Revisiting the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York
Not far from my farm in Bedford is the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), located in South Salem, New York. Founded in 1999, the mission of the WCC is to promote wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment, and the human role in protecting their future. The Center is home to 25 wolves, 9 of which are on exhibit. There are 3 ambassador wolves – Atka, who plays an active part in the education mission and young Alawa and Zephyr, who are learning the ropes. More aloof are 2 Mexican gray wolves and 4 red wolves, both of which are critically endangered. In addition, 2 more Mexican and 14 more red wolves are heard, but are seldom seen by visitors. I visited the WCC several years ago with my television crew and I’ve attached a link to the video below.
Visiting the Wolf Conservation Center in New York
1 The Wolf Conservation Center is tucked away in South Salem, New York and you must make an appointment to visit.
2 This is Spencer Wilhelm - Operations Manager and Maggie Howell - Managing Director. This building is a classroom where Wolves 101 is taught.
3 Volunteer services are indispensable to the center and they're always looking for help with ground maintenance, guides, veterinary care, grant writing, creating crafts to sell, and with publicity. It's a great way to get to know the wolves.
4 The WCC offers a nocturnal adventure experience called 'Sleeping With Wolves,' offering supporters the chance to spend the night in close proximity with the 25 resident wolves.
5 Before climbing the hill to where the wolves are kept, Maggie paused.
6 She gave a howl, and almost immediately, numerous wolves howled back. It was incredible!
7 This is Atka, at 10 years of age, he is the oldest ambassador wolf at the WCC. Atka arrived at the WCC from Minnesota when he was just 8 days old.
8 Atka is an Arctic gray wolf, a species that lives primarily in the harsh Arctic region.
9 Atka, like his wild counterparts, has white fur, allowing him to blend into snowy surroundings.
10 Atka's thick winter coat is beginning to grow in, which will make him appear much larger.
11 With their long, thick winter coats, Arctic gray wolves can withstand temperatures as low as minus 70º Fahrenheit!
12 A celebrity wolf, Atka is the Center's only wolf who likes to travel and embraces new faces and places. That day, he was on his way to New York City to greet the audience of the premier documentary, 'True Wolf.' Atka also made an appearance on my TV show several years ago.
13 This is Alawa, which means 'sweetpea' in Algonquin and I'm told that her temperament matches her name. Alawa is a mix of gray wolf subspecies, but is referred to as a Canadian/Rocky Mountain gray wolf.
14 Zephyr, Algonquin for 'light or west wind' is Alawa's litter-mate and unlike his sister, Zephyr is rambunctious and feisty.
15 They were born on April 20, 2011 and arrived at the WCC one month later. They came from a private breeder who breeds wolves for education purposes.
16 Alawa and Zephyr were raised by staff and volunteers in this little house until the pups were old enough to live outdoors.
17 The house was generously donated by the Norwalk, Connecticut Home Depot. The Center relies entirely on donations to support these amazing wolves.
18 The Canadian/Rocky Mountain gray wolf is a subspecies that traditionally inhabited parts of the western United States, much of western Canada, and all of Alaska.
19 The Canadian/Rocky Mountain gray wolf was reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in 1995 and 1996. Today, more than 1,600 of the subspecies live in the wild of the Northern Rockies.
20 Little 'trap doors' can be opened along the fence for better photo ops. Zephyr is very curious and friendly.
21 The wolves are fed every couple of days. They eat road kill, like deer, and other meat donated by Whole Foods, a large supporter of the WCC.
22 During the visit, Alawa decided to put on a little show.
23 She climbed to the top of a boulder.
24 And she began to howl.
25 The sound was fantastic!
26 Each wolf has a unique howl.
27 In the wild, wolves separate and travel vast areas in search of food. They use their howls as a way of locating and rejoining their pack.
28 Bravo Alawa!
29 This is Owen, one of Maggie's three dogs that get to come to work with her. Maggie found Owen while working with wildlife in Arizona.
30 As we were leaving, a group was arriving for one of the wonderful educational programs offered at the Center.
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Imteresting! I never knew there was such a place.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | August 22nd, 2012 at 1:55 am
Hello, Just a general comment. Your website is wonderful. Has there been a change? The website feels warm and inviting...and, I want to peruse more of it. Thanks!
Posted by: Patricia | August 22nd, 2012 at 7:19 am
I will put this on my list of places to visit. I have always been
very fascinated with wolves. Amazing! You never cease to
teach me about things I am so interested in. Thank You!
Enjoy the beauty of this day.
Kathy
Posted by: kathy peterson | August 22nd, 2012 at 7:49 am
Wolves are remarkable animals aren't they. I love their howls and pic# 27 captures Alawa so perfectly what we imagine wolves to look like in the wild! Thanks for taking us back to the Wolf Conservation Center Martha!
Posted by: Cindy F | August 22nd, 2012 at 8:05 am
Thank you for a very interesting blog! I enjoyed being educated about wolves!
Posted by: Sue Fawcett | August 22nd, 2012 at 8:31 am
Hi Martha,
Thanks for the field trip that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will come back later and have a look at the rest of the videos that were also available. It would be interesting to see a wolf up close, but not too close, and I think this Conservation Center is a marvelous thing. Thanks for a really surprise blog today which gave me a different perspective of a wolf after recently watching Jeremiah Johnson on TV over the weekend! Wild animals are wonders of the world and it is important that we keep them around. Trish
Posted by: Trish | August 22nd, 2012 at 8:36 am
Hi Martha, Thank you so much for this wonderful blog about your revisit to the Wolf Conservation Center near where you live in Bedford! Being an animal lover, I am always thrilled to learn new things about all animals and wolves are some of my most favorite! Seeing the website and the video is awesome and I recall seeing the video from one of your older TV Shows and it is wonderful to view again! All of these photos and information about wolves is fantastic and I so appreciate being able to tour that terrific Wolf Conversation Center! I have been to places here in Washington State over the years and thoroughly enjoy seeing wolves who are protected by the fabulous animal lovers! We do have some wild wolves in our mountain areas that have come from Idaho and Montana and they are establishing there groups here! Some of the wolves are unfortunately being killed in some other states and I hope they will be protected in our state! Seeing the different colored wolves from places like Alaska, etc. is fascinating! Thank you so much again for sharing such wonderful subjects-learn something new everyday!!! Hope you and your animals have another great day! Off to see The Daily Wag about Feeding Our Friends, the Donkeys! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | August 22nd, 2012 at 8:57 am
Martha,
This was a very interesting blog. Thanks for sharing it.
Posted by: KLBrown | August 22nd, 2012 at 8:59 am
Really good blog! Thanks for the info!
Posted by: Renee | August 22nd, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Martha,
Knowing how you like animals so much I bet you had a great time there. I know I would have. The pictures are beautiful, just beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us. I am going to check out their website
Karen
Posted by: Karen Tracy | August 22nd, 2012 at 1:59 pm
I have watched many documentaries on this topic, and visited Yellowstone many years ago around the time the wolf was reintroduced. A very misunderstood, important species in our ecosystem. I teach science to 6th grade students, and love to discuss the wolf and all it means in the food chain and balance. Great photos.
Posted by: Nantucket Daffodil | August 22nd, 2012 at 7:44 pm
Alawa is the most beautiful wolf I have ever seen. I have loved wolves since I was 10 (blame Rudyard Kipling!) and had the good fortune to visit the wolf center in Ely, MN a few years ago. Thank you so much for this post. I will definitely support this worthwhile project.
Posted by: Regina | August 22nd, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Right now, the Fish and Wildlife Service is threatening to trap a female Mexican gray wolf in the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area (the only place where Mexican wolves remain in the wild) and to remove her permanently from her four young pups, her mate, and her pack. All over a few head of livestock that the owner has already been compensated for.
You can help keep this beautiful mother wolf in the wild with her pups here: http://www.mexicanwolves.org/index.php/news/750/51/Urgent-The-Fox-Mountain-Mother-Wolf-Still-Eludes-Capture-Please-Make-Calls-Today-to-Keep-Her-in-the-Wild
Posted by: Roxane George | August 23rd, 2012 at 1:10 pm
In response to Roxane George, the "few head of livestock" she is referring to are actually 30 calves plus 7 mother cows at last count. Only one cow was "compensated for". This rancher has lost over $16000.00 in costs for DEED LAND plus costs in feed, fuel to move cows from said DEEDED LAND and wear and tear on nerves, loss of production as cows don't grow or breed back well when harassed by wolves. This would be like you getting your car or other stuff stolen and getting told that that was the price of doing business and to get over it. This whole situation is not fair, for the ranchers or the wolves. And these are not pure wolves either. There are no "pure" mexican wolves left! The family lines they used for this are proven known crossbreds.
Posted by: olivia bentley | August 23rd, 2012 at 2:23 pm