Protecting Western Wolves: UPDATE #5

In this update, I’ll start with the status of wolves in Yellowstone and Montana since wolf hunting season ended here on March 15. I’ll also describe efforts to protect wolves in other Northern Rockies states. But first a bit of background.

In February, a federal judge’s decision put wolves in the Lower 48—except those in the Northern Rockies—back under protection of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Five months earlier, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that the 2,000 or so wolves in the Northern Rockies may need a return to ESA protection because new laws in Montana and Idaho promote such widespread wolf killing. While agreeing to begin a twelve-month study of the need for protection, the agency declined to restore protection on an emergency basis. So wolves have been and will be hunted and trapped while the FWS ponders. 

In Montana this year, 270 wolves were killed according to the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park’s website. In Idaho, 512 wolves were killed in 2021, according to The International Wildlife Coexistence Network. That organization is filing a public records request to obtain information about the number of wolves killed in 2022. 

Killing Yellowstone Wolves in Montana

Yellowstone wolves that follow elk and other food out of the park can be shot once they step paw across an invisible border. Remember that most of these wolves were born and raised in a park where hunting is not allowed and humans don’t represent danger. This makes them an easy target. To make matters worse, new Montana and Idaho legislation pays a bounty for wolf killing and allows previously outlawed killing methods, including snaring, baiting, and night hunting.

According to records provided by Yellowstone National Park, twenty-five park wolves have been killed this hunting season. Four were killed in Wyoming and two in Idaho. Nineteen were killed in Montana, sixteen of them in Wolf Management Unit 313 and three in WMU 316. Both of these units adjoin the park’s northern border. 

The killing of Yellowstone wolves began early in Montana's wolf hunting season when two female pups and a female yearling from the Junction Butte Pack were killed in 316 in September. The killing in 313 and 316 eventually eradicated the Phantom Lake pack; their territory overlapped the Yellowstone and Montana border.

The Response by Yellowstone National Park

Shortly after the Junction Butte deaths, Yellowstone superintendent Cam Sholly spoke up for park wolves in a press release, “These wolves are part of our balanced ecosystem here and represent one of the special parts of the park that draw visitors from around the globe." Sholly added, "We will continue to work with the state of Montana to make the case for reinstating quotas that would protect the core wolf population in Yellowstone as well as Montana’s direct economic interests derived from the hundreds of millions spent by park visitors each year.”

The quotas Sholly refers to existed for over a decade and limited the number of wolves that could be taken in 313 and 316. In last year's hunting season, for example, the quota was one wolf in each of the two units. But Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission voluntarily abolished that quota and watched the carnage soar. Instead of just two wolves that would have died under a quota system, at least nineteen additional wolves were killed in those two units.  

The Response from Montana

While the slaughter persisted and protests arose, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) pretended they had no data about the number of Yellowstone wolves killed. As the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported: “Greg Lemon, a spokesperson for FWP, said the department does not distinguish between Yellowstone and Montana wolves when collecting harvesting data, so it cannot confirm the numbers.” 

As Yellowstone lost more wolves, Sholly wrote a letter on December 16 to Greg Gianforte, Montana's governor. He gave the governor data on how Yellowstone wolves were being disproportionately impacted. He explained that FWP records shows that in Region 3 (where 313 and 316 are located) wolves were not having a negative impact on elk or livestock. He asked Gianforte to stop the hunting and trapping in 313 and 316. 

Unfortunately, Sholly was writing to a hunter and trapper known for killing Yellowstone animals, especially if they're collared. Last year Gianforte shot a collared Yellowstone wolf (Wolf 1155) that had been caught in his trap. Prior to setting that trap, Gianforte had not taken the required trapper education course. For this infraction, he received a slap on the wrist from his underlings at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Just this month Gianforte was in the news again for shooting another collared Yellowstone animal. This time it was a mountain lion (Cougar M220) that was trapped and defenseless in a tree that hounds had chased it into. That killing was on the same ranch where Gianforte had shot Wolf 1155. 

Given Gianforte's fondness for killing Yellowstone animals, it was not surprising that he didn't address Sholly’s written request to stop the killing in 313 and 316. Instead, he wrote, "Once a wolf exits the park and enters lands in the State of Montana it may be harvested pursuant to regulations established by the (state wildlife) Commission under Montana Law." Gianforte didn't mention that he had handpicked six of the seven commissioners who control the killing of wolves and mountain lions and other wildlife.

On January 28, weeks after Sholly wrote to Gianforte, the Fish and Wildlife Commission finally met to decide if wolf hunting should be stopped in Region 3. Many people, including myself, attended that meeting virtually. By the meeting’s end, I was more concerned about Montana’s wolf management than I was when the meeting began. With mistakes in math, with a disregard of public opinion, with going beyond the agreed upon threshold, and with making a serious mistake regarding regulations, FWP is not competently managing wolves. Instead, FWP has become a tool for Montana’s governor, legislature, and Fish and Wildlife Commission to use in their war against wolves. (I explained my concerns further in a second open letter to Interior Secretary Haaland.)

Two Different Realities

Montana’s reality: a wolf is worth more dead than alive. Selling licenses to shoot or trap wolves brings FWP hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yellowstone’s reality: wolves are worth more alive than dead. As Sholly wrote in his letter to Gianforte: "The positive economic impacts of visitors viewing wolves in Yellowstone is estimated to be well over $30 million annually, much of which is spent in local Montana communities and counties.”

According to a report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife watchers outspent hunters by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1 in 2016. So the spending by people who come to see Yellowstone's wolves alive must far exceed the spending of the smaller number of hunters and trappers who want to see wolves dead. 

While wolf watchers outnumber wolf killers, a small number of hunters and trappers can wreak havoc. New Montana rules allow each trapper to take up to ten wolves. That’s in addition to the up to ten wolves that each hunter can take. One person that hunts and traps could take up to twenty wolves in a season.

Efforts to Protect Western Wolves

Of course, wolves throughout the West are at risk along with Yellowstone wolves, and there have been many efforts to protect western wolves. Here are a few. 

Last October, twenty-one U.S. senators sent a letter that asked Interior Secretary Haaland to shield wolves from being killed for 240 days while permanent protection was considered by FWS. The ESA allows Haaland to authorize an emergency relisting if she determines a species faces a significant threat. 

Last December, a bipartisan group of 78 members of Congress sent another letter urging Haaland to consider an emergency relisting. That letter notes that more than 800 scientists have called on the Biden Administration to take immediate action against laws in various states that threaten gray wolves and ignore science.

In January, a coalition of conservation groups asked the National Park Service Director to work with Haaland to issue an emergency relisting.

In February, Representative DeFazio and two other members of Congress wrote to Haaland urging her to issue an emergency relisting. They reminded her that dozens of House members had already made this request in July and December 2021.

Numerous Tribal nations have also called for emergency relisting of wolves. Tribal leaders have asked to meet with Haaland to discuss wolf management. As Tom Rodgers, president of the Global Indigenous Council, said, “The problem is the FWS and its antiquated culture when it comes to the management of the wolf. We requested a follow up meeting to address FWS with the Secretary of Interior in the room.” But repeated efforts did not bring Haaland into the room. 

Unfortunately, all the letters and petitions, emails and phone calls, by senators, members of Congress, Native Americans, and many conservation organizations did not elicit a response from Haaland until, finally, on February 7 she wrote an op-ed. Her words sounded good but she took no action to stop the killing of wolves in the Northern Rockies. (Secretary Haaland is good with words but short on action for wolves, as I described in my first letter to her.)

Threats in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming

While FWS ponders and Haaland does nothing, Idaho continues its long-standing and state-sponsored campaign to kill as many wolves as possible as quickly as possible. Wolf hunting season is year-round on private land and some public land. There is not a daily or season limit on the number of wolves taken. And Idaho resists revealing to the public the actual number of wolves killed. 

In Wyoming, there is a small area—about 15% of the state—just outside Yellowstone and the Tetons where wolf hunting is regulated. In that area, 29 wolves were killed in the season that ended December 31. In the remaining 85% of the state, wolves are considered vermin to be killed by anyone, at anytime, in any way. It's hard to say how many wolves die in Wyoming.

In Montana, the governor and his Fish and Wildlife Commission ignored Yellowstone's plea to set meaningful restrictions on the killing of park wolves that cross an invisible line. The killing continued until, thankfully, wolf hunting season ended.

Now we have to wait for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Secretary of the Interior Haaland to protect western wolves in the Northern Rockies. And while we wait, wolves die.

If you would like to see western wolves protected, here's a way to make your voice heard.

Award-winning Indie author Rick Lamplugh writes and photographs to protect wildlife and wild lands. 

His award-winning book In the Temple of Wolves; its sequel, Deep into Yellowstone; and its prequel, The Wilds of Aging are available signed. His books are also available unsigned or as eBook or audiobook on Amazon. 

You can also join Rick in his latest writing adventure, a free weekly letter to subscribers entitled Love the Wild. You’ll find excerpts from his books, podcasts, photo essays, opinion pieces, and more. All aim to excite your mind and warm your heart.

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Another Open Letter to Secretary Haaland

 

Dear Secretary Haaland,

In this letter, I want to focus on Montana, one of the Northern Rockies states where wolves, as you know, are still not protected by the Endangered Species Act. I’ll describe how Montana’s war against wolves was started under false pretenses and has been unfairly waged. Both issues speak to why Montana’s wolves should be immediately protected by you under the ESA.

The campaign to pass Montana’s new anti-wolf legislation was spearheaded by state senator Bob Brown and representative Paul Fielder. Both live in northwestern Montana and claimed that the area had too many wolves eating too many elk. Though data from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) did not support their claim, the legislation passed. The legislature declared war on wolves. And not just in supposedly overrun northwestern Montana but across the entire state. 

The war on wolves progressed to Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission. All but one of the commissioners was appointed by governor Greg Gianforte, who was caught illegally trapping a wolf and received only a slap on the wrist. The commission—following the legislature’s new directive to reduce Montana’s wolf population—set thresholds for the number of wolves that could initially be killed in each of the state’s seven wolf hunting regions.

It wasn’t surprising that the highest thresholds were set in Region 1 (195 wolves) and Region 2 (116 wolves). Those two regions are in northwestern Montana where Brown and Fielder live. The next highest threshold was set in Region 3 (82 wolves). Region 3 includes Wolf Management Units 313 and 316—both adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. Into those units step Yellowstone wolves after crossing an invisible boundary that separates the park from Montana. In Yellowstone wolves are protected. In Montana they die.

As of this writing, with only weeks to go before the wolf hunting season closes on March 15, more wolves have been killed in Region 3 than have been killed in either Region 1 or Region 2—the areas that Brown and Fielder falsely claimed are overrun with elk-eating wolves.

As the killing of Yellowstone wolves traveling in Units 313 and 316 escalated, Yellowstone’s superintendent, Cam Sholly, wrote a letter to Gianforte. He gave the governor data on how Yellowstone wolves were being disproportionately impacted. He explained that FWP data shows that in Region 3 wolves were not having a negative impact on elk or livestock. He asked Gianforte to stop the hunting and trapping in the two units. 

Gianforte did nothing but refer Sholly to his hand-picked Fish and Wildlife Commission. On January 28, weeks after Sholly wrote to Gianforte, the commission finally met to decide if wolf hunting should be stopped in Region 3. Many people, including myself, attended that meeting virtually. By the meeting’s end I was even more concerned about Montana’s wolf management than I was when the meeting began. 

One of my concerns was for the data—or lack of data—that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks presented to the commission. FWP is, after all, supposed to provide the commissioners with accurate and timely information needed to make decisions. While the meeting was required because the wolf kill in Region 3 was approaching the 82-wolf threshold, at the start of the meeting neither the commission nor FWP knew the actual number of wolves killed to date. Was it 76 or 78?

As the meeting continued, I also grew concerned about how the commission ignored or rejected the input of individuals and businesses that want to reduce killing and increase coexistence. 

Early in the meeting, Commissioner Byorth—the only commissioner not appointed by Gianforte—made a motion to immediately stop hunting and trapping in Units 313 and 316 because of the disproportionate impact on Yellowstone wolves. Commissioner Walsh seconded that motion. Chair Robinson said there would be discussion before voting. 

During that discussion, Commissioner Cebull offered closing 313 and 316 immediately but leaving the rest of Region 3 open until 82 wolves had been killed regionwide. Then Vice Chair Tabor made a motion to continue the killing until 82 was reached, then initiate 48-hour notice, then close the region. Finally, Byorth withdrew his previous motion and moved for immediate closure of Region 3 when the number of dead wolves reached 82.

With that motion on the table, Chair Robinson called for public comment. To everyone’s surprise, Robinson limited the comment period to 30 minutes; this had not been previously announced. Only seventeen people were able to comment. I could not understand one of the speakers due to his poor connection. The other sixteen commenters supported stopping the killing immediately in Region 3 or in Units 313 and 316.

After the comment period ended, the commission continued discussing. Walsh proposed halting the killing immediately in 313 and 316—as this would be consistent with the letter from Superintendent Sholly and the comments the public just made. Byorth concurred with Walsh but Tabor did not; he still wanted 82 killed before stopping. 

After more discussion on whether 76 or 78 wolves had been killed to date, Chair Robinson said that even though the number of dead wolves was uncertain, it was time for a vote. The motion to stop the hunting in Region 3 when 82 wolves had been killed passed unanimously. 

It wasn’t until the end of the meeting, after the commission had decided to continue killing wolves, that FWP staff confirmed that 76 wolves had been killed to date. Why hadn’t FWP staff confirmed this number before the meeting even started?

 

That isn’t the only question in this war against wolves. It turns out that the math used to arrive at that 82 threshold is incorrect. The Billings Gazette reported that Utah State University scientist Dan MacNulty described a commission agenda item where the agency wrote that since 18% of the wolf population lived in Region 3, 18% of the 450 wolves to be taken should be killed there. But, as he pointed out, 18% of 450 is 81, not 82. 

“Why does one extra wolf matter?” MacNulty wrote on his Twitter page. “First, it could be a wolf that Park visitors spend many hours and thousands of dollars to watch; dollars that pay for Montana guides, lodging, restaurants, etc. Second, it could be a wolf that the Park spent thousands of dollars to radio-collar in support of Park monitoring and research. Data from this collar will contribute to numerous projects, many involving students and researchers at Montana schools.”

As it turns out, because of the commission’s unwillingness to close Region 3 until 82 wolves had been killed, even more wolves have died. The total from FWP as of February 23 in Region 3 is now 85 wolves, not 82 (19 killed in 313 and 316). As MacNulty said, each one of those three additional wolves matters.

The mistakes made by the commission and FWP aren’t just in miscalculating how many wolves have been or will be killed. Mistakes have been made in the regulations that control the killers. One such mistake was revealed during a lawsuit brought about by Trap Free Montana and Wolves of the Rockies—conservation groups that have sued the commission and FWP over discrepancies in wolf regulations. Earlier this month during a court hearing in Helena, the state’s long-standing prohibition against aerial hunting of wolves was examined. According to testimony by an attorney who up until recently worked for FWP, that prohibition against aerial hunting was in error. That’s right, it’s actually legal to hunt wolves from the air in Montana. 

Of course, this error by FWP benefitted wolves, kept them from being spotted or shot from the air. But whether a mistake helps or harms wolves is secondary to this question: If FWP made such a major mistake regarding aerial hunting, what other mistakes has the agency made that have a harmful impact on Montana’s wolves?

With mistakes in math, with a disregard of public opinion, with going beyond the agreed upon threshold, and with making a serious mistake regarding regulations, FWP is not competently managing wolves. Instead, FWP has become a tool for Montana’s governor, legislature, and the Fish and Wildlife Commission to use in their war against wolves.

Secretary Haaland, I urge you to use your authority to emergency relist wolves in Montana and the Northern Rockies while USFWS does its review of the situation.

Sincerely,

Rick Lamplugh

Gardiner, MT

(A version of this letter also sent via email to Secretary Haaland and as a comment to US Fish and Wildlife Service.)

Award-winning Indie author Rick Lamplugh writes and photographs to protect wildlife and wild lands. 

His award-winning book In the Temple of Wolves; its sequel, Deep into Yellowstone; and its prequel, The Wilds of Aging are available signed. His books are also available unsigned or as eBook or audiobook on Amazon. 

You can also join Rick in his latest writing adventure, a free weekly letter to subscribers entitled Love the Wild. You’ll find excerpts from his books, podcasts, photo essays, opinion pieces, and more. All aim to excite your mind and warm your heart.

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The Protection Needed for One Wolf's Incredible Journey

I'm going to recount some of the story of a wolf called OR-7 (pictured above). You may recall that he became famous for his years-long journey of thousands of miles and numerous incredible firsts. But many people are not aware of how he was protected throughout his journey by the federal and state laws that traveling wolves need to survive. 

This story begins before OR-7’s birth, before his incredible journey. This story begins with the incredible journey of his mother, Idaho wolf B-300 (pictured below). 

In January 2008, B-300 was spotted by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) about 100 miles from her last known location in Idaho. To cover those miles, she had descended into treacherous Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America, swam across the Snake River, and climbed out of the gorge into Oregon. 

B-300 was alone but would not be for long. Another Idaho wolf—a male—also negotiated Hells Canyon. Protected by the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), the two would somehow find one another, become the first breeding pair in Oregon since 1947, and begin the state’s wolf recovery. Both would be collared; B-300 would become OR-2 (the second wolf collared by ODFW) and her mate would become OR-4 (pictured below). 

These two dispersers would create the Imnaha pack. Their successful dispersal would strengthen the survival of their species in a number of ways, according to a 2021 study. Dispersal allows genes to flow between populations and helps animals survive disease and environmental disruptions such as those caused by climate change. Dispersal can keep small local populations from vanishing. Dispersal enables the colonization of new habitats.  

But dispersal, especially crossing invisible state lines, requires protection, and In March of 2008 wolves in the Northern Rockies lost ESA protection. The Northern Rockies includes Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, a corner of Utah, the eastern portion of Washington, and the eastern portion of Oregon where OR-2 and OR-4 were getting acquainted. 

Conservation groups challenged the delisting and ESA protection was restored by July. But the seemingly endless fight over whether to protect or kill wolves had just begun.

In January 2009 while OR-2 and OR-4 were close to breeding, the Bush administration—just days before leaving office—tried again to remove ESA protection from wolves in the Northern Rockies. When the Obama administration took office, an order was issued temporarily stopping the proposed delisting.

But in March when OR-2 was staying near her den with the birth of her pups just weeks away, Obama’s Interior Secretary affirmed the removal of endangered species protections. 

On May 4, 2009, when OR-2 and her weeks-old pups were snuggled in their eastern Oregon den, Northern Rockies wolves officially lost ESA protection. Thankfully, OR-2 and family were protected under Oregon law.

One of her pups would grow up to become the famous OR-7. But when little OR-7 stepped out of the den in 2009, he entered an increasingly dangerous world without ESA protection. 

Just how dangerous would become obvious by September when a federal judge ruled the delisting was likely illegal but the wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho could still go on. Hunters hungry for wolves bought more than 29,000 wolf tags for Idaho's upcoming hunt. From that hunt and other human causes, 249 Idaho wolves would perish in 2009, according to Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG) records. 

In August 2010 a federal judge restored ESA protection for Northern Rockies wolves. While conservation groups had won that battle, the war against wolves was far from over.

In February 2011, OR-7 was collared with a radio transmitter.  He was the seventh wolf collared in Oregon.

Just two months later, in April, when 90-pound OR-7 turned two, Montana Senator Jon Tester and Idaho Representative Mike Simpson inserted a rider on a must-pass appropriations bill so that wolves in the Northern Rockies lost ESA protection again. This was the first time that Congress had legislatively delisted an endangered species. And the rider stated that the delisting “shall not be subject to judicial review.” This decade-old protection from judicial review is the reason that conservation groups can’t fight for Northern Rockies wolves in court but instead must demand that the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) relist them. 

In August a federal judge upheld the legality of congress delisting a species. This paved the way for more fall wolf hunts in Montana and Idaho. 

As those hunts began in September of 2011, OR-7 left his birth pack. Now a little over two years old—typical disperser age—he was following his biological drive to find a mate. Obviously, he knew nothing of the battle in congress and courtrooms over whether to protect or kill him and his kind. Had he headed east through Hells Canyon and into unprotected Idaho crammed with armed wolf hunters, he could have died along with the 281 wolves that Idaho reported killed that year. 

Instead, for reasons only he knew, he headed southwest and then west. He crossed Interstate 84 and US Hwy 395, the high-speed, north-south road that USFWS considers the arbitrary dividing line between eastern and western Oregon. Eastern Oregon is in the Northern Rockies; western Oregon is not. 

As OR-7 continued west, he went up and over the rugged Oregon Cascades and became the first wolf west of those mountains since 1946. He turned southward, continued his protected journey across private and public land, and eventually entered Umpqua National Forest.

Between November 8 and December 23, OR-7 slowed down and occupied a broad area in southwestern Oregon that includes the Sky Lakes Wilderness and Crater Lake National Park. But he wasn't ready to stop. On December 28, 2011, he crossed into California near the small town of Dorris and became the first wolf in California in 80 some years. While gray wolves are native to California, they had been hunted and trapped to extinction in the state by the mid-1920s.

Wolves in California would not be protected by state law until 2014, but OR-7 was protected under the ESA since he was not in the Northern Rockies. During his California time, he mainly stayed on public lands while exploring all kinds of territory: ponderosa pine forests, mixed conifer forests, lava flows, sagebrush shrublands, juniper woodlands, and agricultural lands. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) says that no public safety incidents or agricultural losses from wolf damage were reported while OR-7 was in the state for over a year.

But by early 2013, OR-7 appeared to be wandering and wondering where to call home. He crossed the California-Oregon border several times before he finally found a mate and settled down in southwestern Oregon. In spring of 2014, OR-7 and his mate gave birth to three pups and created Oregon’s Rogue pack, the first wolf pack in western Oregon in more than 60 years. 

While OR-7's journey was over, his impact had just begun. One male from the Rogue’s first litter would follow in his father’s paw prints. He would disperse from Oregon, travel to California, and become a breeding male. He would create California’s second wolf pack, the Lassen pack. He would sire litters in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He and his mate would produce thirteen pups (some pictured below in 2017). 

OR-7's son was no longer with the Lassen pack after the spring of 2019. Though gone from the pack, he would--like his father--live on through his offspring. One female from OR-7's son's last litter became a member of California's new Beckwourth pack.

While his dispersing offspring colonized California, OR-7 stayed in Oregon. He lived eleven years, a very long life for a wild wolf. He is assumed to have died by April 2020, perhaps of old age. His longevity was in part due to his living in and traveling through areas where he was protected by state or federal law.

The legacy of OR-7 the disperser continues. In May of 2021, a female genetically related to the Rogue pack joined with other dispersers to form another new California wolf family, the Whaleback pack. She gave birth to seven pups. Some of them will disperse and spread the family genes.

Six months after OR-7’s death, the Trump administration finalized a rule removing ESA protections for all gray wolves in the Lower 48 except for Mexican gray wolves. That delisting became official in January of 2021, the final days of the Trump administration. Conservation organizations challenged the delisting and a court overturned it on February 10, 2022. 

Unfortunately, because of the wording of that 2011 congressional delisting, wolves in the Northern Rockies are still not protected by the ESA. 

If a wolf from unprotected eastern Oregon disperses and heads east seeking a mate, the wolf will enter Idaho—probably the most deadly place for wolves in the Lower 48, with Montana now a close second. But if that wolf instead heads west and crosses US Hwy 395 and enters western Oregon, it will be protected by the ESA. It can then do as OR-7 did: safely disperse, find a mate and help build the tiny wolf populations in protected western Oregon, western Washington, and California. 

Award-winning Indie author Rick Lamplugh writes and photographs to protect wildlife and wild lands. 

His award-winning book In the Temple of Wolves; its sequel, Deep into Yellowstone; and its prequel, The Wilds of Aging are available signed. His books are also available unsigned or as eBook or audiobook on Amazon. 

You can also join Rick in his latest writing adventure, a free weekly letter to subscribers entitled Love the Wild. You’ll find excerpts from his books, podcasts, photo essays, opinion pieces, and more. All aim to excite your mind and warm your heart.

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