Power Point

A few reflections from the week thus far-

• I met with the dean of academic affairs at Northland and it does not look like a bright future for TWA. There isn't much being decided with the organization and from his point of view nothing is going to be decided for awhile. Thus meanwhile, it will me scrapping by. It is very sad to me that an organization who was there for 18 years (1990-2008) and then was asked to leave due to financial issues then got asked back in 2014 now is hurting the organization again. Adrian and I have been talking about some of theses issues and we worry that Northland will release TWA again. Is it better to be proactive in finding a new host organization or do we wait? This is the question of my day. So I have a feeling that by the time I leave, there will be a plan on how to move forward. Hopefully this would be with Northland, but maybe not. We have already begun discussing different ways to move TWA. I am heartbroken and continually frustrated with this. I am learning more and more about how Northland has been run and it reminds me so much about how clear communication and a shared governance model can support an organization. If this is lost, if we do not know how to work with one another, things do and will fall apart. We are seeing this now and TWA is being hurt by some poor decisions that they did not have anything to do with. 
• I am trying to expand our educational reach for the speaker's bureau. I have set up one talk in Plymouth WI for the fall! I also set up one talk with kids in the Summer in Sheboygan County. I am from there, so lots of connections to get people learning about wolves. I also heard from one speaker that they were going to do a presentation tomorrow! Which is great, so I sent the approved draft version of my middle school/high school presentation. She said she loved it and complimented me on part of its layout. This is what I needed. I don't need a lot of recognition, but I do need some. So after many hard weeks, I feel as if something good has came from it. I am excited to send it to the rest of the speakers in a few weeks when we finalize it! 
• My determination to find some field work is paying off. Tomorrow, I am going to band some kestrel. When I first read that name, I truly did not know what that bird was.... So I am going to have to do some research tonight. Hopefully the flooding doesn't stop the plans! Although not wolf related, I really am just looking to learn. I am sick of reading wolf books and sitting on my computer I need to get out! Also Adrian sent me a few leads on possible people I can go observe. With all the Northland stuff, it got lost by I could have observed with Ron Schultz, a trapper for WDNR and board member of TWA, which would have been really cool. However, he ends on the 30th and its 3 hours away. So unfortunately, that opportunity had been over shadowed by other dire needs. 
• I had the opportunity to also go through some old files of TWA. It is amazing what they have saved. In separate files for each state/region, there are copies of almost any wolf newspaper article. These things were published when I was a kid! It is hard to know what to do with some of this stuff but we are likely going to recycle it. No one has looked at it in years and no one really plans to. Adrian, hadn't even opened the boxes yet after 2.5 years. It is sad, because I feel like I am throwing away a part of history. I also read articles from the Maine Wolf Coalition and realize there is so much yet to do in wolf recovery. Maine's articles were over 15 years old and we never hear about the chance of wolves returning by reintroduction to that area. This lights a fire in me that I need to more and even if I go into the Outdoor Ed field I want to be involved in community action and research. I cannot just allow myself to educate but also do my part in assisting in wildlife management or conservation. 
• Speaking of Outdoor education field, I have had two interviews this week! Both of which I feel pretty good about. I won't talk to much about them because I don't want to jinx it. 

So in a world of applying for jobs, running a non-profit, and completing a graduate project, happy hump day! 

Ron Schultz looking at wolf den. Its that time when wolves
head to their rendezvous sites! Picture credit to TWA.