Crying Wolf: Wolf Education Center aims to change perceptions

Posted Friday, January 13, 2017 7:27 pm

BRATTLEBORO — Say the word "wolf," and often people will immediately think of ferocious, snarling beasts.

Wolfgard Northeast wants to change that image. The non-profit organization, based in southern Vermont, states on its website its mission is to explore "the wild through wolves. We seek new and diverse perspectives about the wolf in our ecosystems and cultures by sharing our learnings through experiential education, discussion, and storytelling." The group teaches "everything from canine behavior to werewolf folklore."

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at Brooks Memorial Public Library, Adam Katrick, founder and president of Wolfgard Northeast, will be joined by other Wolfgard board members at a public forum to discuss the organization's plans to open a captive wolf education center in southern Vermont.

Katrick founded Wolfgard in January 2015. The name, according to the website, comes from Old Saxon: "gard" means "an enclosed space," or "dwelling," which "evokes family and hospitality. We envision Wolfgard as a `wolf home' — a home for learning and exploration — a refuge for both wolves and the people who want to understand them better."

Wolves help to highlight the relationship between humans and nature, Katrick said in a telephone interview, adding, "Wolves tend to inspire people. They're a recognized symbol of wilderness, a meaningful representation of wilderness conservation and getting outside."

The group has offered various experiential educational programs about wolves, programs that encourage people to interact with nature. Last year, Katrick said, "The board decided that we needed to move beyond the programs that we do. We needed to move forward in order to have the highest impact. We value experiential education. We want people to have their hands on trees or on tracks on the ground."

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Katrick hopes the planned series of forums will spark interest in establishing a wolf education center.

"This is something I've wanted to do for a long time," Katrick said. "Wolves are a large part of my life. Lots of folks are doing work like this out West, but we don't have wolves in this region, even though we have the historical precedent of having wolves in this ecosystem."

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The first forum, at the Rockingham Free Public Library in Bellows Falls on Dec. 10, drew 34 people, Katrick said.

"Our audience filled up pretty quick," he said. "People stayed long after our presentation to talk. Even in the weeks after that, we've had people responding, asking us how the center is going to happen, and asking how we're going to integrate with other organizations engaged in similar work."

Based on this first experience, Katrick trusts the forum in Brattleboro will encourage more people to spread the word about the wolf center, across southern Vermont, western Massachusetts, western New Hampshire, indeed, across all of Vermont.

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"Out West, where wolves have been reintroduced into the environment," he said, "it's very political. Arguments, pro- and anti-, are often heated, now that wolves are back in the landscape where they used to be. We want to avoid those sorts of disruptive and unproductive arguments, where people are shouting, yelling, and screaming at each other. We want to reach out to as many people as possible, to build a coalition across many different groups, to build something that is in the best interests of all of us.

"Our overarching message," he continued, "is that teaching about wolves helps to explain why we need to get outdoors in the woods and in the fields. Wolves will help people understand that we need to conserve and protect what we have."

If and when the education center becomes established, Katrick specified that the resident wolves would not be wild wolves.

"They would be wolves that have been captive since birth," he said. "Having caged wolves is controversial. It's upsetting to see wolves in captivity that should be in the wild. But it's also a great opportunity because wolves are great teachers. With a live wolf in an enclosure, you get to see how a wolf moves, hear the sounds a wolf makes, and look into a wolf's eyes. You can't replicate that experience in any other medium."

Nancy A. Olson is a regular contributor to the Reformer. She can be reached at olsonnan47@gmail.com.