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What is Wolfgard?
What is Wolfgard?
Wolfgard Northeast is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Southern Vermont. Our mission is to “…explore the wild through wolves” – teaching how wolves and other canid predators are critically important both to Northeastern ecosystems and to human culture.
Wolfgard Northeast is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Southern Vermont. Our mission is to “…explore the wild through wolves” – teaching how wolves and other canid predators are critically important both to Northeastern ecosystems and to human culture.
The wolf is a complex creature, part of a web of ecological, mythological, and cultural history. This is also what makes Wolfgard so unique — our programs teach about everything from canine behavior to werewolf folklore.
The wolf is a complex creature, part of a web of ecological, mythological, and cultural history. This is also what makes Wolfgard so unique — our programs teach about everything from canine behavior to werewolf folklore.
Experiential education is one of our core values — ensuring that outdoor education, discussion, or storytelling is a part of every Wolfgard program.
Experiential education is one of our core values — ensuring that outdoor education, discussion, or storytelling is a part of every Wolfgard program.
Wolfgard is now working to establish an education center in Southern Vermont to bring our experiential education to the next level. Live wolves, foxes, and coyotes are phenomenal teachers – delivering a learning experience that no single program can duplicate. We want to give folks an opportunity to watch and listen to live canids who are ambassadors to their wild cousins. Southern Vermont and our surrounding regions don’t have access to this kind of education – and Wolfgard is working to make this vision a reality.
Wolfgard is now working to establish an education center in Southern Vermont to bring our experiential education to the next level. Live wolves, foxes, and coyotes are phenomenal teachers – delivering a learning experience that no single program can duplicate. We want to give folks an opportunity to watch and listen to live canids who are ambassadors to their wild cousins. Southern Vermont and our surrounding regions don’t have access to this kind of education – and Wolfgard is working to make this vision a reality.
Why the name "Wolfgard"?
Why the name "Wolfgard"?
Spoken, the name is easily mistaken for “Wolf-guard,” which isn’t the intended meaning (though is certainly appropriate). Gard comes to us from Old Saxon, and literally means “an enclosed space.” Gard also means “dwelling,” and 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.
Spoken, the name is easily mistaken for “Wolf-guard,” which isn’t the intended meaning (though is certainly appropriate). Gard comes to us from Old Saxon, and literally means “an enclosed space.” Gard also means “dwelling,” and 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.
Our Proposed Education Center
So much is lost in translation — that’s why learning from a live animal teaches us more. The tilt of a head, flick of an ear, a silent gaze from a wolf’s eyes; these tell a story that can’t be captured in words. Most people in our region don’t have access to this kind of education, even though Southern Vermont was historically home to at least one species of wolf, and currently three other types of canids: the red fox, the gray fox, and the coyote. Regardless, the cultural remnants of human interaction with wolves and other predators is with us every day in books, movies, folktales, art, and music.
While still a concept, Wolfgard Northeast’s education center would provide the public a chance to see wolves, coyotes, and foxes in-person — captive ambassadors for their wild cousins. No matter what the equation, high-impact education is a quintessential factor to seeing keystone predators like wolves return to the Northeast.
How would the center manifest? It will be a place the public can visit and learn about wolves, coyotes, and foxes by seeing them in-person. This is particularly important education; live animals teach in a way that videos, programs, and stories never can. The evidence in this can seen all across the country with the success and impact of organizations that provide live-animal programs. Our education center will house captive wolves, coyotes, and foxes (“canids”). These animals will never be released into the wild, but will instead be “ambassadors” to wild animals, emphasizing the importance of wild canids in our regional ecosystems through education. While the center will be open to the public, it is also the canids’ homes. Their home will be large enough that they can roam and explore, and will not be forced “on display” at any time.
What is a "canid"? A “canid” is any mammal in the dog family, known as Canidae. Wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, African wild dogs, and maned wolves are considered “canids,” as they are all a member of this family! Canidae is a diverse family of wild carnivores that spans across the world. Additionally, our faithful companion, the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), is a member of this family, too. Wolfgard focuses on education surrounding the canids that are either present or native in the Northeast. This includes foxes (gray and red, both native), coyotes (present, but unknown if they are native), and wolves (native but “extirpated,” meaning they are extinct in the Northeast due to human causes). Our goal is to ensure the survival of these species through public education.
Will you be releasing wolves into the wild? No. Any wolves in our wolf center will be life-long captive wolves. There is suitable habitat for wolves in the Northeast, but active reintroduction is a complex prospect at best. There are a number of wolf populations to the west and north of New England that can and do disperse into our region. As of yet, none of these dispersing wolves have established a viable population. Because gray wolves are still endangered here, we think widespread education is one of the best steps towards creating an environment in which wolves can thrive.
Why wolf education in Southern Vermont? There are a few excellent wolf centers and organizations in New England. However, in Southern Vermont, there is at least a 3+ hour drive to reach any of them. Similarly, there are extremely few programs that can travel and bring live-wolf, fox, or coyote education to this region in a way that is cost-effective or good for the animals. In order to teach the Northeast about wolves, we need wide-spread education. Southern Vermont is a central location to reach regions where there is both viable wolf habitat and an under-served in education about wolves. Also, Southern Vermont is a beautiful place! It’s blend of wilderness and accessibility makes it perfect for teaching about our ecosystems and the human relationship with natural landscapes.
Our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors
Nikolas Katrick
Nikolas Katrick
“I first explored my love of wolves through biology, but was soon lured into more fields – becoming enchanted with stories and myths. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat stood out to me, not only in his storytelling, but in his conclusion that he, himself, had created a personal division between human and wolf. It challenged me to think deeply about the relationship between humans and wolves – how culture has divided two species that are so similar, and both of which carry so much wisdom. The first time I saw a wolf face-to-face — felt the brush of its whiskers and the intense, purposeful gaze of its amber eyes — it was a threshold from which I could not turn back. I am driven to learn and teach about wolves broadly; to reveal and heal broken bonds and show that respect of the wolf not only conserves our ecosystems, but also ties humans to our wild ancestry.
In these ways, wolves are in my marrow; an intrinsic part of me and my life.”
Nik has a life-long passion for wolves. An alumnus of Marlboro College, his undergraduate thesis centered on wolf hunting behavior, wolves in literature, and fiction writing – blending multiple fields to explore a diverse picture of this predator. Much of this learning coalesced during a summer of work at Mission:Wolf in Colorado, a wolf refuge that focuses on education and sustainability, and trips to Yellowstone National Park. He is a member of the Northeast Wolf Coalition, and has been actively involved in bringing wolf education to Southern Vermont. Nik brings a diversity of skills to Wolfgard, from storytelling to facilitating outdoor, experiential education to non-profit management. This diversity comes from the many “hats” he has worn — carpenter, teaching outdoor leadership and wilderness survival skills, volunteer EMT, and many others. He holds a Master of Science in Management focused on Mission-Driven Organizations from the Marlboro College Graduate Program, and is devoted to making a wolf refuge in Vermont a reality.
Nik has a life-long passion for wolves. An alumnus of Marlboro College, his undergraduate thesis centered on wolf hunting behavior, wolves in literature, and fiction writing – blending multiple fields to explore a diverse picture of this predator. Much of this learning coalesced during a summer of work at Mission:Wolf in Colorado, a wolf refuge that focuses on education and sustainability, and trips to Yellowstone National Park. He is a member of the Northeast Wolf Coalition, and has been actively involved in bringing wolf education to Southern Vermont. Nik brings a diversity of skills to Wolfgard, from storytelling to facilitating outdoor, experiential education to non-profit management. This diversity comes from the many “hats” he has worn — carpenter, teaching outdoor leadership and wilderness survival skills, volunteer EMT, and many others. He holds a Master of Science in Management focused on Mission-Driven Organizations from the Marlboro College Graduate Program, and is devoted to making a wolf refuge in Vermont a reality.
Allison Turner
Allison Turner
Ms. Turner most recently served eight years as a Board Member with Rescue Inc. Ambulance Service located in Brattleboro VT, where she held the position of Vice President for several years and chaired their Development Committee. In addition to serving on several other Boards and Board committees, her experience includes a number of years as a worker-owner Board Member for Bookpeople, a distributor of 15,000 book titles from primarily small independent publishers formerly in California. Ms. Turner has a Masters and a Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy and teaches biology and chemistry laboratory classes at Marlboro College in Vermont. She thinks wolves are the bee’s knees, and is very excited to help this organization fulfill its wildest dreams.
Ms. Turner most recently served eight years as a Board Member with Rescue Inc. Ambulance Service located in Brattleboro VT, where she held the position of Vice President for several years and chaired their Development Committee. In addition to serving on several other Boards and Board committees, her experience includes a number of years as a worker-owner Board Member for Bookpeople, a distributor of 15,000 book titles from primarily small independent publishers formerly in California. Ms. Turner has a Masters and a Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy and teaches biology and chemistry laboratory classes at Marlboro College in Vermont. She thinks wolves are the bee’s knees, and is very excited to help this organization fulfill its wildest dreams.
Michael Clough
Michael Clough
“I was interested in predators and wolves in particular for most of my life. With some great wolf experiences in Minnesota’s Chippewa Forest and working with captive wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center, it is a trip to Yellowstone Park that stands out. We were attending a week-long course on Yellowstone’s predators through the Yellowstone Institute. The scheduled program leader had backed out at the last minute and was replaced by Rolf Peterson of Isle Royale fame. In addition to hanging out with one of the top wolf guys of his generation, we also had the opportunity to observe wolves every day. Half-grown pups at play, rallying howls and most memorable, a large pack of wolves surrounding a bison, that stood his ground and backed them off. Over a dozen wolves took turns testing the big herbivore who stomped his feet and shook his horns as if to say “Bring it on!” After fifteen minutes of sparring, the wolves moved off to pursue a herd of elk further down the valley and the bison returned to his grazing. It was a thrilling encounter that has etched itself in my mind and illustrates the challenges faced by our wild predators.”
Michael is a native Vermonter with a life-long interest in the outdoors and wildlife. Currently he is the Assistant Director at the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and also works as a Trainer/Naturalist for Four Winds Nature Institute among other nature and education related jobs and board positions. He has a background in alternative and supplemental education with a special focus on the use of live animals and experiential learning. Mike graduated from Long Island University with a degree in Environmental Science/Biology and has worked at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, The Raptor Project, the Putnam/North Westchester BOCES Outdoor Education Program, New York’s Wolf Conservation Center and operates his own outdoor education and consulting business, Rockhopper Outdoor Education.
Donovan Arthen
Donovan Arthen
“Wolves are a part of me. I was raised in a community that thrives on its closeness to the Earth and a belief that our lives are intrinsically intertwined with the rest of the natural world. Because of this life I see many things about the world in a slightly different light than most people. Wolves are teachers of what pinnacle community can look like. Their strength, stability, and joy come from togetherness. They demonstrate what it is to be interdependent and completely devoted to collaboration and trust. They challenge each other, and keep each other in check, but are fiercely protective of those that are dear to them. They take no more than they need to survive, and even as peak predators are embedded there is an inherent respect for the cycles for which they are a part. These are qualities that I strive to embody in my life.”
Donovan is a graduate of Wesleyan University and current MA student at Marlboro Graduate and Professional School in their MSM of Mission-Driven Organizations. He has spent his life involved in the nonprofit world as a volunteer, program director, and Board Member for several organizations such as The EarthSpirit Community, Ritual Arts Collective, Pioneer Valley performing Arts Charter Public School, Friends of PVPA, Janus Arts Project, Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, and for the last three years as the executive director of PeaceJam New England.
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