Why Wolves Still Matter for Northeastern Forests
State environmental agencies across the Northeast insist that wolves are extirpated, or gone from the landscape. Yet every once in a while, a wolf turns up in the region, usually because a coyote hunter shot it. These unfortunate events point to the possibility that wolves are returning to the Northeast, as well as the new reality—borne out by recent genetic studies—that wolf-coyote mixes are evolving. Nadia Steinzor, Northeast Carnivore Advocate for the Rewilding Institute, discusses these issues and the implications for policy and ecology on From the Forest, a podcast of the Catskill Forest Association in New York State.
Nadia Steinzor is an environmental consultant with 25 years of experience in policy analysis, research, writing, and communications. She has developed and managed projects to investigate the oil and gas industry’s impact on the climate and communities, secure governmental protections for air, water, land, and wildlife, and engage the public in advocacy efforts. Nadia works with the Rewilding Institute to ensure that wolves and other carnivores thrive and roam in the Northeast and beyond. Nadia holds an M.S. in environmental policy from the Bard College Center for Environmental Policy.