Speak for Wolves
Save the Dates: Speak for Wolves 2023!
Earlier this month the Snow Moon rose quietly in the clear night sky and cast its lunar light across the land. Gazing at the hazy halo of light surrounding it, I couldn’t help but think of the symbiotic relationship between a new moon and wolves. Since wolves (and other species like the Barn Owl and the Luna Moth) are nocturnal, the pale lunar light helps them see across the landscape to find food and each other. In some Indigenous narratives the wolf howls the moon into existence. It’s reciprocity at a celestial level.
As we kick off another year of connecting, learning, and advocacy, we’re looking forward to celebrating a milestone in our grassroots work – ten years of speaking for wolves!
10th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference: Save the Dates
You spoke, and we listened! Survey responses indicated a clear preference for an online conference again this year, in order to keep the conference inclusive and accessible to speakers and attendees.
We are thrilled to announce our 10th annual conference will be August 5th & 6th, 2023!
Stay tuned, this virtual gathering will be one for the books.
Speak Out for Colorado’s Wolves by February 22nd
Colorado Parks & Wildlife just issued a draft of their Colorado Wolf Restoration and Management Plan which sets the stage for introduced wolves to set paws on the ground by the end of 2023.
Regardless of where you live, Colorado Parks & Wildlife wants to hear from you (yes, you!). Take a moment to share your thoughts on the first draft of their plan by submitting a comment by February 22nd.
If you live in Denver, join fellow wolf advocates for an in-person public comment meeting on Wednesday, February 22nd. Click here for details.
Looking for some inspiration on what to say? Check out these talking points from our friends at Rocky Mountain Wolf Project:
- The plan must explicitly close the door on any future wolf hunting by underscoring the fact that Colorado’s highest legislative body, the electors of Colorado, classified wolves as the “nongame wildlife of the species Canis lupus.” Such classification meant that voters clearly intended to prevent sport hunting of wolves in perpetuity. Surveys show that most Coloradans not only support wolf restoration, but they oppose trophy hunting and trapping of wolves.
- The plan fails to fully address the legal requirement to “assist owners of livestock in preventing and resolving conflicts between gray wolves and livestock.” The plan must clearly outline non-lethal deterrents and animal husbandry practices that the agency will use and encourage ranchers to use as the first line of defense to minimize conflicts between wolves and livestock.
- The plan should clearly tie receipt of compensation, after an initial incident, to implementing conflict reduction tools and strategies to prevent further depredation.
- Wolves are an essential aspect of our western heritage, and beyond their intrinsic value, are worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the people of Colorado.
Weigh in on Idaho’s Wolf Plan & Hunting Season
There are two public comment opportunities currently open in Idaho:
By February 22nd, comment on the Big Game Season Setting which is proposed to allow year-round wolf hunting in some units, allow additional hunting methods, and extend the season for wolf trapping in many units.
By March 6th, comment on the draft 6-year Gray Wolf Management Plan, which aims to decrease the population of wolves in the state by 60%.
Another Oregon Wolf Killed Illegally, Reward Offered
Last December a collared gray wolf, OR-103, was reported dead near Upper Klamath Lake in Oregon. He was the 5th known poached wolf in 2022.
Speak for Wolves, along with the Oregon Wildlife Coalition and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are collectively offering a $15,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest of the person or people involved in the killing.
Oregon residents: contact your ODFW Commissioners and ask them:
What are they going to do to stop the poaching and protect wolves?
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294
With Gratitude
As we end another year that has seen both victories and continued persecution of wolves, we remember the wolves whose lives were tragically taken this year, while we also reflect with gratitude on this passionate, engaged community of wildlife conservation activists who speak up for voiceless animals.
We thank you: for engaging with your local wildlife agencies, for writing public comments, for voicing your outrage against injustices done to native peoples and wildlife, for keeping hope alive that we can effect wildlife recovery and restore habitats in the face of climate change and political division.
We hope you will join us next year for the 10th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference, dates & location to be announced soon! Meanwhile, if you missed our August conference, check out the recordings here.
Please consider making a year-end, tax-deductible donation to Speak for Wolves today:
Meet New Board Member Gaby Diaz
We’re thrilled to welcome Gaby Diaz to the Speak for Wolves Board of Directors!
Gaby is back home in Colorado after spending almost a decade in the Pacific Northwest where she was involved in nonprofits advocating for gray wolf recovery, old growth forest protections, and using film and art as tools for inspiration and change.
She’s thrilled to join the Board and work with a growing community of people who are helping keystone species return to their ancestral lands.
When not in the office at The Wilderness Society, you can find Gaby spending time with her family or on a trail somewhere in the mountains.
YouTube Recordings Available
The final 3 recordings from our 2022 conference are up on our YouTube channel:
- Wolves: A Tribal Perspective – Julian Matthews, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment
- Art and Wolf Advocacy -Dillon Hanson-Ahumada, Endangered Species Coalition
- Fido for President: Dogs and Politics – Christopher Sebastian, Author, Researcher, Lecturer
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Help us choose our 2023 conference location!
Where Would You Attend the Speak for Wolves 10th Anniversary Conference in 2023?
Last month’s online conference was a great success, with an incredible slate of speakers and great attendance! We’re already starting planning for next year, our 10th annual Conference.
Help us decide where to hold the 2023 Conference by taking this very short, 1-minute survey here.
YouTube Recordings Available
- Counting Cougars in a Temperate Rainforest: The Olympic Cougar Project – Cameron Macias, University of Idaho
- An ecologically healthy approach to human-wolf interactions – Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project
- Michigan’s Secret Wolf Killings – John Barnes, Independent Investigative Journalist
- Panel: State Court Litigation Saved Wisconsin Wolves – Jessica Blome, Greenfire Law; Claire Loebs Davis, Animal & Wolf Advocates; Melissa Smith, Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf and Wildlife
- Respecting Otherness: From Wolves to All Animals – Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, PAN Works, Project Coyote, The Rewilding Institute
Subscribe to our channel to be alerted when more videos are posted!
New in Our Store: Endangered Species Coloring Books
Created by Dr. Alexandra Delis-Abrams, PhD and Kim Howard, this unique coloring book is a fun way to gain awareness of the growing epidemic surrounding the world’s endangered animals.
Twenty-six endangered animals narrate their own stories, providing space to draw, color, write, and expand your “feelings vocabulary”. It’s a remarkable tool for developing emotional growth skills through awareness of imperiled species on our fragile planet.
Pick one up in our store for $12
2022 Conference T-shirts
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink.
Oregon Celebrates New Wolf Packs While Issuing Kill Orders for Wolves
Oregon announced two new wolf packs this summer: the Upper Deschutes wolves were spotted with the adorable trail camera photo below in July, and a couple of weeks ago, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs biologists announced the Warm Springs wolves just south of the White River pack’s range on the Warm Springs reservation, southeast of Mt. Hood.
Fortunately, both of these new packs live in the part of Oregon where wolves still fall under federal ESA protections.
Meanwhile, in the northeast corner of the state where wolves have fewer protections, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife again issued kill orders for wolves who ate two calves that humans wanted to eat. ODFW will allow the private landowner to kill 2 wolves from the Horseshoe pack and the agency may kill up to 2 more wolves themselves, despite the fact that scientific research has shown that these revenge killings of wolves do not reduce, and may even increase, wolf predation on invasive livestock species.
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Don’t miss Speak for Wolves this weekend!
There are just two days left until we kick off a thought-provoking, info-packed program at this year’s Conference!
There’s still time to register! See the full schedule here and join us Saturday & Sunday!
Online meeting access information will only be sent to registrants.
Speaker Announcements
Panel: State Court Litigation Saved Wisconsin Wolves
In February 2021, a Wisconsin state court judge forced the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to hold a public hunt of gray wolves after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service removed the wolf from the federal endangered species list. Hunters eliminated 20% of the wolf population in Wisconsin, by some estimates, in just three days, in violation of indigenous treaty rights.
This panel features the lead attorneys and plaintiff organization who stopped the state from holding a second wolf hunt in November 2021.
Jessica Blome is a partner with the public interest environmental law firm Greenfire Law, PC.
Jessica practices animal, environmental, open government, and land use law.
Melissa Smith founded Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf shortly after wolves were delisted from the Endangered Species Act for the first time in Wisconsin. She learned more about the processes for wildlife decisions, environmental sociology and ecology of Wisconsin. She vowed to make it both her professional and personal mission to have a wildlife governance that considered all members of the public.
Claire Loebs Davis is the founder and managing partner of Animal & Earth Advocates, a Seattle-area law firm that works on behalf of animals, wildlife, and the environment.
Claire is also the board president for Washington Wildlife First, a nonprofit dedicated to reforming Washington’s management of its fish and wildlife, to prioritize science over special interests and conservation over consumption.
Update on Montana Wolves
By popular demand after firing us up last year, Stephen Capra, Executive Director of Footloose Montana, is returning to the conference to talk about what’s going on with wolves and the wolf hunt in Montana.
As former Executive Director of New Mexico Wild, he worked to create two National Monuments and three wilderness areas in New Mexico. He started the Mexican wolf coalition and worked to end trapping in New Mexico.
Online Auction Fundraiser
Preview a few of the items in our fundraiser auction, which will open for bidding on August 12th and run through the 15th!
Take Action for Minnesota Wolves
The new Minnesota Department of Natural Resources draft wolf plan contains a wolf trophy hunting and trapping season, even though wolves in the state are (re-)listed as “Threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act. minnesota is already dreaming of killing them before the population has recovered and stabilized. We’ve seen how this bloodthirst played out in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Wisconsin in recent years.
Take action to Stop the Hunt in Minnesota before it can begin by sending a message to Minnesota DNR online here before August 8th.
2022 Conference T-shirts, Tanks, and…
Hot Off the Presses: New Stickers!
NEW STICKER ALERT!
Hand-carved block print custom designed for Speak for Wovles by our friend Opossum Apothecary, printed as a vinyl sticker.
Measures 4×5″, bumper-sticker quality.
Pick one up in our store for $3.
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink
Shop the Speak for Wolves online store
Based on our 2022 conference artwork custom painted by Ojibwe artist CraneSuperior, these limited edition black Bella + Canvas unisex jersey tanks feature a stylized wolf in front of an orange sky, howling at the moon on the front, and the Speak for Wolves logo in orange on the back.
Order yours before they’re gone!
OR 112 Murdered by Poachers in Eastern Oregon
The wolf poaching epidemic in Oregon continues. On August 4th, a 2-year-old female wolf, OR 112, of the Keating Pack in Baker County was illegally shot and killed.
Speak for Wolves joins the Oregon Wildlife Coalition to offer an $11,500 reward, in addition to Oregon’s Turn In Poachers (TIP) reward, for information that leads to an arrest in this case. You can help contribute towards this reward by donating to our Anti-Poaching Fund.
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294
Get excited! One week until Speak for Wolves 2022
Check out the full schedule here and join us Saturday & Sunday!
Online meeting access information will be sent to registrants this week.
Speaker Announcements
Quinn Read is the Oregon Policy Director for the Center for Biological Diversity. She works to protect and restore Oregon’s imperiled species and landscapes. Prior to joining the Center, Quinn worked as the Northwest program director at Defenders of Wildlife. Quinn also serves on Oregon’s Environmental Justice Task Force.
Quinn will present on her work with Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife this year to protect Oregon’s wildlife from suffering in traps.
Erik Molvar, Executive Director of Western Watersheds Project, is a wildlife biologist with peer-reviewed publications on the role of predation risk in the evolution of group behavior in prey species. He has worked for many years to eliminate predator-killing programs and promote large carnivore restoration in the western US, and is a co-author of the Western Watersheds Project ESA petition to protect wolves.
Erik will discuss an ecologically healthy approach to human-wolf interactions.
Christopher Sebastian is a journalist, technical writer, and digital media researcher. He writes about the use of animals in food, politics, media, and pop culture.
Using material from his thesis, “White Meat: The Symbolic Use of Animals in US Political Discourse,” Sebastian talks about how canids are used as props in political campaigning and why it still matters after over a century.
Featured Sponsor
Mountain Rose Herbs, a Eugene, Oregon-based supplier of botanicals, believes that people, plants, and planet are more important than profit.
Online Auction Fundraiser
Preview a few of the items in our fundraiser auction, which will open for bidding on August 12th and run through the 15th!
Take Action for Minnesota Wolves
The new Minnesota Department of Natural Resources draft wolf plan contains a wolf trophy hunting and trapping season, even though wolves in the state are (re-)listed as “Threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act. minnesota is already dreaming of killing them before the population has recovered and stabilized. We’ve seen how this bloodthirst played out in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Wisconsin in recent years.
Take action to Stop the Hunt in Minnesota before it can begin by sending a message to Minnesota DNR online here before August 8th.
2022 Conference T-shirts and NEW tanks!
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink.
Hand screenprinted by local Portland artist Printed Matter.
Buy now in our store
Based on our 2022 conference artwork custom painted by Ojibwe artist CraneSuperior, these limited edition black Bella + Canvas unisex jersey tanks feature a stylized wolf in front of an orange sky, howling at the moon on the front, and the Speak for Wolves logo in orange on the back.
Order yours now!
Printed by local, BIPOC women-run Portland shop Icon Artistry.
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Three more speakers you won’t want to miss!
The Conference is less than 2 weeks away! You don’t want to miss this info-packed program on wolves, advocacy, and conservation.
Join us Saturday and Sunday, August 13-14
There’s no required cost to register. Online meeting access information will be e-mailed to all registrants next week.
Speaker Announcements
Julian Matthews, an enrolled Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) tribal member and coordinator for Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, a Tribal member-run 501(c)3, has been involved in a number of issues impacting the Treaty of 1855 with the Nez Perces. A major focus has been the Snake River Dam breaching and the Wolf issues within the Treaty area, particularly Idaho.
Julian will discuss wolves in the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) Treaty of 1855 area and efforts the Nimiipuu are making to protect them.
Cameron Macias grew up in Port Angeles in western Washington State. She completed her B.S. in Environmental Science at Western Washington University. Prior to attending the University of Idaho, Cameron spent 4 years working as a Wildlife Technician for the Lower Elwha Tribe, of which she’s a member.
Cameron will talk about her work on the The Olympic Cougar Project, estimating cougar and bobcat abundance on the Olympic Peninsula using a combination of noninvasive genetic sampling, GPS collars, and a camera grid.
John Murtaugh joined Defenders of Wildlife in 2019 to help deliver an electoral victory to reintroduce wolves to Colorado by 2023. Past experience with the return of wolves to California instilled in him a powerful lesson on the values of wolf-livestock coexistence, which he now uses in his work with ranchers to promote partnerships necessary for broader wildlife recovery.
John will hold a discussion on the past history, current happenings, and plans for the future for Colorado’s wolves.
NEW! CraneSuperior Tank Tops
Based on our 2022 conference artwork custom painted for Speak for Wolves by Ojibwe artist CraneSuperior, these limited edition black Bella + Canvas unisex jersey tanks feature a stylized wolf in front of an orange sky, howling at the moon on the front, and the Speak for Wolves logo in orange on the back.
Get yours now from our online store!
Printed by local, BIPOC women-run Portland shop Icon Artistry.
2022 Conference T-shirts
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink.
Buy now in our store
Hand screenprinted by local Portland artist Printed Matter.
Featured Sponsor
Based in Boulder, Colorado, West Wolf Medicinals believes in fungi’s ability to heal our bodies and the planet. They craft powerful lifestyle blends that pair potent medicinal mushrooms with complementary herbs to enhance adaptogenic qualities.
Online Auction Fundraiser
We’re holding an auction! Stay tuned for news on some exciting auction items and please reach out if you have an item to donate to the cause! info@speakforwolves.org
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Don’t Miss Out! Register for the 9th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference
We’re counting down the last couple of weeks until we see you again online for a thought-provoking, info-packed program at this year’s Conference!
If you haven’t registered yet, do so now! To keep the conference accessible to as many folks as possible, there’s no required cost to register. (donation suggested).
Online meeting access information will be e-mailed to all registrants in the week leading up to the conference.
Speaker Announcements
Jazmin “Sunny” Murphy is a science communicator and reporter that specializes in the intersection between Black and Indigenous U.S. histories as they overlap with ecology.
Genuine, thorough “decolonization” requires an objective, in-depth evaluation of the systems and culture that led to modern power and representation imbalances. The “decolonization” of conservation will be a monumental task.
Sunny will propose a five-step approach to begin dismantling the systems that marginalize Black and Indigenous conservationists. This presentation will provide a robust foundation on which to build meaningful, effective decolonization programs for conservationists.
John Barnes is an investigative reporter who led projects for the largest and most-read newspaper group in his home state of Michigan, MLive.com. Among other things, John’s efforts have exposed state and federal wolf management failings.
The Freedom of Information Act helped reconstruct how money, a powerful lawmaker, a fabricated cattle attack, and one farm with “poorly buried” carcasses led to the questionable shootings of 11 gray wolves in the past six years.
Featured Sponsor
Mountain Rose Herbs, a Eugene, Oregon-based supplier of botanicals, believes that people, plants, and planet are more important than profit.
2022 Conference T-shirts
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink.
Hand screenprinted by local Portland artist Printed Matter.
Oregon’s newest & cutest wolf family
Despite all of the bad poaching news Oregon had earlier this year, the state now has something to celebrate: earlier this week, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife announced that a new wolf family is establishing territory in the Willamette National Forest, southwest of Bend. If the family sticks around through the end of the year, they will officially be designated the Upper Deschutes Pack. Thanks to the partial reinstatement of the federal Endangered Species Act listing of wolves (excluding those in the Northern Rockies) earlier this year, these wolves are currently protected.
Was Yellowstone’s Deadliest Wolf Hunt in 100 Years an Inside Job?
Read the latest exposé published this week by The Intercept: Rocky Monutain Massacre, exploring the deadly killing season for Yellowstone wolves and the terrible state of wildlife “management” in Montana.
(Image credit: US National Park Service/ Jacob W. Frank )
Sponsor the Conference
Interested in sponsoring the Speak for Wolves 2022 Conference? Support from sponsors helps us keep our grassroots conference accessible to all. Reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org!
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Register Now for the 9th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference
The Conference is less than a month away! Meet two more speakers below and register today to reserve your spot.
Online meeting access information will be sent to all registrants in the week leading up to the conference.
Speaker Announcements
Dillon Hanson-Ahumada leads the Endangered Species Coalition’s organizing efforts in Colorado, focusing on issues including wolves, pollinators, and wildlife corridors.
Dillon has also worked on protecting marine mammals, combatting illegal fishing, conserving sharks, and advancing strategies to fight ocean plastic pollution.
Dillon will speak about current and potential ways to tie in art to advocacy on wolf conservation issues.management.
Lizzy Pennock is the carnivore coexistence advocate at WildEarth Guardians. She works toward protecting native carnivores in the Northern Rockies from livestock conflicts on lands currently managed by the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Lizzy Pennock is the carnivore coexistence advocate at WildEarth Guardians. She works toward protecting native carnivores in the Northern Rockies from livestock conflicts on lands currently managed by the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
Lizzy will focus on the legal authority and responsibility of the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to manage livestock grazing on the lands they currently oversee to protect native carnivores from livestock conflicts.
She will also discuss the co-existence regulations that these agencies could, and should, put in place, from grazing permits to the national level.
Featured Sponsor
Western Wildlife Outreach provides science-based information to community groups about the ecology, biology, and behavior of grizzly bears, black bears, cougars, and gray wolves, and the low level of risk associated with living with them.
2022 Conference T-shirts
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink.
Hand screenprinted by local Portland artist Printed Matter.
Two Action Alerts for Northern Rockies Wolves: July 21
This Thursday, July 21, Endangered Species Coalition is holding a White House Phone Jam for Wolves. Let’s flood the White House comment line with dozens of phone calls about wolves throughout the day! Tell President Biden that we want him to take a stand for wolves. Sign up here to get a reminder with the phone number to call and talking points.
July 21st is also the deadline to submit comments on Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks 2022-23 Wolf Proposal. Last year, 270 wolves were killed in Montana, 21 of whom lived primarily in Yellowstone. We must speak out to protect Montana’s wolves.
Wolves of the Rockies recently sent out this handy step-by-step guide to submitting comments for this action, including links to relevant documents and talking points.
(photo credit: Yellowstone National Park)
Sponsor the Conference
Interested in sponsoring the Speak for Wolves 2022 Conference? Support from sponsors helps us keep our grassroots conference accessible to all. Reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org!
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Tiana Williams-Claussen presents at the 9th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference
We are honored to introduce a special guest speaker, Tiana Williams-Claussen, for this year’s 9th annual Speak for Wolves conference, which will be held online August 13-14.
The Yurok Tribe, of the area now known as northern California, has been working for years to bring the California condor back to its native habitat. While the news on wolf conservation has been so difficult lately, we’ve found great inspiration in the success story of this condor reintroduction project.
Learn about the Yurok Condor Restoration Program here, watch for updates on condor releases here, and register for the conference today!
Speaker Announcement
Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, will provide a brief introduction to the incredible Prey-go-neesh, the California condor, and discuss the traditional paradigm guiding the Yurok Tribe’s efforts to bring them home to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. She will discuss the management approach the Yurok Tribe is taking for reintegrating condor into the region, and provide an update on how the newly released flock is doing!
Instrumental to formation of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, Tiana currently serves as Department Director. Her native upbringing and formal education at Harvard and Cal Poly allow her to bridge the gap between traditional understandings of the world, and those rooted in Western-science, supporting a cohesive, well-informed approach to holistic ecosystem management.
Joint Position Paper Against Trophy Hunting
Speak for Wolves recently singed onto a joint position paper along with 136 other conservation and animal protection organizations from around the world, including 45 non-governmental organizations from African countries, speaking out against trophy hunting and urging policymakers to ban imports.
“Trophy hunting stands out among the worst forms of wildlife exploitation and is neither ethical nor sustainable. In the face of the man-made global biodiversity crisis, it is unacceptable that exploitation of wildlife simply for acquiring a hunting trophy is still permitted and that trophies can still be legally imported. It is high time that governments end this detrimental practice.” -Mona Schweizer, Pro Wildlife
Call for Fundraiser Auction Items
Support Speak for Wolves with a donation to our upcoming online auction! Experiences, gift certificates, and easy-to-ship items preferred. Reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org if you’d like to donate.
Action Alerts: Ban Killing Contests on Public Lands; Weigh in on Colorado & Minnesota Wolf Plans
Voice Your Support for H.R. 7398: the Prohibit Wildlife Killing Contests Act of 2022! Check this Project Coyote Action Alert to see if your US House Rep serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, and if they do, write to urge them to support HR 7398!
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) is considering future recreational hunting of wolves. Submit public comment through the Keystone website here and consider writing a letter to the editor using guidance from WildEarth Guardians media action page. Attend the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in Edwards, Colorado on July 21 and 22 to make your voice heard in the development of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf management plan.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comment on their draft wolf plan update. Comments are due by Monday, August 8th, and a free informational webinar about the plan will be held Wednesday, July 13. Register for the webinar, and review & comment on the plan here.
Become a Sponsor
Interested in sponsoring the Conference? Support from sponsors helps us keep our grassroots conference accessible to all. Drop us a line at info@speakforwolves.org!
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Register Now for the 9th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference
The conference is less than 2 months away, and we’re busy putting together a great slate of speakers to update us on wolves across the continent! Meet two of our speakers below, and register to reserve your spot!
Online meeting access information will be sent to all registrants in the week leading up to the conference.
Speaker Announcements
Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila is an interdisciplinary researcher and nature advocate with over a decade’s experience in conservation and animal science, ethics, and policy issues. He is the BIG RIVER CONNECTIVITY Science and Conservation Manager for Project Coyote and The Rewilding Institute, and a founding member of
PANWorks, a not-for-profit think-tank dedicated to cultivating compassion, respect, and justice for animals.
Fran will discuss wolves and our relationships to the nonhuman world more generally, including: conservation, science, policy, worldviews, ethics, animal agriculture, and hunting.
Shawn Donnille, CEO and owner of Mountain Rose Herbs, will discuss the importance of wolf conservation for businesses.
As an employer in the farming and manufacturing industry with nearly 250 employees, Mountain Rose Herbs has always been an agricultural voice at the the capitol arguing for stronger wolf protections, and has presented compelling testimony which has contributed to influencing political decisions surrounding wolf conservation.
2022 Conference T-shirts
An annual fundraiser and collector’s item for the Conference, our 2022 conference t-shirts are printed on 100% organic cotton, sweatshop free, USA-made, unisex, super soft Royal Apparel jersey tees in slate gray with light gray ink.
Hand screenprinted by local Portland artist Printed Matter.
Action Alert: Colorado Already Considering Wolf Hunting as Reintroduction Efforts Begin
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) is introducing the notion of recreational hunting of Wolves. The SAG is a group of stakeholders that propose considerations for the wolf management plan to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Decision makers need to hear from the public that you want wolves restored for their ecological impacts and their inherent right to exist in historic habitat, NOT to be a trophy on someone’s wall. Submit public comment through the Keystone website here
Colorado residents: Attend the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting in Edwards, Colorado on July 21 and 22 to make your voice heard in the development of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf management plan.
In addition to showing up at public meetings, writing letters to the editor to amplify our calls for wolf protection are vital for advocacy. Letters to the editor help to spotlight issues and demonstrate that the public cares, which helps to influence decision makers, and ultimately drive lasting policy change. WildEarth Guardians has made it easy to write and personalize your own letter to the editor through a media action page.
Action Alert: Comment on Minneosta’s Draft Wolf Plan Update
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced today that they are seeking public comment on their draft wolf plan update. Comments are due by Monday, August 8th, and a free informational webinar about the plan will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. Registration is required for the webinar.
Review and comment on the plan here.
(photo credit: Minnesota DNR)
Oregon and Washington Continue Killing Wolves for Fear that They Might Eat Cows that Humans Wanted to Eat
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shot and killed a second Chesnimnus pack wolf last week, then promptly announced that they plan to kill four more, for fear that the pack might eat more cows. ODFW reported that there were nine wolves in the pack at the end of 2021, so killing four more, in addition to the twalready killed by the state and one killed by a car in January, will decimate the pack.
Also this week, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife killed two members of the Togo pack for the same reason. WDFW and local ranchers have killed Togo pack wolves before; their territory is designated as a “chronic conflict” zone.
Research has shown that “removing” wolves from a pack does not reduce livestock predation, but wildlife agencies continue to practice this unscientific revenge tactic that is likely to backfire.
Speak for Wolves is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a GuideStar Silver seal of transparency. Donations are tax-deductible in the US: EIN: 46-2867294.
Speak for Wolves 