SMYRNA – The sixth annual Spirit of the Wolf Festival kicks off Sunday at Wolf Mountain begining at 11 a.m. The event is part of an effort to raise money for the construction of Wolf Woods, a new nine-acre area designed to meet the mounting needs of a thriving wolf pack.
Wolf Mountain has an acute need for a new wolf enclosure as the preserve’s population has increased dramatically in the past four years. A single wolf enclosure is insufficient to mollify the needs of Wolf Mountian’s growing population because the preserve’s three female wolves must be kept separate from one another. Currently, the main pack is comprised of one female and four male wolves, and is housed in a three-acre compound. The remaining three wolves (two females and one male) are divided into two separate and comparatively cramped enclosures.
“Wolf Woods is going to be great. People are going to really get to see the wolves tear around,” said Wolf Mountain Director and resident caretaker Will Pryor.
Last year, people from as far away as South Korea and Japan attended the Spirit of the Wolf Festival. The event’s final head count tallied well over 2,000, said Pryor.
This weekend’s event will feature a variety of musicians such as Norwich’s very own country music sensation Kaitlyn Jackson, who will sing songs from her own album. On top of that, there will be a classic rock cover band and Sherburne-Earlville High School graduate Matt Nakoa’s band will be coming up from New York City to perform.
“We really want to bring families out this weekend,” said Pryor. “One of the goals for us is to help people see what we are doing here as well as find out where we are, so that they can return to see the animals without the crowds and loud noises.”
Food will be available along with an array of activities, both for children and adults, such as a brief Civil War reenactment. Volunteers from Frontier Communications will coordinate parking. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
One of Wolf Mountain’s biggest draws are two Arctic Foxes, an endangered species and the only purebreds of their kind. Environmental scientist and assitant forest ranger Katie Fox and biologist Michelle Chan will be present to talk about the Arctic Foxes and answer questions. During the winter season, Arctic Foxes rely heavily on the left-overs polar bears leave behind, but with the melting of the polar ice caps, polar bears have been having difficulty catching prey.
A new addition to Wolf Mountain is a recently rescued wolf from a private out-of-state owner. Hunter, a 120 pound, 10-year-old timber wolf, was just two days away from being euthanized after it was determined that his owners were unfit to take care of him. “I believe that the owners loved him. They even drove him all the way here to save him. They just didn’t know what to do with him and had locked up in a horse stall for six-years,” said Pryor.
Along with Hunter, a new compound containing six Eastern coyotes was completed this year. Little is known about the shy and enigmatic Eastern coyotes. “They are a widely misunderstood animal and this encloser will allow us to get to know them better,” said Pryor. It has taken Pryor and his volunteers two years to complete the encloser due to their lack of grants and they were only able to do so with material donations from Norwich High School.
“Even after all these years, I still get goose bumps each time I see them,” said Pryor. Wolves have lived in New York for millions of years, but are on the brink of extinction due to excessive hunting.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Wolf Mountain is located at 562 Hopkins Crandall Road in Smyrna. To get there from Norwich, take 23 West to 16 and Plymouth to Hopkins Crandall Road, or if traveling from Smyrna, take Coye Hill Road to Beaver Meadow Road to Hopkins Crandall Road.
For more information, call 627-6784 or visit www.thewolfmountainnaturecenter.org.