While many of us would be inclined to run away from howls and yelps in the dark of night, others will spend a weekend studying these sounds during the Wolf Ecology Workshop at Treehaven, near Tomahawk. Treehaven, a 1,400-acre nature preserve now owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, was founded by Dorothy and Gordon Kummer of Milwaukee. The Kummers planted over 140,000 trees on the property, a remarkable feat of land stewardship and one of the nation's finest examples of sustainable forest management by private landowners.
Hosted at Treehaven's large facility, the Wolf Ecology Workshop leads participants on a course of wolf history and ecology. (Participants can even earn college credit as part of the UW-Stevens Point Continuing Education Program.) Gray wolves have been in Wisconsin long before European settlers made their homes in the Midwest. At one time, wolves numbered between 3,000 and 5,000 in Wisconsin and played an important role in the state's natural ecology by controlling elk, bison, and deer populations. While wolves roamed over much of North America as long as 300,000 years ago, the wolf population has dwindled drastically over the past two centuries. With the recent reclassification of gray wolves to the federally endangered species list, the workshop takes advantage of the fact that Wisconsin is one of only nine U.S. states where wolves still freely roam the land.
Wolf tracking and nighttime howling surveys are two highlights of the workshops, which also feature lectures on wolf-human attitudes and values as well as demonstrations of wolf trapping techniques. The workshops, led by ecology professionals and members of the nonprofit Timber Wolf Information Network, run from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with two sessions this year: one on February 6-8 and another on February 27-March 1. Meals and lodging at Treehaven are available. The workshops are designed for adult audiences, although children accompanied and supervised by parents or adult chaperones are welcome to attend. To learn more about the Treehaven program or to register for a weekend workshop, call 715-453-4106.
