Wolf Awareness Week
Wolf Awareness Week is a time to dispel misconceptions about wolves and to teach about the important role these predators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. The wolf is a striking symbol of wild nature, yet it has long been shrouded by myth and superstition. Wolf Awareness Week encourages conservation efforts not only for wolves, but for all wild species. The UK Wolf Conservation Trust is once again running a full programme of events during Wolf Awareness Week, which this year is from October 12th to 20th. Please note that booking is required for all events except the Open Day. The events are as follows:
Friday 11th October - Howl Night
If you’ve ever dreamed of standing near a wolf and hearing it howl, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel your backbone tingle and your ears vibrate with the sound. The evening will start with a presentation on wolf communication; you will then go on a tour of the centre and have the opportunity to let out a howl and see if the wolves respond! £15 per person – Book online
Saturday 12th October - Joan Paddick Photography competition winner’s photo morning - click here, followed by Members Walk
Sunday 13th October – Members Walk (for full details of how to become a member click here)
Monday 14th October – School Day – Creative Writing workshop with award winning author Michelle Paver
For students 8 years and up, Cost £20 per student. Running from 11am to 3pm Come and see our 10 wolves and speak to our knowledgeable handlers and take part in a creative writing workshop with children’s author and Wolf Trust Patron, Michelle Paver. Michelle wrote the award winning series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and will on the day talk the students through her research and writing processes.
This will be followed by a tour of the Trust to see our wolves to gather inspiration for students to write their own stories. Teachers will be asked to select some students to have their work read and reviewed by Michelle. This feedback will be to the entire group allowing everyone to learn from resulting discussion. This is truly a unique opportunity to learn from this inspiring author. Booking Essential (For primary school groups only), ring the Education team at the Office on 0118 971 3330
Tuesday 15th October – School Day – Creative Writing workshop with author Piers Torday
For students 8 years and up, Cost £15 per student. Running from 11am to 3pm Come and see our 10 wolves and speak to our knowledgeable handlers and take part in a creative writing workshop with children’s author Piers Torday. Piers has just released his first Children’s book ‘The Last Wild’ and will on the day talk the students through his research and writing processes.
This will be followed by a tour of the Trust to see our wolves to gather inspiration for students to write their own stories. Teachers will be asked to select some students to have their work read and reviewed by Piers. This feedback will be to the entire group allowing everyone to learn from resulting discussion. This is truly a unique opportunity to learn from this inspiring author.
Booking Essential (For primary school groups only), ring the Education team at the Office on 0118 971 3330.
Wednesday 16th October – Wild Art Day Art/Photography Day for GCSE & A and BTEC and Degree Level students, 10am to 4pm
Spend the day on site observing, sketching, sculpting or photographing our wonderful ambassador wolves. This is a unique opportunity for students to add something different to their course work. The full day workshops are
• Photography with professional wildlife photographer Bob Brind-Surch.
• Art with local artist Susan Smith
• Stone sculpture with Andrew Hood a resident sculptor at Englefield Garden Centre.
Booking required. £20 per person (students only), ring the Education team at the Office on 0118 971 3330
Thursday 17th October – Open Day
Our only midweek open day of the year, come and have a tour of the Trust see the wolves in their enclosures.
• Presentations by Wolf Trust education staff throughout the day in the education centre.
• Learn about the projects the Trust supports around the world, why wolves howl, wolves in literature and wolf behaviour.
• The chance to talk to members of the UKWCT team.
• Great photographic opportunities from our raised observation platform and through photographic viewing points close to the wolves.
• Birds of Prey on site all day with flying demonstrations.
11am to 5pm. £5 non-members, £4 members, senior citizens and children up to 12 years. Children under 3 years free. Booking not required. Food available.
Friday 11th October - Howl Night
If you’ve ever dreamed of standing near a wolf and hearing it howl, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feel your backbone tingle and your ears vibrate with the sound. The evening will start with a presentation on wolf communication; you will then go on a tour of the centre and have the opportunity to let out a howl and see if the wolves respond! £15 per person – Book online
Saturday 12th October - Joan Paddick Photography competition winner’s photo morning - click here, followed by Members Walk
Sunday 13th October – Members Walk (for full details of how to become a member click here)
Monday 14th October – School Day – Creative Writing workshop with award winning author Michelle Paver
For students 8 years and up, Cost £20 per student. Running from 11am to 3pm Come and see our 10 wolves and speak to our knowledgeable handlers and take part in a creative writing workshop with children’s author and Wolf Trust Patron, Michelle Paver. Michelle wrote the award winning series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and will on the day talk the students through her research and writing processes.
This will be followed by a tour of the Trust to see our wolves to gather inspiration for students to write their own stories. Teachers will be asked to select some students to have their work read and reviewed by Michelle. This feedback will be to the entire group allowing everyone to learn from resulting discussion. This is truly a unique opportunity to learn from this inspiring author. Booking Essential (For primary school groups only), ring the Education team at the Office on 0118 971 3330
Tuesday 15th October – School Day – Creative Writing workshop with author Piers Torday
For students 8 years and up, Cost £15 per student. Running from 11am to 3pm Come and see our 10 wolves and speak to our knowledgeable handlers and take part in a creative writing workshop with children’s author Piers Torday. Piers has just released his first Children’s book ‘The Last Wild’ and will on the day talk the students through his research and writing processes.
This will be followed by a tour of the Trust to see our wolves to gather inspiration for students to write their own stories. Teachers will be asked to select some students to have their work read and reviewed by Piers. This feedback will be to the entire group allowing everyone to learn from resulting discussion. This is truly a unique opportunity to learn from this inspiring author.
Booking Essential (For primary school groups only), ring the Education team at the Office on 0118 971 3330.
Wednesday 16th October – Wild Art Day Art/Photography Day for GCSE & A and BTEC and Degree Level students, 10am to 4pm
Spend the day on site observing, sketching, sculpting or photographing our wonderful ambassador wolves. This is a unique opportunity for students to add something different to their course work. The full day workshops are
• Photography with professional wildlife photographer Bob Brind-Surch.
• Art with local artist Susan Smith
• Stone sculpture with Andrew Hood a resident sculptor at Englefield Garden Centre.
Booking required. £20 per person (students only), ring the Education team at the Office on 0118 971 3330
Thursday 17th October – Open Day
Our only midweek open day of the year, come and have a tour of the Trust see the wolves in their enclosures.
• Presentations by Wolf Trust education staff throughout the day in the education centre.
• Learn about the projects the Trust supports around the world, why wolves howl, wolves in literature and wolf behaviour.
• The chance to talk to members of the UKWCT team.
• Great photographic opportunities from our raised observation platform and through photographic viewing points close to the wolves.
• Birds of Prey on site all day with flying demonstrations.
11am to 5pm. £5 non-members, £4 members, senior citizens and children up to 12 years. Children under 3 years free. Booking not required. Food available.
Friday 18th October - Photographic Day
Photograph all 10 of the Trust’s wolves, including our amazing Arctic trio. Held in the winter when the wolves are at their most charismatic our photography workshop starts with a brief presentation setting the scene and giving you some background information of the wolves and the centre. You will then have time to photograph the wolves either in their enclosures or out on a walk.
Open to photographers of all abilities and standards of equipment. Participants must be 18 years or older. More information on our Photographic Days can be found here. Spaces are limited – so book early. £125 per person, click here to book.
Seminar - 19th October and 20th October
We have two all day seminars taking place this year with some prominent members of the wolf world joining us to speak about their experiences. Guest speakers include:
Dr Doug Smith – Doug is currently project leader for the Yellowstone Grey Wolf Restoration Project in Yellowstone National Park. He worked as biologist for the project from 1994 to 1997 and has been with the programme since its inception. Doug has studied wolves for 23 years. Prior to Yellowstone, he worked on Isle Royale with wolves from 1979 to 1992 and also with wolves in Minnesota in 1983. He received his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Idaho in 1985. His coursework and fieldwork from 1985 to 1988 earned him a Master of Science in Biology from Michigan Technological University. Doug received his PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno in the programme of Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology. Doug co-wrote the book ‘Decade of the Wolf, and the revised and updated edition: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone’ which was published in 2012, will be able for purchase at the Trust. This will be Doug's first visit to speak about the Yellowstone project in the UK.
Dr Cristina Eisenberg – Cristina conducts research at High Lonesome Ranch in north-central Colorado and leads their long-term trophic cascades research program there. Her research interests also include research interests involve living sustainably with large carnivores. Cristina also teaches and is a Faculty Research Associate at Oregon State University as well as conducting wolf-elk-fire research in Alberta. Cristina comes from a ranching background and lives in a remote log cabin in northwestern Montana, where the grizzly bear and wolf populations outnumber the human population. Her first book, The Wolf’s Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades and Biodiversity, was published by Island Press in 2010. Her new book, "The Carnivore Way", will be finished this summer and it is about carnivore ecology and conservation.
Paul Lister – Owner of the Alladale Estate, which is home to the Alladale Wilderness Reserve. This is a wilderness area in the Caledonian Forest in north-east Scotland. It is being managed so as restore it to its natural state by increasing the tree cover of the valley, reintroducing native animals which are no longer found in Britain and encouraging biodiversity. Paul is also now looking beyond Britain to Europe, having founded and endowed The European Trust for Nature (TENT). The aim is to raise awareness of the wildernesses that still exist, such as the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. The European Nature Trust (TENT) was founded in 2001 to help preserve and restore the last remaining areas of wilderness and degraded habitats in Europe. TENT focuses on two very different regions of Europe, the Carpathian Mountains of Romania and the Scottish Highlands. Paul will be speaking on the 19th October only.
Photograph all 10 of the Trust’s wolves, including our amazing Arctic trio. Held in the winter when the wolves are at their most charismatic our photography workshop starts with a brief presentation setting the scene and giving you some background information of the wolves and the centre. You will then have time to photograph the wolves either in their enclosures or out on a walk.
Open to photographers of all abilities and standards of equipment. Participants must be 18 years or older. More information on our Photographic Days can be found here. Spaces are limited – so book early. £125 per person, click here to book.
Seminar - 19th October and 20th October
We have two all day seminars taking place this year with some prominent members of the wolf world joining us to speak about their experiences. Guest speakers include:
Dr Doug Smith – Doug is currently project leader for the Yellowstone Grey Wolf Restoration Project in Yellowstone National Park. He worked as biologist for the project from 1994 to 1997 and has been with the programme since its inception. Doug has studied wolves for 23 years. Prior to Yellowstone, he worked on Isle Royale with wolves from 1979 to 1992 and also with wolves in Minnesota in 1983. He received his Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from the University of Idaho in 1985. His coursework and fieldwork from 1985 to 1988 earned him a Master of Science in Biology from Michigan Technological University. Doug received his PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno in the programme of Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology. Doug co-wrote the book ‘Decade of the Wolf, and the revised and updated edition: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone’ which was published in 2012, will be able for purchase at the Trust. This will be Doug's first visit to speak about the Yellowstone project in the UK.
Dr Cristina Eisenberg – Cristina conducts research at High Lonesome Ranch in north-central Colorado and leads their long-term trophic cascades research program there. Her research interests also include research interests involve living sustainably with large carnivores. Cristina also teaches and is a Faculty Research Associate at Oregon State University as well as conducting wolf-elk-fire research in Alberta. Cristina comes from a ranching background and lives in a remote log cabin in northwestern Montana, where the grizzly bear and wolf populations outnumber the human population. Her first book, The Wolf’s Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades and Biodiversity, was published by Island Press in 2010. Her new book, "The Carnivore Way", will be finished this summer and it is about carnivore ecology and conservation.
Paul Lister – Owner of the Alladale Estate, which is home to the Alladale Wilderness Reserve. This is a wilderness area in the Caledonian Forest in north-east Scotland. It is being managed so as restore it to its natural state by increasing the tree cover of the valley, reintroducing native animals which are no longer found in Britain and encouraging biodiversity. Paul is also now looking beyond Britain to Europe, having founded and endowed The European Trust for Nature (TENT). The aim is to raise awareness of the wildernesses that still exist, such as the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. The European Nature Trust (TENT) was founded in 2001 to help preserve and restore the last remaining areas of wilderness and degraded habitats in Europe. TENT focuses on two very different regions of Europe, the Carpathian Mountains of Romania and the Scottish Highlands. Paul will be speaking on the 19th October only.
Will Burrard-Lucas - A professional wildlife photographer from the UK, his creative and innovative approach to wildlife photography has earned him international acclaim. Through his work, he aims to inspire people to celebrate and conserve the natural wonders of our planet. As a young boy, Will spent three years living in Tanzania. Ever since, Africa has been in his blood and many of his best-known projects have taken him back to the continent. His time-lapse documentation of the legendary wildebeest migration garnered the Moving Image Award at the 2011 Sony World Photography Awards. Will used a BeetleCam—a camera mounted to a small remote control buggy—to photograph lions up close and the resulting images were widely aired on Good Morning America, ABC Nightline and BBC News. Embarking on the Ethiopian Wolf Project allowed Will to actualize a long-held dream. He hopes that his images will play a part in conserving this unique, beautiful and charismatic endangered species. Will is speaking on the 20th October only.