OR 7 Expedition–1,200 miles following a lone wolf

OR 14

While Journey carries on his quiet existance in southeast Oregon, a group of five ambitious folks are making plans to retrace the enigmatic wolf’s footsteps, from Wallowa County to northern California, a distance of over 1,200 miles.

I received an email from Jay Simpson, who holds the lengthy title of National Geographic Young Explorer & Multimedia Documentary Producer for the Wolf OR-7 Expedition. Jay explained the purpose of the trek is to “share the story of wolves returning to the Pacific Northwest and champion the collaborations that have made his (OR 7’s) journey possible.”

The trek is the brainchild of Oregonian Rachael Pecore-Valdez, a storyteller and educator. She’ll be on the trip (which begins in May and will be on foot or on bike) as well as Dave Moskowitz, author of Wolves in the Land of Salmon, Daniel Byers, and filmmaker, Galeo Saintz, founder of Wild Peace Alliance, along with Jay Simpson.

The group is fundraising for expenses and recently launched a Kickstarter campagin to help meet costs for a documentary, multimedia webiste, E-book and more. Oregon Wild, California Wolf Center, Pacific Wolf Coalition and others are supporting the project.

For 42 days, this devoted group will follow Journey’s trail, garnering attention for the protection of wolves from across the globe. Let’s support them in whatever way we can. Like them on Facebook, visit their website, and donate on Kickstarter. And please share this post widely. Education is key to the success of wolves in the Pacific Northwest and this project will do much to spread the word.