About this project
WOLVES IN THE LAND OF SALMON
A unique and fascinating story is waiting to be told about one of the world’s most intriguing animals and its place in the diverse and striking landscapes of the Pacific Northwest; from wild coastlines and rainforests to remote mountain ranges and inhospitable deserts.
• How do wolves survive in a temperate rainforest and how is this different from their behavior and ecology in the harsh high deserts east of the Cascades?
• What have been the impacts of over a century of wolf extirpation from Western Washington and Oregon?
• What are the prospects and ecological significance of their recovery across Oregon, Washington and Northern California?
• What is the cultural significance of this iconic predator for indigenous peoples of the region and for modern western culture in the Northwest?
Answers questions such as these, and inspiring appreciation and conservation of our region’s wildlife and wildlands are at the heart of Wolves of the Pacific Northwest, a book I have a contract to write and photograph (Timber Press, Portland, Oregon). Lyrically written and strikingly photographed, while also academically rigorous and original, this book is designed for a broad audience.
THE FUTURE OF WOLVES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
The wolf is an icon of the wild, and a critical element of many of the ecosystems it inhabits. The story of wolves living in the Pacific Northwest is unique and provides a new lens to explore the ecology of a well known species, one often associated with the wide open tundra or vast grasslands rather than dense old growth forests, wild coastlines, mountainous landscapes, or deserts. As wolves become an increasingly conspicuous element in wildlands of our region and capture headlines in the news, people’s interest and curiosity about this regal symbol of the wild will also grow.
The re-establishment of wolves is well underway in the Pacific Northwest, making this project both a timely and time-sensitive one. With state and federal managers actively working on preparing for a rapid increase in the numbers and associated issues of wolves in the region, interest from the general public will only be growing in the near future.
NOT JUST A BOOK: A CONSERVATION INITIATIVE
There are few single elements of the natural world more compelling to the human psyche then wolves. Across the globe, and throughout time, wolves have captured the imaginations of humans. Here in the Pacific Northwest, both their recent absence and now reestablishment have brought into sharp focus the interest in this charismatic apex carnivore.
Along with the production of a book, photographs, articles, and presentations from this project will be used to promote awareness and conservation regionally through collaborations with regional educational and conservation organizations including Conservation Northwest (www.conservationnw.org) and Wilderness Awareness School (www.wildernessawareness.org) .
CAPTURING THE STORY
Pulling together the multitude of parts of this complex story will involve extensive literature research, interviews with experts in the field and expeditions across the region to places where wolves have maintained healthy populations, areas where reestablishment of populations in now occurring, and locations were wolf extirpation has had significant impacts on the regional ecology.
All of the writings and other media produced for this project will draw on the latest research findings on wolves and my own first hand encounters in the field with wolves and their environment. Field research and photography expeditions will be carried out via kayak, ski, backpacking and boat trips.
YOUR SUPPORT
Your support, along with grant funding I am seeking from foundations, and in kind donations, will help secure equipment needed for field work and photography, defray travel costs, and help underwrite other research and cost of living expenses over the 14 months that it will take me to produce the main manuscript for this project as well as engage the public and organizations through outreach events and other publications and publicity opportunities.
Your support here will ensure that I have the funds to commit to successfully carry out the research, photography and writing for the book and the other elements of this project!
FAQ
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on June 7, 2010.
Pledge $10 or more
Knowledge that you have contributed to promoting awareness and conservation of wolves and wildlands in the Pacific Northwest plus access to the exclusive Kickstarter Blog for this project with updates, information, and photographs as my field work and research unfolds.
Pledge $25 or more
Access to the blog plus a series of digital images from the project for your computer screen saver.
Pledge $50 or more
High resolution digital image of photo of your choice from the project that can be printed at 12x18”.
Pledge $75 or more
A personalized signed copy of the book plus the high resolution digital image mentioned above.
Pledge $150 or more
A personalized signed copy of both this book and my first book, Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest.
Pledge $275 or more
A 24x36 inch fine art print of image from project of your choice and recognition in book’s acknowledgments, as well as a signed copy of the book.
Pledge $375 or more
An original plaster cast of a wolf track from here in the Pacific Northwest collected by David during his field work for the project
Pledge $600 or more
Got a group of folks that want to spend a day in the field with David tracking wildlife or searching for wolf sign? Pool your resources and have one person pledge $600 or have each person pledge individually and contact David when you reach $600.
Pledge $600 or more
A full day in the field tracking wildlife with David in the Puget Sound area or elsewhere in the Northwest as can be arranged with David’s travel schedule, as well as a signed copy of the book.
Pledge $600 or more
A two-hour slide show on wolf ecology and conservation in the Pacific Northwest for a group of your friends, class, or colleagues in the Puget Sound area or elsewhere in the Northwest as can be arranged with David’s travel schedule.
Pledge $700 or more
A full day trailing and observing elk in the Washington Cascades and learning about one of the most important prey species of wolves experientially in the field (must cover all your own travel expenses).
Pledge $1,200 or more
A full day in the field tracking wildlife with David anywhere in the Puget Sound area or elsewhere in the Northwest as can be arranged with David’s travel schedule plus a 2 hour slide show on wolf ecology and conservation in the Pacific Northwest.
Pledge $3,500 or more
Join David for 2 days in the field, studying the impacts of wolves on their environment and searching for wolves and their tracks and signs during one of his field trips for the project at a location where wolves are well established in the region (must cover all of your own personal travel expenses).
Project By
Connected as David Moskowitz (579 friends)
David Moskowitz , a professional wildlife tracker, photographer, and outdoor educator, has been studying wildlife and tracking in the Pacific Northwest since 1995. His first book, PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILDLIFE is due on bookshelves across the region in late April (and is already available for pre-order (www.davidmoskowitz.net/Other/Field-Guide/9394156_jbtKf )!
David has contributed his technical expertise to a variety of wildlife studies regionally and in the Canadian and U.S. Rocky mountains, focusing on using tracking and other non-invasive methods to study wildlife ecology and promote conservation. David has worked on projects studying rare forest carnivores, wolves, elk, Caspian terns, desert plant ecology, and trophic cascades. He helped establish the Cascade Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project (www.davidmoskowitz.net/Other/conservation/8915838_mTkZT ), citizen science effort to search for and monitor rare and sensitive wildlife in the Cascades and other Northwest wildlands.
David’s extensive experience as an outdoor educator includes training mountaineering instructors for Outward Bound, leading wilderness expeditions throughout the western United States and in Alaska, teaching natural history seminars, and as the lead instructor for wildlife tracking programs at Wilderness Awareness School (www.wildernessawareness.org ), in Duvall, Washington. David holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and outdoor education from Prescott College.
See more photos and find out about David recent adventures on his website, www.davidmoskowitz.net and his blog, davidmoskowitz.blogspot.com.
