in implementing protection plans for all species. 

Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance/Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife

@endangeredspeciescoalition

@thewolfconnectionpod

Dr. John Vucetich has been working on the Isle Royale Wolf & Moose Project for over 30 years. He is a distinguished Professor at Michigan Technological University where he teaches Wildlife Ecology and Environmental Ethics. 

We discussed the global biodiversity crisis we are currently in at the moment, the value of species within the context of an environment, his co-authored paper titled Government agencies in the United States are obstructing native species restoration, creating regulatory pits for wildlife, and the ways regulatory pits for wildlife are created. 

Government Agencies in the U.S. are Obstructing Nat...

Leo Miranda was the USFWS Southeast Regional Director from 2018-2022, and is the Founder and CEO of Leo Miranda LLC which creates innovative wildlife conservation policy solutions. He also serves at the Executive Director for Conservation Without Conflict, a proven approach to conservation and a coalition of public and private partners with highly diverse goals who are united in their commitment to conserving wildlife while keeping America’s working lands working. 

Leo went into detail about how Conservation Without Conflict takes on different projects, they're approach to creating partnerships that help working lands, wildlife species and ecosystems sim...

Adam Bronstein has been with Western Watersheds Project since 2020 and is the Oregon Director for the organization. Adam grew up exploring the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, and received a BS from SUNY ESF in Syracuse, NY in Environmental Studies and Geographic Information Technologies.

He discussed the parameters of the Roadless Rule, explained specifics on protections for Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs), impacts logging, grazing and outdoor recreation takes on roadless areas, and the ways you can protect lands near you. 

Western Watersheds Press Release

USDA Press Release on Roadless Rule

R...

Lizzy Pennock has been the Carnivore Coexistence Attorney for WIldEarth Guardians for 4 years. Earlier in August, a federal district court in Missoula ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when it determined that gray wolves in the western United States do not warrant federal protections. 

Lizzy went into great detail describing Senior District Judge Donald Molloy's reasons for ruling in this manner. We went on to discuss at length the definition of  wolves range, discrepancies in population numbers, state management issues, inconsistencies within the USFWS arguments, and what this ru...

Axel Hunnicutt has been with California Department of Fish & Wildlife for over 4 years and is the State Gray Wolf Coordinator. He has previously worked in Africa with multiple endangers and threatened species, protecting habitats and wildlife while promoting coexistence benefits to the surrounding communities. 

Axel discussed the recolonization of wolves in California, their territories, pack sizes and possible dispersal patterns, the main issues surrounding wolf recolonization, and what the agency is doing to ensure coexistence measures are used when conflict occurs. 

Gray Wolf CDFW (Web Page) 

California Wolf Project

@hyena_man

James Holt has been a tribal member of the Nez Perce for 13 years and has worked in Environmental Sciences & Tribal Community Engagement for nearly three decades. He also specializes in tribal public policy, including natural resources and water policy development; climate change planning; wilderness management; and utilities administration for the Nez Perce. 

James shared insights into his upbringing with the lessons and guidance he was given as a young man, the relationship of the Nez Perce with the land and wildlife surrounding them, the history of the Nez Perce during westward expansion and the wolf reintroduction in 1995, a...

Laurie Cousins is a Trauma-Informed Mindfulness Teacher who has been with Wolf Connection since 2018. Known for her work in healing trauma and addiction recovery, Laurie focuses on treating the cyclical root causes of compulsive behaviors while building self-love and resiliency. 

She spoke about the ways that nature based therapy can help us reconnect with the environment, how those practices intertwine with the programs at Wolf Connection, and how we can listen to our bodies while becoming more in tune with our nervous systems. 

Healing with Mindfulness

@mindfully_laurie

lcousins@wolfconnection.org

Alma "Rosie" Sanchez is the Carnivore Biologist for the Nez Perce Tribe and is also a PhD student at The University of Colorado Boulder. She combines Indigenous political ecology and carnivore ecology in both fieldwork and research. Rosie has focused on revitalizing management plans, deploying field projects to determine occupancy and migration, and expanding opportunities for community involvement in conservation. 

She spoke about her career journey that led to working with the Nez Perce Tribe, some of the research she's working on at the moment, and the rise of traditional ecological knowledge she's seen in collaboration within a...

Nita Strauss is a Los Angeles born guitarist who has toured around the globe, playing with musical artists like Demi Lovato and Alice Cooper, while releasing two solo albums Controlled Chaos (2018) and The Call of the Void (2023). She was also the first female to have a signature guitar through Ibanez guitars, the Ibanez JIVA. 

We spoke with Nita about her creative process, both in her instrumental work and collaboration with vocalists, asked about the inspiration for the song The Wolf You Feed feat. Alissa White-Gluz and how the meaning of the s...

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. 

Hannah spoke about her interactions with the pack at Wolf Connection, the photo workshop she hosted in Yellowstone, and her encounter with a yearling wolf inside the park. 

Check out @thewolfconnectionpod on Instagram to see the wolf photos we discussed in this episode!

Hannah Rheaume Website 

@hannahrheaume

Dan Flores is A. B. Hammond Professor Emeritus of the History of the American West at the University of Montana-Missoula. He has authored ten books, including his New York Times Bestseller Coyote America, along with American Serengeti and Wild New World. 

We had a powerful conversation about how coyotes have shaped both Indigenous and early American storytelling, the rise and impact of extirpation campaigns against them and other North American species, the cultural shift toward conservation, and what all of this means for our present-day relationship with wildlife.

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