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The moment I open up this blog and click "new post", I am typically left staring at the screen with my arms crossed and back against the chair in deep thought. So much has occurred within the last week or so that it is actually hard to boil it all down to a few paragraphs of words. Perhaps I should have sat down sooner and wrote up this new post earlier. Problem with that possibility was the fact it was not a true possibility at all without staying up super late and nearly falling asleep on the keyboard. For the first time ever it appears I have hit a brick wall - in a different context than ever before. Normally when a wall approaches, it presents a problem that takes some time to accomplish, but this particular wall is not entirely bare with the bricks lining the surface in a disorderly fashion but just the opposite. This wall is one coated in various paints that define a mural; an art feature that defines the possibilities of my future with ever stroke of the brush. A wall that should not be destroyed or climbed but instead one that should be admired and further discovered. Sometimes, walls aren't meant to stop you in your tracks for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes the walls are dedicated to make you stop and think of all that you have accomplished beforehand while allowing you to admire the presence without worry about the future. This is the type of wall I have hit; and I am truly satisfied that I have. Over the last few weeks I have basked in an ambiance that can only be defined as "spectacular". In other words, I absolutely love it here and I wish I did not have to leave in August!


As I had mentioned before, a Wolf Ethology class was offered to each of the interns and the public on the center's behalf. The flood gates opened for what it takes to truly observe an animal's behavior as noted by the ethogram (which consists of a list of codes with behaviors labeled). We discussed the ethogram during training but I was actually able to sit back and point out certain behaviors/codes while watching out Ambassador wolves; other students alongside me. I was not able to participate in the final discussion, where all behaviors were pieced together and analyzed, but there's always a chance in the future. Lately, when I watch the wolves from the windows while talking to others or free, I try to watch out for their behaviors and mentally label them as they come. Some behaviors are reoccurring and therefore make sense based on the scenario occurring; but it's all still practice. All apart of the observation game, in case staff needs to be alerted of anything and for personal learning.

Aside from studying the ethogram and doing observations, we also watched a movie or two and studied the behaviors we noticed in the movies as well. The best part of the class, in my personal opinion, was when we hit the field in two ways. One being a sled dog yard; where we got to compare dog behaviors to wolf behaviors while also getting to hang out with the dogs in the process. They had some puppies that were fun to hold and play with. I think one age group was a few weeks old and the other was a few months but cannot recall. Of course my baby magic worked again because when I held a younger pup it instantly stopped whimpering and fell asleep in my arms (works on human babies and young birds too, if only it worked with kids to teens). The other two pups were older and more lively. It was pretty neat to see their difference in personality and watching them play. Of course I want a young pup now.

The second time we hit the field was when we went out to radiotrack wild wolves. We first practiced with a dummy dog collar, that was hidden, and we used a Yagi antennae. Just like Dave Swanson taught us in class, we practiced triangulation and later honed in on the transmitter/collar. Just like in class, I was able to help hone in on the collar within a few minutes. We walked straight to the area before a girl asked me if she could see the antennae. I handed it over due to being a team player; not because I doubted my skills. Not trying to sound over confident but radiotelemetry has been one of my favorite field methods since Swanson introduced the concept to us in class. I have not had much of a problem finding transmitters before and truly I think I am quite good at it. Now, if I could just impress the right people, maybe I could stick my foot into some research positions. Anyway, we later used these skills on actual wild wolves. We tried three different locations nearby but did not pick up a single "blip" from the transmitters. Of course the wolves were out there but the antennae was not picking up their signal. At one sight the group I was in found a pile of scat and thanks to my instructor, Joe Letsche, for teaching a Tracking course at Hocking - I was able to locate three separate wolf tracks! How cool is that? Thanks again Joe for opening up my "tracker eyes" because they truly have paid off since! I inserted two of the pics I took of the tracks. One thing I never mastered was photographing the tracks I found so please bare with the quality!

Later on that night, the group went out with a few staff members to a few of the same locations we were previously that day. (Locations are disclosed due to various reasons, do not even ask me). We proceeded to howl at each location to see if we could get a response back. I took a few tips from a staff member and was able to howl that night. Although my hearing is questionable, I was able to pick up and hear the faintest of howls in the distance. It truly surprised me. We received some feed back from our howling trip. A wolf or two howled at a few locations and I am proud to say my howl was noted as "really good" by not only fellow group members but a staff member as well. Some friends have mentioned my howl was spot on in previous years but to hear it from those who worked with wolves before gives you a warm feeling inside. The fact the wolves howled back in response makes it 10x better.

Bear Cubs (Poor quality)

I had two days off with the class and truly appreciated that fact! Both days were SO MUCH fun. I'll never forget the good times we had when traveling. The games we played (never have I ever), the moose we saw, the sled dogs and wolves, and everything. One of the days I worked but was able to take the last hour and a half off so I could go with the class and a few staff members to Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, Minnesota. In the past, wild bears were fed in order to keep them away from Vince's house. The bears are still fed after his passing and an education facility was established. We were able to watch the bears from an observation deck located up above the meadows. It was pretty neat to see these bears; including three cubs and a yearling cinnamon bear. Cinnamon is just a different color of coat for all bears were American Black Bear (Ursus americanus). A staff member drove us to the facility in the Howler (the bus in my previous posts) but I picked up the slack on the way back by offering the drive home. It was an excellent way to gain experience. Thanks to Hocking's winding back roads, the curvy drive was rather easy. My braking does need some work though. I will admit this.

When the clock finally ticked to the final minute and it was time to say good bye to the class members, a few hugs were exchanged and they went on about their way while I remained at work for the remainder of the day. Speaking to people and giving programs have gradually been getting better. It's easier to give a program to a group of 50+ people than a group of 5 or less but I am still learning how to adjust. That's the point of this internship after all. I am struggling with two particular presentations and am trying to take the time to look through them more. Some things just cannot be learned over night so hopefully I can dish out the two programs very soon without hesitation. My biggest challenge is making one of the two programs interesting; people were dozing off all three times during the program. Then again...there's always that one person that dozes off anyway; even if you get the whole crowd laughing.

The ethology class officially ended on thursday and the following night, friday, one of our board members gave a presentation on Porcupines. This board member, Dick Thiel, had researched wolves for years but also had the opportunity to work with porkies! His efforts, alongside some high school students, helped define porcupine research since not many people work with these individuals. Blame the quills. During this time the interns and I got the chance to meet a few new faces, board members of not, and I had the chance to sit down and talk to Dick one on one for the last time. We had talked during training but now that time has progressed, I had more to say and bought one of his books for him to sign. He wrote a message alongside his "special signature". More importantly, his words ignited a flame within my being. I have always been one who has always tried to search after their passion while continuing to rely on hope as a guide. I have had many discussions about "being passionate" with people but it was truly nice to hear someone within my field area of study say, for once, that they could tell I was passionate about what I was doing. I had to stop for a second and review my life; whom I was once was and where I currently stood. So much had passed by me these last few years, so many new doors opening while others closed, that I failed to see the fact I had been passionate about my field the entire time. I was searching for something I already had and therefore drowned out the idea that I possessed passion altogether.

As days go by, I always feel that people neglect to remember me due to always being out of state or far away from home. I was blinded by these thoughts and feelings that I never realized there were actually a lot of people out there reading my blogs, posts, and trying to keep up with my constant adventures. I have thanked those last year for reading my blogs but now I want to thank everyone for simply being a part of my life. If you take five seconds out of your day simply to read a post from me, then thank you. It truly means a lot. Having passion is one thing, sharing it with others is so much more exhilarating and truly rewarding. So again, thank you.

The last day I have not truly mentioned yet is Saturday. My programs went well, once again, and I practically feel like the "master wolf-print castor" now. My objective is to make sure no one leaves our "create a wolf print cast out of plaster" program unhappy. So far I haven't failed yet; knock on wood. Aside from programs, I was able to leave for about an hour with a staff member and volunteer. We loaded up a few picnic tables onto a trailer and took them to a nearby dump. Afterwards we pit stopped at the "Front Porch" for some addictive root beer (I seriously love this stuff) and Subway for lunch. Saw a Bald Eagle along the way! Also, it's not too often that I run into someone who is capable of reading my thoughts and saying them aloud the second after thinking them, but well what do you know, I found another person like this. That makes three people total that have showed they are capable of doing this; excluding my mother. This also includes speaking the same word at the same time, perfectly, and saying what the other person is going to say after they've thought it as well. Two way street here. If none of you have experienced this before, I hope you do one day, because it's somewhat weird but rather cool when two people can do this after being around each other for a short period of time. Josh and I are experts at doing this because we do this mind reading business despite the fact we are states away.

Image from IWC website.
Located in Little Wolf.

After the dump adventure, yes I considered it an adventure, we all went back to work and I gave another program. I believe it went rather well, of course there was the one napper, and afterwards the rest of the day was spent doing the usual stuff - talking to guests, constantly keeping an eye on things to restock (brochures, papers, cards, etc), restarting Wolf Quest, and cleaning up the kids corner. It very rare that I sit down, but when I do there's always a staff member that notices. Literally, every time. Right after sitting. Hope they don't think I sit down all the time because I truly try to stay as busy as possible. Something somewhere needs restocked, looked into, or fixed and I try to do my best to find it. I hope to start tackling one of three projects I signed up for here soon: organizing/cleaning the library, organizing/cleaning the storage room under the auditorium, or designing a fun area for kids in the kids corner associated with aurora lights. I had the chance to talk to Heidi, the reason behind the Aurora Lights Exhibit at the center this year, and we discussed coloring pages from her works. She was able to bring them in recently so I am super excited that she was able to do this! I'm sure she is thrilled too based on her smile and quick acting to bring the pages in. Now we just need to find a place to set up the aurora area in the 'Little Wolf' (kids corner).

Later on, after work, I went with a volunteer to pick up dinner for a staff member and ourselves. We picked it up from the Grand Ely Lodge and it was delicious. I had salmon, volunteer had walleye, and staff member had spaghetti. We watched the "What's for Dinner?" program that occurs every Saturday at 7pm. The staff member and volunteer orchestrated the feeding of course. We gave the wolves five beavers but they did not eat at first. They ran around a bit but later started to bite at the food. Luna showed some food possession later in the feeding. Aiden tried caching, or digging and hiding, his food in random places. Denali was the first to interact with the food, he dragged a piece and walked away, before returning later. Boltz tried to take Luna's food and later did when she left. This particular program is always my personal favorite due to the interactions between the wolves with food. The center has noon enrichment programs, where they play sounds or do something to enrich the wolves via food, and they are truly interesting but 'Whats for Dinner' is always one I will highly recommend attending.

Finally arriving to the events of the day. First of all, I was off so nothing about programs truly. I went into the center for a little while, to ask a question and exchange a $10 for ten $1s for laundry, but left shortly after to do said laundry. While waiting for laundry I also went geocaching. I only found two today. The other two were missing, or I did not search hard enough, and one had too many people around so I let it go for now. Picked up two trackable items; a travel bug and a geocoin. I intend on holding on to these until I move back to Ohio this August. When I do, I will disperse them around the Dayton area so they have a chance to get picked up by the many Dayton cachers and so the items can travel to a new stay. The travel bug spent a lot of time in Austria before it came to Minnesota. Now it will get the chance to see a new state in August! It's goal it to go to Japan so I hope that someone from Dayton will take it from there (or just to multiple states first). If you are ever interested in geocaching please visit: geocaching.com
I would love to join up with others and cache with them when I am home. If you have a GPS that would be 100x better than my phone app! Just facebook me and let me know :)!

The remainder of the day will be spent possibly caching, grocery shopping, maybe reading a book, and later on tonight there's talk of the retail staff, interns, and an education/wolf care staff member going to a nearby bar to spend some quality time together. I absolutely love the fact we all hang out all the time! The staff here and interns have truly been some of the BEST!!!

I am off again tomorrow and so far I do not have any plans. My days are left unwritten for the possibility of something exciting. Sorry this blog post took so long and expect the next one to take a while as well. I'm sure ya'll understand and hope you enjoyed reading this!

Root Beer, Wolves, Awesome Staff, and Programs. Could life get any better?

The days, and weeks, have literally been flying by! I am honestly surprised the second week of June is almost over because I feel like I just got here! 

Nothing has changed yet in regards to the programs we have been giving to the public. However, starting tomorrow and onward, the schedule and hours will change. We will begin giving other programs that include: Northwoods Ecology, Moose of Minnesota, Wolves of the World, Behind the Scenes, What's for Dinner?, and Wild Discovery Kids Program. Most of them are presentations but the last program is currently set up so children can make wolf casts. Of course, in order to learn how to do that, we made our own wolf paw print casts during our staff meeting on Monday. 

Malik (Taken from IWC website)

The staff did not have molds of the current Ambassador Wolves - Denali, Aiden, Boltz, and Luna - but they did have plenty of other molds. I chose Malik, an artic subspecies of Gray Wolf that passed away back on March 22nd. Only a few days before my birthday. I almost chose Grizzer but something told me Malik was a good choice. My paw is the one of the bottom left of this image. Other wolves chosen were Shadow (Malik's brother) and Maya. I painted Malik's paw cast red this morning so I can insert an image of the cast when I am finished. I might paint it a little bit more but am still contemplating on what exactly I want to do.

Since we will be giving new programs these upcoming weeks, on top of what we have already learned, we have been going over a few of the programs with staff the last few nights. So far we have covered Wolves of the World and Northwoods Ecology. Tonight we will be covering Moose of Minnesota, or Moose 101. Each of the interns have the powerpoint files on their computers as well so, of course, I intend on looking the presentations over as much as possible before giving the program. Tomorrow I will be giving the Mystery in the Sky program, Meet the Pack program, Moose of Minnesota program, and will work with another intern for a Kids Discovery Program. The first two are cake now that I have given them a few times but other two are definitely brand new. 

Needless to say, I have a lot to look forward too these next couple weeks between new programs, the Ethology class next week, and meeting a lot of new people. Sometimes I get home sick (not as bad as last summer) but it honestly warms my heart to run into an Ohio person or even group. Last week we had a large group from Centerville schools! Otherwise everyone has been from Cleveland. It's nice to chat with people but it hits home when you can discuss Hocking Hills and other places in Ohio with someone. You would be excited too if you were states away from home!

In other news, that's not work related, I have been casually enjoying my times after hours with the other interns and a few staff members. Sometimes the USGS staff will hang out with us as well. Last Tuesday, we went over to the "Front Porch" and listened to live music. The fellow playing the guitar was truly great. While listening I was able to indulge in my new addiction - Dorothy Molter's Root Beer. For those of you who have not heard of her before, she is the root beer lady! At some point I want to visit her museum right down the road. If you ever get the chance, TRY HER ROOT BEER. Friends and family, I might bring some home to share... unless the case doesn't make it home.

Website: http://rootbeerlady.com/dorothys-story/

The last few nights, after work and the music event, the interns and a staff member have gathered to watch Games of Thrones or movies. We have done so the last three nights which is pretty spectacular. A few of us pitched in for pizza the first night. An intern made delicious soup, noodles, and rolls last night and two of us brought drinks (including the Rootbeer, couldn't resist). I honestly had never seen Game of Thrones before and really wanted to see it. When someone offered, I could not say no! Last night we watched The Fifth Element, a rather interesting movie that's actually pretty good. Chris Tucker was my favorite in the movie. I recommend watching it; despite the movie being 17 years old.

For those of you who are still reading, I saved the best stuff for last. Since we will be giving a Behind the Scenes program we have to introduce ourselves to the wolves so they get a feel for who we are. Due to legal issues and insurance, the educators are not allowed to enter the wolf enclosures but are still capable of meeting the wolves behind a fence. We can hold our palm up for them to smell our hand, since that's the best way for them to greet us, but it must be at a distance behind the fence and we cannot stick our fingers in. These wolves are not vicious but they are also not domesticated either. They are socialized so they are not scared of people and therefore will walk by the windows, although Boltz still keeps a bit of distance, but they are still wild animals with instinct. The staff monitors these greetings as well to guarantee the safety of the educators and wolves. The wolves are also vaccinated for rabies, distemper, parvo, and other parasites/diseases in case anyone was wondering. 

Anyway, I would say my meet and greet with the wolves went very well. I do not have pictures during the session but have taken pictures of the wolves prior to this event; so I can share those at least. 

Aiden and Denali

The moment I walked up to the enclosure, Luna decided she was going to become possessive over me and guard me from the other three wolves. As soon as I sat down outside the gate, she put her paw right on my knee and licked my hand. The other three still got the chance to meet me. Yesterday we all went out as a group but the individual experience was much better. Denali walked over and stood next to the fence, occasionally rubbing up against it, for a good five minutes or better. Boltz walked over and sniffed but for the most part he kept his distance; this is truly his nature when it comes to people. Aiden did not come over at first but when I gently called his name twice, he finally walked over and stuck his nose through the fence while looking at him. I regret not offering my hand to up him to smell but I let him act on his own terms. My hand was still offered and he could have walked over to smell it but instead he stared at me with his nose in the fence. I periodically glanced at him but mostly adverted my eyes because eye-to-eye contact is usually a challenge in the wolf language. 

Luna

I also was able to meet Shadow and Grizzer for the first time. Once again, behind the fence and under supervision. Shadow walked right up and smelled/licked my hand and also smelled my knee where Luna placed her paw. Grizzer is a little nervous around new people at first so he took a seat under a tree and watched me from the distance until our curator coaxed him out. He proceeded to walk over and rub up against the fence; smelling my hand just as the others had. I was told I have a bit of an advantage because I look like the curator; and I honestly agree that there are some similarities. Hopefully they still recognize me when I am dressed up for work rather than when I am wearing my "day off / lounge" attire (sweat pants and hoodie). 

Other than that, I cannot think of anything else new to add so I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the video down below. I was finally able to record the "daily morning routine" of the wolves howling. Hope you enjoy.

Programs, Programs

I have not updated this recently because nothing too serious has been going on. The other interns and I  have been rotating back and forth between two different programs: Meet the Pack and Mystery in the Sky. There have been a few occasions where groups have come in to stay overnight, which requires a different program or two, but I personally have not dealt with such an occasion yet. So, as said, I have bounced back and forth between the two programs mentioned above. Until June 13th, which is when more programs will be added to our schedule, we have given the Meet the Pack program at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm while Mystery in the Sky is given at 2pm; all of which are daily (Mon-Sun). We each get two days off per week, back to back generally, but rather than exploring I have spent my days indoors.

A lot of people probably wonder, does such a thing exist for wildlife people? Truly it does. I just wanted to relax and enjoy my time in the dorm with my laptop or a good book. Lately I have dived into Sigurd Olson's "The Singing Wilderness" and truly enjoy it. I recommend those who enjoy "nature-style" readings to pick up his works. I thoroughly enjoy his writing because you actually feel as though you are right there with him; experiencing everything he sees, the sights, the smells, weather, everything. Thank you again, Lynn Holtzmen, for recommending Sigurd. I have heard his name thrown around dozens of times since I have been in Ely. It's neat to actually see where Sigurd has been in comparison to Ely. One day I hope to go to "Listening Point", his actual shack. My goal is to read all four of the books sitting on my desk before I actually do. That way the experience will be cherished more when I visit.



Anyway, getting back to the programs, I recall promising everyone that I was write out biographies about the wolves or at least tell you about them. Due to being an education intern, I will not have the chance to actually physically handle the wolves or be in the same enclosure as them. However, we will eventually be meeting them during a "Behind the Scenes" event coming up on June 11th. Honestly, I am not mad at all about the fact we are not working with them directly because the ability to see the wolves daily and observe their behaviors from a sort of distance is truly rewarding as is. I also enjoy giving programs about them as well and seeing the expressions on people's faces when the wolves come out and show themselves. Don't get me wrong, if the opportunity ever came about where I was able to physically work with wolves in general - I would be all over that job in a heartbeat.

Meet the Pack

First things first, please forgive me for the poor quality of these photos. A smart phone isn't necessarily that smart when it comes to photography. One of these days I will whip out my digital camera and hopefully snap a few good shots of the wolves. When that day comes I will try to include some, or all, of the photos in this blog at some point.

Exhibit Pack

There are currently four wolves in the Ambassador Pack - Aiden, Denali, Boltz, and Luna. These four wolves can be seen by the public eye through a good sum of windows within the center. The pack's enclosure contains two dens, a pond, rocks, and a variety of trees. The public can easily see the wolves from two sides of the enclosure but cannot see them behind a tree line or in one of the two dens. Sometimes the wolves blend in so much, when lying down, that they do not stick out like a sore thumb and are sometimes overlooked in general due to their camouflage. All wolves at the center were obtained from a licensed USDA facility, due to the IWC being a non-breeding, educational facility, and have been spayed and neutered since then. Each wolf was socialized by humans on a 24-hour basis to get them used to people. 

Although the wolves are socialized, they are not domesticated. They have simply been socialized so that people can look at them without them running away in fear, like most wolves would. Wolf care staff is capable of entering/exiting the enclosure without knocking out the wolves with drugs due to the amount of time they spent socializing the wolves. Pups are included in the enclosure when they are 3 months old. The adult proceed to take care of the pups, and show them how to survive in the pack, from that point forward.

Aiden and Denali

Aiden (left) and Denali (below) are true litter mates, both born in 2008, and are actually directly linked to the wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Back when the Yellowstone wolves were first introduced, the population was given an "experimental, non-essential" status. This meant that a pack began depredating on livestock, the US Fish and Wildlife Service had the authority to kill that pack. Pups were excluded from this authority due to the fact pups usually did not participate in hunts, directly. Of course the pups were subject to death anyway due to losing everyone that would take care of them so, they were taken to a licensed facility to be raised. Aiden and Denali's father was one of the pups who was taken in and later sired in captivity; creating Aiden and Denali. This means they are one generation removed from the wild wolves in Yellowstone. 

 Aiden and Denali  are both considered "Northwestern" subspecies of Gray Wolf. There are only two species of wolves in the world; Gray Wolf and Red Wolf. Everything else you have heard (Artic, Timber, Great Plains, Mexican) are all considered "subspecies" of Gray Wolf. Subspecies are usually categorized based on their physical adaptions and geographical location. Due to the fact Aiden and Denali are "Northwestern" subspecies, they are typically a bit larger than wolves found in Minnesota. All wolves were weighed in May and will be weighed again this upcoming Friday, June 13th. Aiden weighed 126lbs and Denali weighed 135lbs. The largest wolf ever recorded, I believe in the wild, was 175lbs. Aiden is considered the "Dominant Male" and Denali is considered the "2nd ranking Male".

Boltz and Luna

Boltz (right) and Luna (below) were born in 2012 and are actually not true litter mates. Usually two pups are placed together so they both have someone to rely on in the future. Wolves have a social hierarchy that consists of two dominants wolves (male and female respectively) and the rest of the wolves being subordinates. In a wild pack, the two dominant wolves are the breeding pair while the rest of the wolves pups or dispersal wolves, whom left their own pack to find a mate or new pack, and were allowed into the pack. In captivity, strangers are usually placed together and it is important to have alliances. They alliances you may are what help you become a good pack mate; dominant male/female or not. If you are not accepted into the pack then you are usually forced to disperse or the wolf will disperse on their own. Alliances help make acceptance easier.

It just now dawned on me that I do not have any good pictures of Luna. Out of all four of the pictures shown so far, this is one is by far the worst. Next time she passes by, at a suitable range, I will snap a picture of her because this one is terrible. Anyway, Boltz and Luna are considered "Great Plains" subspecies; a subspecies that is found right in Minnesota. This subspecies used to have the largest range throughout North America but back in the 1930's, humans eradicated the species and it was believed to be extinct until wolves were found in northern Minnesota. Since then, the wolves in northern Minnesota have spread to northern
Wisconsin and upper peninsula (U.P.) Michigan. There are roughly 3,600 individuals living in these states. The "Great Plains" subspecies of wolves are typically smaller than the "Northwestern" species. Luna weighed in at 80lbs while Boltz weighed in at 115lbs. Males rarely get above 95lbs in the wild and females usually hang around 60lbs. Boltz is considered the "3rd ranking male", or lowest since there's only 3 males, and Luna is the "Dominant Female" by default. Due to being the only female, Luna enjoys stirring the pot, or causing trouble, and lives to dominate the other males - who usually just ignore her.

Retirement Pack

Once the wolves reach old age in the wild, if they even make it that far, they will usually disperse away from their pack and live their finals days to years alone. Due to being in captivity, the wolves are surrounded by a fence and therefore do not have this option which means wolf care staff is responsible for "dispersing" wolves by retiring them into a different enclosure. In some cases, wolves were retired due to physical decline. Young wolves, between the age of 2 and 3 years, begin to reach their teenager phase where they have raging hormones and start to become testy. Sometimes the older wolves cannot keep up with these younger wolves and for the safety of both, young and old, the older wolves are retired. Wolves who are dominant usually deal with more stress than those who are not because they are responsible for keeping the pack in order; like any true leader. Needless to say, a number of factors can play when it comes to whether or not a wolf is retired. The wolf care staff has enough experience to determine the best time for retirement.

Not my Photo, Taken from IWC website.

The two wolves currently in retirement are Shadow (right) and Grizzer (bottom). Shadow's brother, Malik, recently passed away this past March. Due to this, there was a period where Shadow was eating less and howling more due to possible grievance. Losing a pack mater tends to drastically affect the wolf's behavior. The good news is, Shadow has been eating more and howling less lately so things are starting to return to normal. Shadow is a 14 year old wolf, born in 2000, and was considered the "Dominant Male" during his adult years while in the Exhibit pack - before retirement. Shadow is an "Artic" subspecies that is usually found in the Tundra - Canada/Alaska.

Not my Photo, Taken from IWC website.

Grizzer (left) is a 10 year old wolf that was born in 2004. He maintained his status as "2nd ranking male" until his retirement in 2011. Just like Luna and Boltz, Grizzer is a "Great Plains" subspecies. Grizzer was retired due to the loss of his littermate, Maya, and it appeared Grizzer was losing confidence in his status. Without the dominance of his litter mate, he could not compete with the younger pack mates. There was a possible plan to reintroduce Grizzer and Shadow as one retirement pack but Grizzer showed food possession towards Shadow and therefore the two remain separated. When wolves have aged, the less competition they have for food and the ability to relax is very beneficial to their health. The longest a wolf has lived in captivity, at IWC, is 15.5 years. In the wild, the average lifespan for wolves is 2.2 years. If a wild wolf survives that average, they usually do not last longer than 6 to 8 years in the wild. The reason our wolves survive longer is due to vet care and monitoring, no competition with wolves from other territories, decreased risk of human intolerance or interference (such as poaching, habitat destruction, etc), and they do not have to deal with the possibility of starvation. All the wolves at the center are currently healthy and well.

Although the retirement pack cannot be seen by the public, there is still the chance of seeing Shadow online at the International Wolf Center's website: http://www.wolf.org

There are live stream webcams set up to watch the Exhibit Pack and Shadow. There is currently not a camera set up for Grizzer but hopefully one will be installed down the road.



Although you guys cannot meet these wolves "in person", I hope watching the webcams and reading about them will be sufficient. Of course, if you ever have the opportunity, come up to Ely, Minnesota to visit the wolves and staff! They are more active in the winter so that is the best time to see them during the day (if you can handle the cold and snow). On the website is Wolf Logs where staff periodically updates the public on how the wolves are doing. They are worth checking out as well to get a feel for the wolves and their behaviors.



Other news I wanted to share, I will be taking a 2 credit course hosted by our curator (and my hirer) Lori Schmidt. I'm super excited! The course is Biology 1476: Wolf Ethology and occurs June 14-19. The course covers the basic principles of wolf behavior including: behavioral development, stimuli and communication, motivation, learned versus instinctual behavior, social organization, and the adaptability and evolution of behavior. Emphasis will be placed on video observations of wild wolf behavior, research of existing ethograms, and hands-on activities including time spent observing and recording behavioral data of the Center's ambassador wolves.

How cool is that? I am able to transfer the credits as well. Surely Rio Grande University will accept them. If not, oh well, who can say no to knowledge? We may use radiotelemetry on wild wolves as well and there's a howling trip planned. Super, super excited!

Last Day of Training Week

Today was the last day of training week which means tomorrow we will begin to conduct educational programs on our own. A good example of what the future can best be explained by what occurred yesterday.

All five of us interns were on yesterday and were assigned a program each. One intern had to present twice but he has had previous wolf and educational experience so he made it look like cake. There were three programs total and two interns per program. I presented the first half of the "Meet the Pack" program and after much thought, I would grade my presentation skills a 4 out of 10. Had I given the later portion of this program, I probably would have gave myself a better score but the first half just so happened to be the part I did not know. Thankfully, due to giving the first half, I now have an idea of how to better present it later. That was the whole idea of this trial, in my opinion, to test ourselves and see how well we presented.

During the time we were not giving programs, we were supposed to rove or start a movie in our theater. Every hour, or half hour, is a new movie so someone always has to start the next one. A few examples of the movies that are presented include: 'Radioactive Wolves' and 'American Coyote: Still Wild at Heart'. Starting a movie only takes a minute in all honesty, so once we had started one we would then proceed to "rove", or in other words "wander throughout the building". Although this action seems like it's aimless, the purpose of roving is to be present and available for anyone if they ever have any questions, comments, or concerns. Sometimes we are capable of stepping forward and clearing up any questions the public may have before they even ask. A question commonly asked is "Where are the wolves?" and its a good one indeed.

Lesson of the Day
Wolves are typically active in the winter due to a thick, double layered coat that allows them to tolerate extremely cold temperatures (such as -30F). The two layers of this coat are refereed to as the guard hairs and undercoat. The purpose of the guard hair is to repel dirt and water while the undercoat works as an insulation to keep the wolf warm in colder weather. For an example, think of insulation and roofing of a house. The roof keeps the house protected from outdoor elements while the insulation traps in heat during winter.

During the summer, when temperatures climb up to a range between 60ºF and 90ºF, in Ely, the wolves are still trying to shed out the thick hair in the undercoat and therefore the warmer temperatures make them hot. Imagine wearing a heavy winter coat in the middle of the summer heart, you would probably become very hot rather quickly and eventually tired due to having to walk around with this coat on all day. The wolves feel the same way. Due to becoming hot and tired, they usually sleep during the daytime hours unless something stimulates them instead. Things that could stimulate the wolves include: hunger, thirst, excretion, sounds, smells, and you could probably easily think of more. So, instead of being active all day, the wolves adopt a "crepuscular" nature. This means they usually come out during the twilight hours (dawn and dusk). Of course, if the weather is cooler out, the wolves may come out during the day and at night as well. All depends on the personality of the wolf, how they are feeling, environmental factors, and so on. Which is why you could see Denali, one of the three male wolves in the Ambassador pack, came out during the day.

Denali

 Which is why colder days are my favorite days. Partially because we do not have an AC in our apartment but also because the wolves are more active as well.

 

Other things we did yesterday, besides programs and roving, was discuss customer service and help in opening/closing the building. I also read more information on Wolf Mythology in the Human Wolf Exhibit we have. I keep forgetting to take pictures of this exhibit so instead I am recycling one I found online.

There is more to this exhibit then what is included in this picture. You see a few taxidermy wolves but what you do not see is the vast amount of knowledge and information this exhibit has to offer. There's a section on how wolves Communicate, a section of mythology that dates back to the legend of Fenrir, Skoll, and Hati (my favorite wolf myth) and includes werewolves, information on Indians and Wolf relationship, and so much more. Honestly I do not wish to include everything you will find in this exhibit because you truly need to find the money to come up and see it for what it's worth. Whether you travel up here this summer or years in the future; trust me you will not regret doing so. Especially if you are highly interested in wolves. I have have slowly been working my way around this room, when I have time, but there is so MUCH more to read. I cannot express that enough.

Now, despite what we did yesterday and what we will do tomorrow, today was a bit different. CPR/First Aid Certification is required for this position and if you do not possess these skills, the center pays your way to gaining this experience. We performed CPR on dummy adults and infants but also covered the procedure for toddlers as well. Hopefully I will never have to use these skills but if an issue comes about, I am officially certified to help by the American Heart Association. 

For anyone that has not taken a course in CPR/First Aid, we covered a variety of topics in the First Aid section of the certification. Such topics included: Stroke, Heart Attack, Heat Exhaustion, Allergic Reactions, Insect Bites, Venomous Snake Bites (Poisonous is WRONG terminology), Ticks, Animal Bites, Hypothermia, Shock, Choking, Broken Limbs, Diabetes, Amputation, and much much more. 

We learned how to put on splints, proper way to put on and take off gloves, and even how to utilize an Epinephrine autoinjector. Otherwise known as the "Eppy Pen". I even know how to utilize an Automatic External Defibrillator (A.E.D) is necessary. You know, that thing medics use that shock you. 

No one purposely break a limb, I may not have a choice on duty but I can choose to save you or not in public. Chances are I will try to out of good nature but I also do not want to get sued if something DID go wrong! 

That's about it for today and yesterday. Not many pictures to share this moment in time but of course this is only the beginning of summer. Stay safe people and hope I have more to offer next post!

Training Week

Wow!

There is honestly no way to truly express everything that has happened this last week. Even that one simple word can't quite cut it so I will try my best to explain.

Over the course of the week the interns and I have settled into our new apartment and truly excited about the summer that lies ahead. Our first two days we sat in a classroom listening to power points from Dick Thiel, Dave Mech, and other staff. Each presentation was based on their 40+ years of research experience. Combine their experience and it's well over 100 years. Although I did not realize this at first, being taught by them is kind of a huge deal! They are well known in the wolf community and both have written a lot of books, articles, etc about more than just wolves. A few examples of books include Dick Thiel's "Wolves we have Known" and Dave Mech's "The Wolf" (old version and updated version - or, jokingly, the old testament and new testament). You can check out more of Dave Mech's works and his background via his website: http://www.davemech.org/index.html
I'm not sure of what else to say besides it being an honor to listen to these two present their wolf information to us. I purchased "The Wolf" (new testament lol) and managed to get Dave's signature with a message written in the cover as well. One day I will purchase the other book, Wolves we have Known, in order to grab Dick's signature as well. It was a pleasure speaking with both of them! Dick even recommended other books about Ohio's history that I could check out; such as 'Frontiersmen'. There was another book he recommended that started with an 'S' but I cannot find my red notebook that had the title written down in it!

We covered a variety of subjects that included: Northwoods Ecology, Natural History (Wild Wolves, Populations of North America - Wolves of the World), Ambassador Wolf History, Ethogram (Wolf Behavior), Does and Don'ts of engaging Visitors, Human Values, Conservation and Controversy, Federal Recovery, Controversies about Wolves (Isle Royale, Harvestable Surplus, Wolf Effects on Prey and Teaching Controversial Issues, Trophic Cascades - Another View), Handling Difficult Types, and IWC's Most Important Educational Messages.

We also observed a few programs offered by the center: Meet the Pack, What's for Dinner?, Mystery in the Sky, and a program on Radiotelemetry taught to a school group. Staff discussed membership with us, we observed opening/closing, and we got to pick an educational movie to watch. We chose Nature: In the Valley of the Wolves and you can even watch it at home if you want, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/in-the-valley-of-the-wolves/video-full-episode/4678/

If you do watch the video, I recommend reading this article once you have finished watching it (not before!) http://www.backpacker.com/yellowstone_druid_pack/blogs/1760

Yesterday was the first day we truly got to go out and adventure around Ely. Another intern, a staff member, and myself went to a bar the night prior to hang out with four USGS staff members, whom are conducting wolf research, across the street from us. One of the interns worked with two of them before so it was honestly really fun to get to listen to all of their stories and look at all the wolf pictures they had from previous jobs. It's actually kind of nice to see what it's like to be a "wildlife professional" and to talk to people who have had prior years of experience in the field. You kind of get a good idea where you stand in the mix and what it takes to climb to where these people are. Years of experience definitely shapes a person.

Anyway, yesterday we visited the North American Bear Association (http://www.bear.org/website/) and got to see two of their bears, Ted and Holly. Ted is a large black bear male but I don't remember how old he is. Holly is a yearling that was introduced into the exhibit only two days prior to yesterday and we only saw glimpses of her running around since she's still trying to get used to her enclosure.

Ted

We also learned how to drive the bus that we will use for different night programs. Some of these programs include howling trips, which is very exciting. In order to do this we had to take a defensive driving course. I passed with a high score based on Minnesota's standards. Very easy course. Don't drive like a fool and you'll be fine.

After the bear center we decided to check out Kawishiwi Falls on the outskirts of Ely. We walked about a mile to get back to the falls and took a variety of pictures/videos. Afterwards we walked down to Fall Lake and picked a nice log to sit down on for lunch. We all ate and the staff member discussed outdoor safety with us; what equipment we should normally carry, a few examples of what to do if certain situations occur, and so on. There's also a powerpoint with 65 slides of information given to us later. Hopefully the children will never hurt themselves!

Please excuse the poor quality.

When we walked back to the parking lot we loaded into the bus and I volunteered to drive back. It was rather easy to drive the bus back and park it via backing up. Not trying to sound over-confident. We then went back inside and looked at various powerpoints, later collected twigs from the different conifers for a presentation, and viewed presentations again. We also viewed closing again as well and later I went out with two staff members and an intern to get Italian food at Sir G's Italian Restaurant. Spaghetti was great!!


Aside from this, today is our day off and the most we have down is cruise around town. I bought a book recommended by Lynn Holtzmen: Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I'm excited to start reading this book, The Wolf, and four Sigurd Olson books sitting on my desk. At some point we talked about visiting Listening Point but I truly hope I read at least one of Sigurd Olson's books beforehand. Anyone that is in Wildlife should be aware of Sigurd because he played an important role much like Aldo Leopold and John Muir. Thank you Lynn for introducing me to his name/books before I arrived here!! For more information on Sigurd, feel free to check out the Listening Point Foundation's website: http://listeningpointfoundation.org/sig-olson/

As I begin to learn more about the four wolves in our Ambassador pack at the center, aside from what I have so far, and once I accumulate better photographs and behaviors I will write up a Biography post for everyone. I think I have mentioned mostly everything so far so bye for now!