What is Wolfgard? Where did our name come from? Who’s involved? Find out here!
Wolfgard Northeast is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Southern Vermont. Our mission is to “…explore the wild through wolves” – teaching how wolves and other canid predators are critically important both to Northeastern ecosystems and to human culture. We offer diverse programs because the wolf is a complex creature, part of a web of ecological, mythological, and cultural history. This is what makes Wolfgard so unique — we teach about everything from canine behavior to werewolf folklore. Experiential education is one of our core values — ensuring that outdoor education, discussion, or storytelling is a part of almost every Wolfgard program. Wolfgard is now working to establish an education center in Southern Vermont to bring our experiential education to the next level. Live wolves, foxes, and coyotes are phenomenal teachers – delivering a learning experience that no single program can duplicate. We want to give folks an opportunity to watch and listen to live canids who are ambassadors to their wild cousins. Southern Vermont and our surrounding regions don’t have access to this kind of education – and Wolfgard is working hard to make this vision a reality. Nikolas Katrick, President and Founder “I first explored my love of wolves through biology, but was soon lured into more fields – becoming enchanted with stories and myths. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat stood out to me, not only in his storytelling, but in his conclusion that he, himself, had created a personal division between human and wolf. It challenged me to think deeply about the relationship between humans and wolves – how culture has divided two species that are so similar, and both of which carry so much wisdom. The first time I saw a wolf face-to-face — felt the brush of its whiskers and the intense, purposeful gaze of its amber eyes — it was a threshold from which I could not turn back. I am driven to learn and teach about wolves broadly; to reveal and heal broken bonds and show that respect of the wolf not only conserves our ecosystems, but also ties humans to our wild ancestry. Wolfgard Northeast explores the wild through wolves. We seek new and diverse perspectives about the wolf in our ecosystems and cultures by sharing our learnings through experiential education, discussion, and storytelling.
In these ways, wolves are in my marrow; an intrinsic part of me and my life.”
Nik has a life-long passion for wolves. An alumnus of Marlboro College, his undergraduate thesis centered on wolf hunting behavior, wolves in literature, and fiction writing – blending multiple fields to explore a diverse picture of this predator. Much of this learning coalesced during a summer of work at Mission:Wolf in Colorado, a wolf refuge that focuses on education and sustainability, and trips to Yellowstone National Park. He is a member of the Northeast Wolf Coalition, and has been actively involved in bringing wolf education to Southern Vermont. Nik brings a diversity of skills to Wolfgard, from storytelling to facilitating outdoor, experiential education to non-profit management. This diversity comes from the many “hats” he has worn — carpenter, teaching outdoor leadership and wilderness survival skills, volunteer EMT, and many others. He holds a Master of Science in Management focused on Mission-Driven Organizations from the Marlboro College Graduate Program, and is devoted to making a wolf refuge in Vermont a reality.
Allison Turner, Treasurer
Ms. Turner most recently served eight years as a Board Member with Rescue Inc. Ambulance Service located in Brattleboro VT, where she held the position of Vice President for several years and chaired their Development Committee. In addition to serving on several other Boards and Board committees, her experience includes a number of years as a worker-owner Board Member for Bookpeople, a distributor of 15,000 book titles from primarily small independent publishers formerly in California. Ms. Turner has a Masters and a Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy and teaches biology and chemistry laboratory classes at Marlboro College in Vermont. She thinks wolves are the bee’s knees, and is very excited to help this organization fulfill its wildest dreams.
Michael Clough, Secretary
“I was interested in predators and wolves in particular for most of my life. With some great wolf experiences in Minnesota’s Chippewa Forest and working with captive wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center, it is a trip to Yellowstone Park that stands out. We were attending a week-long course on Yellowstone’s predators through the Yellowstone Institute. The scheduled program leader had backed out at the last minute and was replaced by Rolf Peterson of Isle Royale fame. In addition to hanging out with one of the top wolf guys of his generation, we also had the opportunity to observe wolves every day. Half-grown pups at play, rallying howls and most memorable, a large pack of wolves surrounding a bison, that stood his ground and backed them off. Over a dozen wolves took turns testing the big herbivore who stomped his feet and shook his horns as if to say “Bring it on!” After fifteen minutes of sparring, the wolves moved off to pursue a herd of elk further down the valley and the bison returned to his grazing. It was a thrilling encounter that has etched itself in my mind and illustrates the challenges faced by our wild predators.”
Michael is a native Vermonter with a life-long interest in the outdoors and wildlife. Currently he is the Assistant Director at the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and also works as a Trainer/Naturalist for Four Winds Nature Institute among other nature and education related jobs and board positions. He has a background in alternative and supplemental education with a special focus on the use of live animals and experiential learning. Mike graduated from Long Island University with a degree in Environmental Science/Biology and has worked at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, The Raptor Project, the Putnam/North Westchester BOCES Outdoor Education Program, New York’s Wolf Conservation Center and operates his own outdoor education and consulting business, Rockhopper Outdoor Education.
Donovan Arthen, Director
“Wolves are a part of me. I was raised in a community that thrives on its closeness to the Earth and a belief that our lives are intrinsically intertwined with the rest of the natural world. Because of this life I see many things about the world in a slightly different light than most people. Wolves are teachers of what pinnacle community can look like. Their strength, stability, and joy come from togetherness. They demonstrate what it is to be interdependent and completely devoted to collaboration and trust. They challenge each other, and keep each other in check, but are fiercely protective of those that are dear to them. They take no more than they need to survive, and even as peak predators are embedded there is an inherent respect for the cycles for which they are a part. These are qualities that I strive to embody in my life.”
Donovan is a graduate of Wesleyan University and current MA student at Marlboro Graduate and Professional School in their MSM of Mission-Driven Organizations. He has spent his life involved in the nonprofit world as a volunteer, program director, and Board Member for several organizations such as The EarthSpirit Community, Ritual Arts Collective, Pioneer Valley performing Arts Charter Public School, Friends of PVPA, Janus Arts Project, Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School, and for the last three years as the executive director of PeaceJam New England.
Spoken, the name is easily mistaken for “Wolf-guard,” which isn’t the intended meaning (though is certainly appropriate). Gard comes to us from Old Saxon, and literally means “an enclosed space.” Gard also means “dwelling,” and evokes family and hospitality. We envision Wolfgard as a “wolf home” – a home for learning and exploration – a refuge for both wolves and the people who want to understand them better.