Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Back by popular demand…A holiday poem from our wolf expert Suzanne Stone:

Twas that Eve before Yuletide

Photo illustration by Peter Corcoran; photo copyright Michael Quinton/National Geographic Stock

‘Twas the eve before Yuletide
And to Santa’s dismay
Came a blizzard of such fury
Reindeer couldn’t lift his sleigh.

As the elves paced and worried
And Santa’s face grew a scowl
Came a song from the woods:
A wolf pack’s mighty howl.

From the thick of the storm
O’er deep snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

Santa’s mouth hung open for a blink
As the wolves lined up in front of his sleigh
Then he sputtered an order to the elves
“Well then… let’s be on our way!”

Santa met and thanked each wolf
As the elves finished loading the last gift
Then he sprinkled them with fairy dust
Chuckling, “That’ll give you the lift.”

“They won’t believe this in Wyoming..”
He laughed, a merry twinkle in his eyes
Then the elves harnessed the wolves
And they took to the skies.

On Lightfoot! On Blacktail! On Windswift! On Howler!
On GreenEyes! On MoonSong! On Hunter! On Prowler!
The wolves’ eyes glowed as they leapt through the storm
Santa wished his own coat could keep him as warm.

That night the wolves even taught Santa to howl
An ancient song filled with hope for Peace and Joy
That this season may bring for all Life on Earth
As they left special gifts for each girl and boy.

‘Twas that eve before Yuletide
Santa will always fondly remember
When wolves rescued his mission
That stormy December.

Despite continued conflict, wolves are expanding to new areas across the Rockies. A wolf in Oregon known as OR-7 has dispersed from the northeast corner of the state, over the Cascades, and within 50 miles of California.

While the news this last year regarding wolves has often been worrisome, it has also been a year of important achievements and good transitions.  Top among those is the westward expansion of wolves in Oregon and Washington.

A single pioneering wolf has made his way through the Cascades and is within potential range of the northern Californian border.  If he reaches the state, he’ll be the first documented wild wolf in California since 1924, when the last known native California wolf was trapped and killed.

In Washington state, wolves have been dispersing westward as well. The Teanaway wolf pack is the state’s fourth documented wolf pack that lives less than 100 miles southeast of Seattle.  Only a month after this pack was found, a fifth pack was documented in the northeastern corner of the state and named the Smack Out pack after a nearby mountain.

Even in the heart of wolf country there is plenty to be thankful for. Our Wood River Wolf Project in central Idaho keeps picking up steam and gaining crucial support from local stakeholders. In a recent feature story that ran in the ag-friendly Capital Press, ranchers and county officials alike spoke favorably about the effectiveness of nonlethal deterrents:

Commissioner Larry Schoen believes such demonstrations help in understanding the economics of nonlethal options. He said lethal controls can never be taken off the table but should be the option of last resort.

“The goal here is to avoid the losses up front and not wait until livestock are killed and try to find the offending animal,” Schoen said.

Lava Lake ranch supports expansion of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s wolf radio collaring program to better track packs. They’ve found that nonlethal deterrents work best in combination.

“The nonlethal program has been very effective, and we’ve learned a lot working with all of the partners involved,” said Lava Lake official Tess O’Sullivan. “We intend to continue using nonlethal methods to protect our sheep.”

Participant John Faulkner found the turbo fladry worked better for neighbors with flat land than on his steep terrain. He’ll continue using spotlights to ward off wolves.

“They’ve done us some good, there’s no question about that,” Faulkner said. “The main thing that helped was (Defenders) had people out there who stayed up there all night.”

Hopefully, the idea of “coexistence” will continue to catch on across the region and help reduce the animosity that has stifled wolf recovery for far too long. Thanks to all our partners who have helped transform this idealistic dream into a practical reality.

For your holiday enjoyment (and with apologies to Clement C. Moore)!

‘Twas the eve before Yuletide
And to Santa’s great dismay
Came such an icy blizzard
Reindeer couldn’t lift the sleigh.

Photo illustration by Peter Corcoran; photo copyright Michael Quinton/National Geographic Stock

As the elves paced and worried
And Santa’s face grew a scowl
A song echoed from the woods:
A wolf pack’s ancient howl.

From the thick of the storm
O’er snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

Santa’s mouth hung open wide
As the wolves paired up in front of his sleigh
Then he sputtered to the elves
“Well…then… let’s be on our way!”

Santa met and thanked each wolf
While the elves finished loading the last gift
Then he sprinkled their fur with fairy dust
Chuckling, “That’ll give you a lift.”

“They won’t believe this in Wyoming!”
He laughed, a merry twinkle in his eyes
Then the elves harnessed the wolves
Giving a mighty pull they took to the skies!

From the thick of the storm
O’er snow on big padded feet
Came eight silvery wolves
Ice and wind could not beat.

On Lightfoot! On Blacktail! On Windswift! On Howler!
On GreenEyes! On MoonSong! On Hunter! On Prowler!
The wolves’ eyes glowed as they leapt through the storm
Santa wished his own coat would keep him as warm.

That night the wolves even taught Santa to howl
A song filled with hope for Peace and for Joy
That this season may bring for all Life on Earth
As they left special gifts for each girl and boy.

‘Twas that icy eve before Yuletide
Santa will fondly remember
When wolves rescued his mission
That stormy December.

For Orion. Suzanne Asha Stone ©2010