On Friday evening, 3 intrepid HamletHubbers (Brookfield editor Michelle Leo, Ad Sales Manager Jane Theilan and me, Redding Editor Susan Winters) went on an adventure: a Full Moon Howl with the wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, just 20 minutes from Redding.
When you turn off Route 35 onto Bucks Pen Road, there is no sign to tell you that you are approaching the Conservation Center.
They are a private facility and are not open to drop-in visits. Visits are accommodated by registering for one of our programs listed on our Event Calendar, or by arranging a private visit.
The Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) teaches people about wolves, their relationship to the environment and the human role in protecting protecting their future.
The WCC was founded in 1999 by Hélène Grimaud, is a private, not-for-profit environmental education organization located in South Salem, NY. The WCC’s mission is to promote wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment, and the human role in protecting their future. The WCC accomplishes this mission through onsite and offsite education programs emphasizing wolf biology, the ecological benefits of wolves and other large predators, and the current status of wolf recovery in the United States.
Our visit began in a classroom comfortably set up to educate visitors about the wolves in the WCC and wolves around the world. There is a small giftshop in the corner as well. After our group of 30 gathered, we trekked up to a firepit where WCC staffer, Alex informed and entertained us with stories of the wolves while we roasted marshmallows and had apple cider by the fire. At the end of the talk we were all invited to howl and we were rewarded with answering howls from the resident wolves.
From there we visited enclosures and met confirmed bachelor wolf Atka.
http://nywolf.org/our-wolves/ambassador-wolves
Atka was born in 2002. He is Sable colored with gray markings He weighs 80-90 lbs. He loves to travel and visits around 150 schools and events a year. He has been a visitor to New Pond farm as well as local schools.
Whole Foods Market donates chicken that has expired dates for the wolves to eat. No live animals are fed to them.
Next we met siblings Alawa and Zephyr.
Alawa (meaning "sweetpea" in Algonquin, and pronounced "ai-lay-ewa) is brown and gray and her temperament matches her name. She and her litter-mate, Zephyr (meaning "light or west wind"), were born on April 20 and arrived at the WCC on May 27. They join Atka to make up the Ambassador Pack - the wolves on view as part of the WCC's education programs.
At first glance, Alawa comes across as dainty and demure compared to her rambunctious brother. Watch her for a while, and you’ll notice she’s often dominating her taller brother with impressive moves while rough-housing. Alawa is not as vocal as Zephyr so far, but her howl is adorable when she chooses to sing.
Zephyr is a natural crowd pleaser, happy to howl with the slightest prompting. His engaging personality resembles that of Apache, the leader of the WCC’s first ambassador pack who passed away in March of 2010. Zephyr has big tracks to fill and we have no doubt that this little pup will earn an impressive number of fans on his very own!
Their lineage is a mix of gray wolf subspecies, but they are primarily Canis lupus occidentalis - Canadian/Rocky Mountain gray wolf -- a subspecies that traditionally inhabited parts of the western United States, much of western Canada, and all of Alaska.
We learned that Zephyr gets car sick so the two leave the traveling to Atka.
The pups' progress can be followed on the WCC's Blog (http://nywolf.blogspot.com/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wolf-Conservation-Center/)where "pupdates" with lots of photos and video will be posted almost every day!
WCC offers different programs onsite to cater to specific age levels. Program lengths vary but generally run approximately 1.5 hours.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ONSITE VISITS.
DAYTIME PROGRAMS:
• Wolves of North America: Adults - $13 / Children (under 12) - $11
• Wolf Pup 101: Adults - $13 / Children (under 12) - $11
• Winter Wolves: refreshments served (seasonal) Adults - $15 / Children (under 12) - $12
• Photo Sessions: (Seasonal) ($100-$150) - Ages 13+
• Special Lectures: (schedule varies) - Price Varies
• Wolf Awareness Programming: (October) - Price Varies
• Wolves of Yellowstone: Adults-$13 / Children (under 12) - $11
• Saving a Species – Spotlight on the Mexican Gray Wolf: Adults-$13 / Children (under 12) - $11
• Wolf Tails – Mythology of a Predator: Adults-$13 / Children (under 12) - $11
• Saving a Species - Spotlight on the Red Wolf: Adults - $13 / Children (under 12) - $11
• Vacation / After School Wolf Camp for Kids! For children in Grades 2-5: $100/per child for the 4-day program
• Summer Wolf Camp for kids! For children in grades 2-5: $150/per child for the 4-day program
• Become a Wolf Conservation Center Keeper for a Day!
* Photo Sessions run 2 hours and lecture lengths vary.
EVENING PROGRAMS:
• Evening Howls: refreshments served (seasonal) - Adults - $16.00 / Children (under 12) - $13.00
• Evening Howls (Adults Only!): Wine & Cheese served (seasonal) - Adults (21+) - $20.00
• Wolf Awareness Programming: (October) - Price Varies
• Sleeping with Wolves (Spring, Fall) - Price varies
GROUP PROGRAMS: To schedule a GROUP to visit the WCC for 15-40 people (i.e. scout group, school group, etc.) for a date not currently on the calendar, please click here.
OFF-SITE PROGRAMS WITH ATKA: To schedule an OFFSITE program to your organization with a visit from Atka, please click here.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES: To learn how to schedule a BIRTHDAY PARTY at the WCC, please click here
GIFT CERTIFICATES Gift Certificates are now available! Enjoy giving your loved one a howling good time,a gift certificate to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY! Gift certificates may be redeemed towards admission to any of the WCC’s education programs, or for any items in the WCC gift shop. For more information, please send an email to visit@nywolf.org
All photos by Michelle Leo