In Wolf Nation Brenda Peterson (ΦBK, University of California-Davis,1972) provides a passionate advocacy for the protection and preservation of the wild wolf population. Her photographic essay, “Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America”2016), might well serve as a companion to this work.
Every Fall, a Combined Fund Drive (CFD) takes place throughout Washington State. This workplace giving program, designed for active and retired public employees, promotes monthly automatic giving to individually selected local nonprofit organizations and charities. State and higher education employees are invited to give to the charity of their choice through payroll contribution and agency fundraising events.
FTE News Magazine, a publication for and about Washington State employees, offers participating nonprofits the opportunity to thank their donors and highlight the needs within their organization.
Here is the 2017 Wolf Haven Story.
We are grateful beyond measure to all those who support Wolf Haven International through the Combined Fund Drive, and thank FTE for helping us tell our story.
2017 poster: The Golden Hour by Emma Loisch
Wolf Awareness Week is fast approaching. Celebrated the third week each October, this is a time for wolf advocacy organizations to promote science-based wolf facts and dispel inaccurate myths. Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute began the Timber Wolf Alliance in 1987, and every year, with the assistance of sponsors like Wolf Haven International, a poster featuring an award-winning artist’s rendering of a wolf or wolves in their natural habitat is produced. The 2017 winner is Emma Loisch with The Golden Hour.
Wolf Haven is participating in several events this month in honor of Wolf Awareness Week. We will be in Portland, OR, Dana Point in Orange County, CA and the North Olympics region of WA. We hope you can join us at one of these forums to celebrate the lives of wolves.
If you are looking for an interesting, new way to celebrate Wolf Awareness Week, look no further than the Portland Zoo. Wolfways, an Oregon outreach program supported by Wolf Haven, along with Oregon Wild and Wolf Haven International, will host an educational, fun event on Saturday, October 21.
When: October 21, 11am – 3pm
Where: Portland Zoo Education Center
Admission: Wolf Education free with regular zoo admission.
Click HERE to learn more.
There will be educational, organizational, and craft tables. Every child is given a passport to take while “traveling” and will receive a stamp for participating in each table’s learning opportunity. Four stamps earns him or her a wolf pendant, while children with eight stamps receive a poster. The tables will consist of wolf information about adaptations, family life, ecosystems, habitats and more. Come join the wolf fun and explore the Oregon Zoo.
Learn about wolves from Skie Bender, Educational Outreach for Wolf Haven, at Dana Point Library. Skie will share her passion and knowledge regarding wolves and dispel myths and legends regarding these remarkable animals. Presentation suitable for all ages.
When: October 8, 2-3:30pm
Where: Dana Point Library Community Room
Admission: Free
For more information about this and other wolf educational programs in California, contact: Skie Bender 714.336.5798.
Get information at the Forks and Sequim libraries about wolf conservation from Chris Montero, Outreach Coordinator at Wolf Haven International. Guests can learn more about Wolf Haven’s mission to conserve and protect wolves and their habitat, as well as hear about wolf recovery in Washington State. Chris will also discuss Wolf Haven’s participation in multi-agency Species Survival Plan programs for critically endangered wolves like the Mexican gray and the red wolf.
When: October 14, noon – 2pm
Where: Forks Branch Library
Admission: Free.
When: October 14, 5pm
Where: Sequim Branch Library
Admission: Free.
The closest thing he’s had to a hometown gig in recent years has been serving as auctioneer for Wolf Haven International’s annual Wolves & Wine, set for Sept. 30.
Pamela Maciel and Chris Montera of Wolf Haven show where wolf packs reside in the state.
by Faye Peebles
Education Coordinator, Wolf Haven International
Wolf Haven staff describe different animal skulls to the Girl Scout campers.
As we set up our table, very much as if we are at a booth event or our own docent table back at Wolf Haven, people start coming down the gravel path from the parking lot. We are in one corner of the large opening. In the center is a round fire pit with benches four deep on all sides. In the corner opposite are two tables end to end with the makings of Campfire Cones on them.
You may be asking what is a Campfire Cone? It is a common Girl Scout campfire treat. How do I know this (aside from being a Girl Scout myself)? Chris, Pam, and I are at Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s (GSWW) center in Dupont, Washington. We are guest speakers at the second Fireside Friday of this summer. GSWW-Dupont began Fireside Fridays as a way to bring environment-related learning to Girl Scout families in a fun way and get some use out of their fire pit. The purpose of Wolf Haven’s presence is to talk about being safe while recreating in carnivore country and briefly talk about what to do in the event of an encounter with wildlife.
As families, GSWW volunteers and staff come in, they greet those they know and then the kids get excited. They see our table full of skulls, the life-size coyote and gray wolf standees, and our Camping with Carnivores sign.
Quickly the table is surrounded by children of varying ages, eager to find out what we have, share with us what they know, and see how they physically “size up” to wolves.
Before we know it, the group’s attention is being called for and the campfire is starting. After a welcome from the lead volunteer and a couple of campfire songs, (yes, Chris, Pam, and I participated to the best of our ability), we get started.
Moving among our guests, we ask the group to be skull detectives with us. An animal’s skull can tell us what types of food it eats, which sense is most important for survival, and roughly its size. Paw prints, along with the skull information, help the group identify the animals, all of which are native to Washington.
With a general understanding of the carnivores in our state, we take the group through a lesson in responsible hiking/camping/recreating and then demonstrate the good vs. bad ways to react if a person comes upon wildlife.
Faye holds up a wolf skull replica as Pam explains features of that species.
Finally, we are able to enjoy the Campfire Cones as more questions are asked and answered (incidentally, a campfire cone is a waffle cone filled with marshmallows, chocolate, sprinkles, peanuts, etc., wrapped in foil and heated over a fire for a short time. Everything melts together and you enjoy like an ice cream cone.) Overall, a great time is had by all, including these three Wolf Haven staff.
Faye Peebles – Woman of Distinction
Editor’s Note: Faye is too modest to mention this in her blog post, but she was recently selected as a Girl Scout Woman of Distinction. She received the award from two ambassador Girl Scouts at a May 4 ceremony in Tacoma, WA.
Wolves & Wine auctioneer Jeff Kingsbury manages to encourage bidding and smiles at the same time.
by Kim Young, Director of Communications, Wolf Haven International
photographs taken by Melissa Poinsett for Wolf Haven
Wolf Haven International launched “Wolves & Wine” in 2011 with the intention of making it our premiere fundraising event combined with our annual meeting. We wanted to create an evening where supporters could learn more about Wolf Haven’s recent accomplishments and future plans, and at the same time raise much-needed funds for our nonprofit sanctuary. We hoped it would offer wolf and wildlife advocates and supporters an opportunity to come together in a relaxed, comfortable surrounding. But above all, we wanted it to be FUN!
If you want to guarantee a successful adult event, it helps enormously to have excellent food and drink available in a convivial atmosphere. We had that covered from the beginning by offering wine tastings from a variety of vintners and delicious heavy hors d’oeuvres served by Bon Appetit catering at The Norman Worthington Conference Center of Saint Martin’s University. The stellar planning committee also believed that a silent and a live auction would be the ideal avenue for us to raise money in support of our mission: conserve and protect wolves and their habitat.
Wolf paintings by Skie Bender
We could sell all manner of wolf-related items: jewelry, custom-made cabinets, paintings, books, etc. as well as more generalized things like a package get-away week-end or sports tickets. The key to the success of the auction, however, was going to hang not only the generosity of our guests, but also on having just the right auctioneer at the helm.
The Perfect Fit – Jeff Kingsbury
We found the ideal company and candidate in Stokes Auction Group and Jeff Kingsbury. Jeff is an actor and director who specializes in musical theatre. His work has taken him all over the country and he has appeared in over 150 plays and musicals. Given his background in the theatre, it isn’t uncommon for Jeff to break into song during an evening’s event. He has a quick and warm wit, and a phenomenal memory for names.
Jeff with wolf paw painting
Jeff is a master at “driving” an incredibly fun, fast-paced evening. He encourages bidding auction items, but without pressure (well, not too much). After having Jeff Kingsbury as our Wolves & Wine auctioneer for the past several years, we can guarantee that by the end of the night, your mouth will hurt and your stomach will ache from laughing so hard. He feels a compassion and commitment to Wolf Haven’s mission and always strives to ensure that Wolves & Wine is a success. We truly hope you will join us on September 30, 2017 for the seventh annual Wolves & Wine – and Wolf Haven’s 35th anniversary! PURCHASE TICKETS HERE.
More About Jeff
As an auctioneer, Jeff has helped raise funds for the American Heart Association, Colorado Epilepsy Foundation, The Pacific Symphony (Orange County), The Amarillo Symphony, and many deserving organizations in addition to Wolf Haven.
Stokes Auction Group
The company, located in Edgewood, Washington specializes in supporting non-profit agencies and charitable causes in reaching their fundraising goals. Their team provides seminars, pre-event consulting, on-site support, professional auctioneers, bid spotters and materials to support your event. They serve groups of all sizes in their efforts to achieve financial success.
Our Media Sponsor for this year’s event is South Sound Magazine. Look for our Wolves & Wine ad in their September issue!
Wolf Haven’s annual fall fundraiser and annual meeting, Wolves & Wine, will be held on Saturday, September 30 from 5-8 pm at Saint Martin’s University – Norman Worthington Conference Center in Lacey, WA.
EcoLogica pg 9 – “Wolf Haven: a true sanctuary for wolves”
Driving south from Tacoma to Portland, just ten minutes out of exit 101 there is a very special place. A place different from anything you have heard of. A place full of peace and with some beautiful inhabitants: a wolf sanctuary surrounded by a blooming prairie.
Manejando hacia el sur, de Tacoma a Portland, a sólo diez minutos de la salida 101 hay un lugar muy especial. Un lugar
diferente a todo lo que hayas conocido. Un lugar lleno de paz y con unos habitantes hermosos: un santuario de lobos rodeado de una pradera floreciente.
Listen to this excellent interview with author Brenda Peterson, author of “Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America” and “Wolf Nation”. http://www.tinyurl.com/mqxvsyj
Captive-born and displaced wolves find sanctuary at Wolf Haven International.