Recovering Washington’s Wolves & Preserving the Critical Link

October 17, 2012
Paul Bannick and Jasmine Minbashian | Conservation Northwest

For the last 20 years, Conservation Northwest has been leading the effort to help wolves return to Washington State. In 2008, our Citizen Monitoring Program documented the first breeding pack to return to the Cascades in nearly a century. Since then we’ve been addressing the many issues surrounding the wolves’ return: illegal killing, conflicts with livestock, and concerns from hunters. Jasmine Minbashian is Conservation Northwest’s wolf program Director and star of the BBC/Discovery documentary Land of the Lost Wolves which aired to an international audience this summer. The film chronicles an expedition team documenting the return of wolves to Washington’s Cascades. Jasmine will share highlights from the film and talk about Conservation Northwest’s wolf recovery efforts.

In order for Cascades wildlife to retain healthy populations of wolves and other wildlife, Conservation Northwest is purchasing conservation easements on strategic ranch lands. These easements are a critical piece of our plan to connect the wild lands of the Cascades to the lifeblood of the Rockies. While we still work for wilderness protection on public lands, we are feverishly working to preserve this connective link through private lands. Learn how Conservation Northwest is working to both protect these lands and recover Canada lynx populations.

Speaker Details

Paul Bannick is a Seattle-based conservation author and wildlife photographer who also works full-time for Conservation Northwest. Before Conservation Northwest, Paul held similar positions with American Rivers and Islandwood after a 15-year software career that included management positions at Microsoft, Adobe and Aldus.

Jasmine Minbashian leads Conservation Northwest’s wolf program. She has been working in the conservation field for more than 15 years, serving as past director of the NW Old-Growth Campaign and Pacific Crest Biodiversity Project. Jasmine also stars in the BBC/Discovery documentary Land of the Lost Wolves which aired to an international audience this summer. The film chronicles the adventures of an expedition team as they document the return of wolves to the Cascade Mountains in Washington State.