
We are very excited to finally have made it through winter here in the northern hemisphere and to be moving into spring. As the weather turns warmer, we hope you all get to enjoy more time outside, and we hope for continued and increased safety for our wolves as they enter pupping season.

Eight years ago in 2016, a single wolf was spotted in Nevada, the first wolf sighting in the state since 1922. While conducting a moose survey by helicopter last week, state wildlife biologists noted three suspected wolves traveling in northeast Nevada near Merritt Mountain.
If biologists are able to confirm a pack, this would be the first in the state in over one hundred years! Though it is still to early to determine a permanent wolf presence in Nevada, as wolf populations in neighboring states stabilize, packs may begin to spread into their previous native region.

On Tuesday March 19th, in a win for Idaho’s wolf and bear populations, a federal judge banned wolf trapping and snaring in grizzly bear habitat in the Idaho panhandle and around the Clearwater, Snake and Salmon river regions. The ban will span from March 1st – November 30th.
Despite this enormous win for Idaho’s wild carnivores, the director of Idaho’s Fish and Game, Jim Fredricks is considering legal action to reinstate the long trapping season that the state allows.
Grizzlies roamed much of the west before colonization. A keystone species, bears are known to till and aerate soil as they search for potato-like roots like Alpine sweetvetch, munch on berries, and later deposit the seeds in their scat. The omnivores love to snatch salmon from rivers and will steal kills from other predators.
Place names in the north Cascades recognize indigenous peoples’ long coexistence with the bears. Stetattle Creek was derived fromm stəbtabəl’ (stub-tahb-elh), or “grizzly bear,” in the Lushootseed language spoken by the Upper Skagit People who lived on these lands for at least 10,000 years.
Over time, white settlers wiped the bears off the landscape. Beginning in the mid-1800s, they killed more than 3,000 for their pelts while miners and homesteaders killed countless others. The bid brown bears, with a hump of heavy muscle in their shoulders, never bounced back.
The final ESA report for the proposed rerelease of grizzlies to the norther Cascades in Washington state can be seen on the NPS website.

US Fish and Wildlife Service is still seeking information regarding the poaching of three wolves around Bly in southern Oregon. One of the wolves killed was an adult breeding female and the other two were subadults, on of them collared.
Speak for Wolves is contributing to the $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of this crime. If you would like to contribute to toward the reward, please find the link to our PayPal here, or click the button below.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering making the alarming decision to reclassify wolves from endangered to sensitive. Already stripped of their protections in the northern Rockies, it is imperative that Washington maintain its protections for wolves or risk their populations in the western United States.
Take a moment to write to Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission and let them know that you oppose this proposal. NARN has organized talking points to help you organize your letter to continue strong protections for our wolves.

“Asha” the Mexican Gray Wolf has been taken into captivity (again) for venturing across the human-drawn boundaries of the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area in northern New Mexico. She is currently being held with two other male Lobos, even though she has been roaming the Jemez Mountains without incident.
Please take a moment to write to the US Fish and Wildlife Service urging them to release this unofficially named “Caldera” pack to allow the continued revival of Mexican Gray Wolves.
We’re happy to announce that recordings from the 2023 conference are now available on our YouTube channel! You can revisit your favorite speakers and topics as often as you like!
The Speak for Wolves online store is still stocked! Check out what we have in stock, from shirts and hoodies to books and stickers!
If you are looking to add a few items to your wardrobe, we have many clothing items on sale from previous conferences and we are down to just 14 remaining Tenth Anniversary hoodies!
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.
We hope your 2024 is off to a strong start and we are so glad to have you with us as we continue another year of wolf advocacy.

In late January, California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife officially bestowed its two newest wolf families with names! The Beyem Seyo pack in Plumas County and the Harvey pack in Lassen County have joined Tulare County’s Yowlumni pack which was named in December of 2023. California now boasts five wolf packs and several small groups of individuals for a total of 45-50 wolves.
California’s Wolf Management Update was released on January 30th, 2024. More detail can also be found on the Center for Biological Diversity’s press release.
On February 2nd, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced their intention not to protect the wolves of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The announcement came as a response to petitions filed by several conservation entities more than two years ago. The lack of federal protections for the wolves of the Rockies means they will continue to be in danger of trapping, snaring, and hunting and will continue to be targeted in wildlife killing contests.
Advocacy groups continue to urge USFW to include the Rockies’ wolves under ESA protections or risk losing Yellowstone’s wolves who were reintroduced only twenty-nine years ago. The Center for Biological Diversity is considering legal action.
Minnesota Congressman Pete Stauber has called for the de-listing of Minnesota wolves, using a viral video of a wolf hunting in logging territory in order to fear-monger. The video was taken by a logger, depicting a wolf tracking a doe or un-antlered buck and killing its prey just beyond the work site. Congressman Stauber states that the video is proof that wolves “have lost any fear of humans” and therefore need to be lethally “managed.”
This call to delist Minnesota wolves came shortly after USFW announced that it would not be extending Endangered Species Act protections to the wolf populations of the northern Rockies.

In a three hour ceremony on January 27th, the Nimiipuu paid honor to the wolves of the inland northwest and promoted their protection. The Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe has been officially overseeing the restoration of wolves in Idaho since 1995. In recent years, Idaho’s wolf policies, including the goal to reduce the state’s wolf population by up to 90%, have gone against restoration and protection efforts. The tribal non-profit Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment has joined a lawsuit against the state and are beginning working on a documentary on the state of Idaho wolves.
In the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), there are thriving populations of wolves, Eurasian bison, boars and Przewalski’s horses. Living free of human interference, these populations have been able to thrive for generations, but of particular interest to researchers are the wolves.
The wolves of the CEZ are seven times denser than the populations even on nearby wildlife reserves and this may be due to exposure to chronic, low-dose radiation that has spanned for seven or eight generations. Interestingly, the long-term exposure to radiation may have given these individuals resiliency in the face of cancer. This is not to say that they are immune to cancers, but their immune systems may be better equipped genetically to function long-term with it. Continued research of the Chernobyl wolves may play a key role in better treating cancer in humans as well.
NPR’s Short Wave program recently met with a Princeton researcher about the ongoing wolf studies in the area.
We’re happy to announce that recordings from the 2023 conference are now available on our YouTube channel! You can revisit your favorite speakers and topics as often as you like!
The Speak for Wolves online store is still stocked! Check out what we have in stock, from shirts and hoodies to books and stickers!
If you are looking to add a few items to your wardrobe, we have many clothing items on sale from previous conferences and we are down to just 14 remaining Tenth Anniversary hoodies!
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.
As we wrap up 2023 and head into a new year of wolf advocacy we sincerely want to thank you all for standing with us for the rights of the wildlife with whom we share our planet.
Thank you for your support!

On December 18th, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released the first five wolves the state has seen since the 1930s! The agency completed capturing and relocating wild wolves from Oregon state on Friday, December 22nd, successfully reintroducing ten individuals to Summit and Grand counties. All of the wolves involved in the project were yearlings or older to better guarantee their ability to successfully hunt and survive the winter.
Read more about Colorado’s new wolves on the CPW website.
A lethal removal permit granted to a producer in the Bear Valley area of Grant County has been extended from December 31, 2023 to January 31, 2024 with ODFW authorized to remove two wolves from the area within that time frame.
We’re happy to announce that recordings from the 2023 conference are now available on our YouTube channel! You can revisit your favorite speakers and topics as often as you like!
Washington State Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife both maintain public records of wolf-related news in their respective states. According to their websites, tax-payer money was used to lethally remove 18 individuals from the wild in 2023.
Oregon saw 16 lethal removals by government agencies from 6 different packs. In Washington, Fish and Wildlife lethally removed two wolves from a single pack and has documented 13 overall wolf mortalities in the state.
The Speak for Wolves online store is still stocked! Check out what we have in stock, from shirts and hoodies to books and stickers!
If you are looking to add a few items to your wardrobe, we have many clothing items on sale from previous conferences and we are down to just 14 remaining Tenth Anniversary hoodies!

We’re sending best wishes to all of you for the coming year and invite you to join us in wishing for an even better year of protections and safety for our 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.
We were honored to see so many participants in the Tenth Annual Speak for Wolves conference and would like to extend our deepest thanks to all of the speakers who lent their voices to wolf advocacy and to all of our sponsors.
And thanks to you, our attendees. We couldn’t continue to host our conference without your support and readiness to show up for our wolves. If you attended the conference on October 7th, we would love to hear your feedback on our survey.
If you missed the conference, or if you are itching to revisit any of the day’s talks, you will soon be able to find many of the lectures on our Youtube channel! We will have them uploaded by the new year. While you wait, you can check out recorded programming from previous years.

Sixteen years after its last plan update in 2007, Wisconsin’s DNR has approved a new wolf management plan. As the state is seeing a stabilizing wolf population, the department of natural resources has finally raised its goal population size from 350 wolves to between 800-1200 individuals.
Though many members of the ranching and hunting communities oppose the recommendations of the plan, it is a step in the right direction for a better balanced ecosystem.
Despite demands from eleven conservation groups, Washington Fish and Wildlife has, yet again, failed to adopt more rigid rules when it comes to making decisions on killing wolves in situations of livestock conflict. Since 2013, the department has rejected four petitions for more rigid wolf management rules.
Read more about the decision here.

The new grey wolf management plan released by Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, & Parks aims to reduce the state’s current wolf population by 60%, bringing the population down to just 450 individuals. You can read more about this detrimental plan on the Defender’s of Wildlife press release.
The draft plan is open to comments from all US residents. Please take a moment to speak up for Montana’s wolves by telling Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks to reject this plan!
Inspired by the award winning short film Almost Ancestors, Lobos of the Soutwest has launched an initiative for the Lobo Youth Summit, encouraging high school and college students to create social action and community media campaigns highlighting the dire necessity of protecting our Mexican grey wolves.
Lobos of the Southwest needs help raising funds to cover the operational costs of launching this ambitios and critical project. If you are able, please consider making a tax-deducable donation toward this vital project.


If you are looking for more ways to support Speak for Wolves, stop by our online store. If hoodies and shirts aren’t your style, we also have books and stickers to choose from including Direct Action Manuals and Endangered Species coloring books!
If you are looking to add a few items to your wardrobe, we have many clothing items on sale from previous conferences and we are down to just 14 remaining Tenth Anniversary hoodies!
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.
We’re excited to open our 2023 online auction! All proceeds go toward supporting the conference, and allow us to continue our work in giving a voice to wolves.
Bidding begins Wednesday, October 4th and ends Monday, October 9th at 12pm Pacific time. You can opt to buy any item now if you don’t want to risk being outbid!

Tell Washington Fish and Wildlife to give the Wolf Protection Rule a fair hearing! Write to Commission Chair, Barbara Baker, and urge her to schedule a vote on the rule in October.
Read more about how you can support the rule here.

These hoodies are going fast! Get yours while you can!
Our 10th Anniversary original artwork by @keikofitz on the back of a super soft Royal Apparel 50% Organic Cotton, 50% RPET recycled polyester grey zip-up French terry hoodie, with the Speak for Wolves logo in light blue on the front.
Screenprinted in Portland, OR by Icon Artistry
Still too hot for a hoodie in your area? Check out our store to browse through tank tops, t-shirts, coloring books and more!
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.
We’re excited to open our 2023 online auction! All proceeds go toward supporting the conference, and allow us to continue our work in giving a voice to wolves.
Bidding begins Wednesday, October 4th and ends Monday, October 9th at 12pm Pacific time. You can opt to buy any item now if you don’t want to risk being outbid!

We’re getting down to the wire! The conference is this Saturday, October 7th from 10AM – 5:30 PM PDT. Registration is still open!
Join us for a day of wolf advocacy and education, concluding with a Screening of the short film Almost Ancestors from 5-5:30 PM. This year’s conference will be held online to maintain accessibility for as many folks as possible.
Check the conference page for bios and full details on the day’s schedule.
This year’s art by @keikofitz.

Tell Washington Fish and Wildlife to give the Wolf Protection Rule a fair hearing! Write to Commission Chair, Barbara Baker, and urge her to schedule a vote on the rule in October.
Read more about how you can support the rule here.
Also interested in sponsoring the conference? Sponsorships are still available!
These hoodies are going fast! Get yours while you can!
Our 10th Anniversary original artwork by @keikofitz on the back of a super soft Royal Apparel 50% Organic Cotton, 50% RPET recycled polyester grey zip-up French terry hoodie, with the Speak for Wolves logo in light blue on the front.
Screenprinted in Portland, OR by Icon Artistry
Still too hot for a hoodie in your area? Check out our store to browse through tank tops, t-shirts, coloring books and more!
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.
Introducing two more of our amazing speakers!
Claire is the President and Interim Executive Director of Washington Wildlife First
Scott Schuyler is a tribal elder/member of the Upper Skagit Tribe of Skagit County, Washington

If you haven’t registered for the Tenth Annual Speak for Wolves Conference, now is the time! The conference is one week away and registration is still open!
We’ll kick off at 10 AM PDT on Saturday, October 7th with a day of wolf advocacy and education, concluding with a Screening of the short film Almost Ancestors from 5-5:30 PM. This year’s conference will be held online to maintain accessibility for as many folks as possible.
Check the conference page for more updates on speakers and more details on the day’s schedule.
This year’s art by @keikofitz.
As the December deadline draws nearer for Colorado to reintroduce wolves to their landscape, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has mapped out two large landscapes most suitable to new packs. Balancing the needs of wolves with coexistence with humans, two wilderness areas near Aspen have been identified. Read the full journal article here!

Tell Washington Fish and Wildlife to give the Wolf Protection Rule a fair hearing! Write to Commission Chair, Barbara Baker, and urge her to schedule a vote on the rule in October. You can also register to testify at the Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting on September 30th.
Read more about how you can support the rule here.
We are still calling for donations for the Speak for Wolves online silent auction! If you have an item you would like to contribute, please reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org.
We love creativity and would love to include include art, gift cards, services, and more!
We greatly appreciate your donations!
Also interested in sponsoring the conference? Sponsorships are still available!
Our 10th Anniversary original artwork by @keikofitz on the back of a super soft Royal Apparel 50% Organic Cotton, 50% RPET recycled polyester grey zip-up French terry hoodie, with the Speak for Wolves logo in light blue on the front.
Screenprinted in Portland, OR by Icon Artistry
Still too hot for a hoodie in your area? Check out our store to browse through tank tops, t-shirts, coloring books and more!
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.
Meet two of our speakers and click their names to learn more about their talks!
(Appropriate for kids to join!)
You can find more from Brittany at her Instagram or Twitter accounts, under the handle @whalesfargeaux
Find out more about Joanna’s work through her Instagram, Twitter or Facebook

Secure your tickets now and join us on Saturday, October 7th for a day of wolf advocacy and education!
Check back here for continued program updates! More speaker announcements coming soon.
This year’s conference will be held online to maintain accessibility for as many folks as possible.
This year’s art by @keikofitz.
We are still calling for donations for the Speak for Wolves online silent auction! If you have an item you would like to contribute, please reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org.
We love creativity and would love to include include art, gift cards, services, and more!
We greatly appreciate your donations!
Also interested in sponsoring the conference? Sponsorships are still available!
Our 10th Anniversary original artwork by @keikofitz on the back of a super soft Royal Apparel 50% Organic Cotton, 50% RPET recycled polyester grey zip-up French terry hoodie, with the Speak for Wolves logo in light blue on the front.
Screenprinted in Portland, OR by Icon Artistry
Still too hot for a hoodie in your area? Check out our store to browse through tank tops, t-shirts, coloring books and more!
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.
In celebration of our ten-year anniversary, we are excited to be hosting the short film, “Almost Ancestors” presented by Tribal Alliance Productions in conjunction with Lobos of the Southwest.
The screening will conclude the Speak for Wolves Conference, and attendees will get the chance to meet Sheila Hollow Horn, the lead actor in the film. Join us as we experience together the connection of a displaced Hopi woman to the land, and how her kinship with a lobo leads her home.
The film will begin at 5:00 PM PDT (8:00 PM EDT) on October 7th followed by a brief Q&A session with Sheila.
Don’t miss it!

Secure your tickets now and join us on Saturday, October 7th for a day of wolf advocacy and education!
Check back here for continued program updates! More speaker announcements coming soon.
This year’s conference will be held online to maintain accessibility for as many folks as possible.
This year’s art by @keikofitz.
On Friday, September 18th, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service released it’s final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the voter-backed reintroduction of the grey wolf to the state of Colorado. The USFWS press release can be found on their website. It is now more important than ever that a pack is secured for reintroduction in order to meet the voter-mandated deadline of December 31, 2023.
Are you artistic or crafty? Perhaps you have a collectible item or would like to donate a gift card to a national restaurant?
We’re looking for auction items for our Speak for Wolves Conference Silent Auction. If you would like to donate, please reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org.
National Wolfwatcher Coalition
Also interested in sponsoring the conference? Sponsorships are still available!
Our 10th Anniversary original artwork by @keikofitz on the back of a super soft Royal Apparel 50% Organic Cotton, 50% RPET recycled polyester grey zip-up French terry hoodie, with the Speak for Wolves logo in light blue on the front.
Screenprinted in Portland, OR by Icon Artistry
Still too hot for a hoodie in your area? Check out our store to browse through tank tops, t-shirts, coloring books and more!
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.
On September 15th, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission voted (5-0) to ban wildlife killing contests across the state! Thanks to the vigilance of wildlife advocates, Oregon has become the ninth US State to ban these unethical and unscientific contests.
Thank you to everyone who spoke up on behalf of Oregon’s carnivores! Read more about this landmark victory here!

Registration is now open for the 10th Annual Speak for Wolves Conference!
Plan to join us Saturday, October 7th for a program packed with the latest wolf conservation news and advocacy resources from a wide range of speakers.
This year’s conference will be held online to maintain accessibility for as many folks as possible.
Celebrating our 10th annual conference, this year’s art, a mother wolf watching over her playful pups, was drawn by @keikofitz.

Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) involvement in reintroducing wolves to central Idaho, and Tribal Rights to management.
Find out more about Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment at their site,

The nine faces of the wolf: Wolves (Canis lupus) can convey emotional responses via facial expressions, which gives insights into their sentience.
Check out Elana’s website to see details about her research!
https://researchwolves.wordpress.com/

Coexistence with large carnivores by using Livestock Guardian dogs through centuries
More about Wolfwatcher can be found on their Facebook page or at https://wolfwatcher.org/
IWCN’s new podcast, For the Wild Ones, fosters conversation between humans and our wildlife counterparts. Their newest episode features IWCN’s Policy and Tribal Outreach Coordinator, and touches on unifying storytelling and science to improve the lives of iconic American species like wolves, bison and grizzlies.

Are you artistic or crafty? Perhaps you have a collectible item or would like to donate a gift card to a national restaurant?
We’re looking for auction items for our Speak for Wolves Conference Silent Auction. If you would like to donate, please reach out to us at info@speakforwolves.org
Our 10th Anniversary original artwork by @keikofitz on the back of a super soft Royal Apparel 50% Organic Cotton, 50% RPET recycled polyester grey zip-up French terry hoodie, with the Speak for Wolves logo in light blue on the front.
Screenprinted in Portland, OR by Icon Artistry
Still too hot for a hoodie in your area? Check out our store to browse through tank tops, t-shirts, coloring books and more!
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.