Dog and Wolf Behavior & the Wolves of WI, plus an Auction of Experiences

Featuring Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven

Thank you to all who attended our special event at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison on April 5, featuring Dr. Patricia McConnell and Adrian Wydeven! We loved seeing so many new faces and old friends gathered to learn about dogs and wolves from two true experts.

Adrian and Patricia spoke about the evolutionary history linking wolves and dogs, important similarities and differences between these canids, and some updates on gray wolf populations in Wisconsin today.

We loved being able to blend these engaging and educational presentations with fundraising for Wisconsin’s Green Fire. We are grateful for all who showed up to learn from our presenters, bid on our auction items, and come together in support of science-based conservation and natural resources management!

Did this event interest you in becoming a WGF member? Donate today! A gift of any amount makes you a member. Welcome!

Already a member? Please continue your support today. We value having you in our community of voices for conservation! We cannot do this work without you!

While this event was in-person only and was not recorded, please let us know if you would like to see more events like this (either in-person or virtually) in the future. We welcome your feedback or questions about the event!

Auctions

We held both a silent auction and a live auction of experiences. Many thanks to the businesses and individuals who donated items for our auctions! We had generous donations of gift certificates, books, pet supplies and goodies, and a beautiful photo print of a fox den! During the live auction, our auctioneers, Paul Heinen and Patricia McConnell entertained and engaged the crowd in bids on our six special experiences.

Congratulations and thank you to all the winning bidders! Not only have your donations set you up for exciting experiences, but you have also contributed to WGF’s ability to advance science-based conservation in Wisconsin and beyond! Thank you to all who participated! Read more about the auction of experiences items here.

1. Lunch and Dog Training with Dr. Patricia McConnell
2. Dinner and Wolf Howl with Adrian Wydeven in the Northwoods
3. Getaway to Green Valley, Arizona at Jim & Joy Perry’s
4. Fishing Trip with Tom Hauge
5. Learn about Necropsy with John Olson
6. Manoomin (Wild Rice) Harvest

Thank you as well to our event sponsor, bad dog frida, a local pet shop in Madison!

About Our Presenters:

Dr. Patricia McConnell and a female wolf at Wolf Park in Indiana

Dr. Patricia McConnell, WGF Ambassador

Dr. Patricia McConnell is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including The Other End of the Leash, which has been translated into thirteen languages. Patricia was the host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s show Calling All Pets from 1996 to 2008. She lives on a small farm in western Dane County with her husband, Jim Billings, two working Border Collies, and a small flock of sheep (rotationally grazed, of course!). She is a Wisconsin’s Green Fire Ambassador.

She has been a committed environmentalist since the early 1970s, when she volunteered for the first United Nations Youth Conference on the Environment, and the Institute of Ecology at UW-Madison. She received her PhD in Zoology (now Integrative Biology) from UW-Madison in 1988, where she taught “The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships” for twenty-five years. McConnell, trained in Ethology, is an Applied Animal Behaviorist, who saw serious canine and feline behavior cases for twenty-five years, and speaks around the world about animal behavior.

Adrian Wydeven holds a wolf pup while assisting the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on wolf research, May 2024

Adrian Wydeven, WGF Science Council Member

Adrian Wydeven is an expert wolf biologist with over 40 years researching and managing wolves and other mammals in the Midwest. Adrian grew up in Kimberly, Wisconsin along the highly industrial Fox River, but managed to find some wild areas along the river and along railroad tracks that inspired his interest in wildlife and the wild places where they lived. Adrian obtained his BS degree from UW-Stevens Point in Biology and Wildlife Management (1976), and his MS from Iowa State University (1979).  He worked in wildlife conservation and management for the Missouri Department of Conservation (1980-1982), and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (1982-2015) over the next 35 years.

Between 1990 and 2013, Adrian headed up the recovery and conservation program for gray wolves and other nongame mammals in Wisconsin. With retirement in 2015, Adrian continues to be active as volunteer, part time worker, or contractor, surveying and promoting sound conservation of wolves and other wildlife. He is an author on numerous scientific publications as well as several Wisconsin’s Green Fire papers. He is a member (and former co-chair) of the Wisconsin’s Green Fire Wildlife Work Group and a member of our Science Council.

Learn more about WGF and our events.

Visit our Events page for details about upcoming events, and recordings of past virtual events.

Browse our WGF Publications here. Looking for our papers on wolves?

1. Opportunities Now: Creating a Shared Vision for Wolves in Wisconsin (2020)
2. Conservation Bulletin: The February 2021 Wisconsin Wolf Hunt: A Preliminary Assessment (2021)
3. Conservation Bulletin: An Analysis of Wisconsin’s 2022 Draft Wolf Management Plan (2022)
4. Conservation Bulletin: The 350 Wolf Goal in Wisconsin: An Assessment by Wisconsin’s Green Fire on Setting Population Goals for the State’s Gray Wolf Population (2023)

Become a member of Wisconsin’s Green Fire.

• Visit our support page to learn more and donate today. Thank you!
• While many of our members are scientific experts, no expertise is required to be a member.
• We welcome people of all backgrounds and skillsets who share our commitment to science-based conservation and natural resources!