Madison, WI –The Endangered Species Coalition, along with Wolfwatcher, Nature 365, Friends of the Wisconsin Wolf & Wildlife, among others, have launched a year long campaign in the Western Great Lakes to help demonstrate that wolves are a public asset, beloved by the citizens who live here. The majority of citizens, including those living amongst wolves, representing all walks of life including hunters, hikers, naturalists and farmers of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan believe that wolves belong on the landscape and understand the vital role wolves play in the ecosystem.
The goal of the campaign is to engage and educate others about the benefits of wolves. “As individuals learn more about wolves, we hope they will turn their knowledge into action by sharing their new information,” said Nancy Warren, U.P. resident and Director of the National Wolfwatcher Coalition.
This yearlong campaign around wolves will focus each month on a theme showing values, science, art, photos, traits, stories and experiences wolves provide to Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, as well as outlying states without wolves. Melissa Smith, Great Lakes Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition stated that the purpose is “we know that the media inherently reports on conflict, but there is another side to wolves. We are launching our campaign on St. Valentine’s Day, because we hope to give the public an opportunity to participate and express their love and support for wolves in a meaningful and positive way. We want to support the cultural views of indigenous people, the best available science and the values of all our citizens.”
The project was launched with help from Mindfruit Studios and world renowned photographer, Jim Brandenburg, who lends his voice to the campaign launch video about wolves titled, Big, Not Bad. Brandenburg’s work has always shown the wolf in a positive light, in addition to his Nature 365 project connecting people back to Minnesota’s wild nature.
To learn more about the campaign visit, www.endangered.org/big-not-bad
2 comments on “Coalition of Great Lakes Advocates Promote Positive Benefits of Wolves with “Big, Not Bad” Campaign”
I LOVE it. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in getting this all together. I’ve never been prouder to be a Native American (Kickapoo of OK Tribe/Assiniboine, FT. Belknap, MT) and a Wolf Advocate. My Kickapoo Grandmother taught me about the “clan way”. How clans always looked after everyone in the clan, no one went without. If anyone needed something another member had, they’d share. Old people were always cared for this way. And they learned this model of clan life by observing the wolves. The wolves prospered when they all hunted together in a pack. The ones left behind pupsitting were fed right along with the pups for their service. They worked together to get food and they shared it with the pack. I loved this story as a kid. This and many other Native ways Grandmother taught me really shaped my life.
~Candy Copeland, Marketing Director National Wolfwatcher Coalition
How do I join?