17 October
-- Planning Commission Hearing

The day finally arrived and we were all very anxious to get it over, receive the commission’s recommendation for approval and move on to the County Commissioner’s Hearing. We were very confident in our belief that this was a ‘no-brainer.’ We had not received any complaints for almost 8 years, very few neighbors even showed up for our neighborhood meeting on the expansion and the Planning Department was recommending approval. What else could the commissioners want? After all, this was smack dab in the middle of ‘Wolf Awareness Week’.

The night started out great! Over 90 of our supporters showed up and it was great to see them all. This time we did not have time to visit though – we were the first item on the agenda.

The first surprise of the night happened rather quickly. After the Planning Department made their presentation and recommended approval of our requests, the Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department Captain proceeded to indicate that he would not recommend approval because in a major fast moving wild fire event he would not be able to defend the facility. Although he had already indicated this in his report, he had given mitigation measures that could be implemented to help with the situation. Some of which we had already implemented. This had been interpreted by the Planning Department and Wolf as an indication that he would then be in favor of the application. However, when he spoke in front of the commission, he made it sound as though he would never send firefighters to the Wolf facility no matter what type of fire was threatening. This stunned the Planning Department, Wolf and the Commission.

Then a few opposing neighbors presented a petition supposedly signed by 73 neighbors of the Wolf Sanctuary. Obviously we had not had a chance to review any of that material or to contact any of these individuals as to what their concerns might be. As we found out later, the names were collected by phone and only included 29 properties, most of which were well over a mile from the Sanctuary. It also appears that there were some very questionable practices used to gather the names.

The opposition then was allowed to take as much time with their comments to the Commission as they wanted, if they indicated they were speaking on behalf of a larger group – which, of course, every one of them said they were. Once the Wolf supporters were allowed to speak they were limited to two minutes. As each of the opponents gave their speeches it was apparent that the irrational fears involving wolves were at the basis of their concerns. However, they proceeded to make unfounded accusations about animals having escaped, Wolf staff shooting deer illegally, hiding wolves from the county when they showed up for inspections, etc. All – blatantly false, but it appeared that the Commission was believing all of it.

What should have been an open and shut case, in favor of Wolf, was now out of control. What in the world was going on? No matter what our lawyer or our supporters said in defense or to try to counteract the lies and innuendos, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of our requests. Did they not read the 170+ pages of technical reports and fact-based information? Was there no consideration for 8 years with absolutely NO complaints? Was this a set-up from the start? What were we supposed to think about all this?

18 October
-- The Day After

As we tried to comprehend exactly what had occurred the night before and how challenging our tasks were before the hearing with the County Commissioners, Isabeau again stepped up to the occasion. Her den now was large enough that she would disappear into it. The excavating was getting deeper, one side collapsing and even more interesting to watch. This was exactly what we all needed in order remember why we are here.

20 October
-- Defenders of Wildlife

As part of ‘Wolf Awareness Week', Defenders of Wildlife sponsored an outreach event featuring the Wolf presentation and Ambassador Wolves. It was held in Boulder to a standing room only crowd. It was a great opportunity to educate the general public and Samantha was a ‘rock star.’

21 October
-- More Snow Œ

Although the weather reports indicated a major storm heading for our area and the possibility of 12 - 18”, we ended up with only about 3”. It was a very beautiful snow, but only lasted for about a day and it was warm again.

23 October
-- Lakota Boy Goes To The Doctor/
    Make A Difference Day

Lakota had developed a growth on his lower jaw that had been growing slowly and now seemed to be bothering him. So off to Dr. Emily (see Lakota Boy for details).

Every year local businesses participate in a day of volunteering called, Make A Difference Day. They allow their employees to take the day off to help local charities. This year we had 21 individuals scheduled to work at the Sanctuary. We were excited for their help and looking forward to accomplishing more on the new habitats being built.

Fate had some weird twists affect the two days we were to have these volunteers help. It just so happened that the Colorado Rockies baseball team decided to win their conference title and were heading on to the World Series. So, what does that have to do with Wolf, you might ask. Well, everybody and their brother were trying to secure tickets for the series. The online ordering began the day we were to have folks come up. The online server was overloaded and crashed. Nobody was getting tickets. Six of our volunteers for the day cancelled and spent that time struggling with the internet site. The next day again, five volunteers for the day cancelled and worked to buy tickets.

28 October
-- Howl-O-Ween Run 

It was a beautiful day for the event and everything went extremely well. (see Run With The Wolves)

November
-- Preparing ”

As we prepare for the next County Hearing there are a tremendous number of tasks to be accomplished. Public support will play an integral role in the decision of the County Commissioners. So please send a letter to the commissioners in support of the Wolf Sanctuary Expansion (see Public Hearing and Irrational Fears). Please visit our web site for the latest information. Or, send us your e-mail address as we will be sending out E-News Updates on the results.

We are also trying to get everything around the facility ready for winter. All of the dog houses will be filled with bedding. Summer pools cleaned and flipped. Mulch added to areas of the dig guard that need it and of course, get the back hoe/snow plow ready for whatever winter decides to throw at us.

We thank you for getting us through another tough year and please:

Have A Wonderful Howl-O-Day Season!
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WideAwake Update

As we head into winter again, everyone’s thoughts drift to the WideAwake Wolves. We are hopeful this winter will not be as severe as last, but are confident the animals are healthy enough to withstand it. Their progress so far has been amazing, as they have overcome so many health issues. You can see a marked difference in their appearance, and they are beginning to show signs of significant emotional healing. We would like to share with you some of the heartwarming experiences these beings have given us. Boots, who used to bite out of fear, will allow a few volunteers to scratch him and eats from their hands. Lena, who would pace constantly, has dug herself a den, and allows a butt scratch from a lucky few when in it. Gina, who would also pace, now does the “happy dance” when her favorite human brings her meds. The “happy dance” is an excited butt wiggle accompanied by tail wagging and some excited foot maneuvers. Hammer, who scared us with his recent hip issues, can now move around fine, and gets within inches of eating goodies out of a volunteers hand. Lance, who showed severe stress when approached, now occasionally stops and stares at the humans, and will excitedly eat cat food mixed with liverwurst. Luna, who would also snap if approached, is very curious at the fence, and intensely watches all that the humans do. Isis, who was just as scared as the rest, will now approach a human who has their back turned, and has tried to steal peoples gloves. JJ, who was the most terrified of all, now does the happy dance before getting her meat, and often instigates play with her companion. Atlantis, who was initially social but became fearful, will try to play with the humans at the fence. Pride, who was traumatized by Jack’s death, has twice come to the fence and sniffed the hand of her caretakers. Kasota, who was originally afraid of everyone, will now come up to those scratching Lucan, quickly kiss their face, and run away smiling. Lucan, who has always been social, has come to love the volunteers and their affections, and even allows strangers to scratch his head. The four WideAwake animals at the Sanctuary have also made huge strides. Menemith and Webster have stopped their frantic pacing in their new enclosure, and we have witnessed them playing and chasing ravens. Gead has become amazingly social; she will sit down and let volunteers scratch her all over. Mucqua has changed from the most fearful animal we have ever seen, to a sweet, yet timid boy who will eat out of your hand and enjoy a quick thigh scratch. Although some of these signs may seem insignificant, they speak volumes for how far their spirits have come. All of us refer to these little miracles as our “paycheck”. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing the positive results of all the time and energy put in to save these animals from their horrible situation, from the emergency build, to last winters many snow emergencies, to our current application to Larimer County to get them moved to the main facility. Their improvement is worth every second and more. We know their emotional healing will be greatly improved by moving them to full sized enclosures at the Sanctuary. They will never have to be stressed by humans again once in their ½-acre habitats. Unfortunately, we are still short of our monetary goal to complete the enclosures. We are pushing ourselves to the brink to get them done before the winter weather stops us in our tracks. If you can help us finish them, the WideAwake wolves would greatly appreciate it. We would like to express a huge thank you to all those who have helped already with this massive undertaking. [ THANK YOU!