When pictures speak a thousand words

Help us tell the story of Alexander Archipelago wolves

Alexander Archipelago wolf, Prince of Wales Island by Ben Olson

Throughout 2022, we are setting out to tell the story of the Alexander Archipelago Wolves in Southeast Alaska. Their story is woven between old growth logging, human subsistence, and a changing ecosystem.

Prince of Wales Island is home to the genetically distinct Alexander Archipelago wolves. Wolves face growing persecution in the region because of the decline of one of their prey species: the Sitka Black-tailed Deer. These deer require old growth forests to sustain healthy populations, but their habitat was reduced by logging and their population is diminishing. Both humans and wolves are competing for deer as a food source, but instead of changing habitat management strategies to keep old growth intact, the wolves are trapped at an alarming rate.

Alexander Archipelago wolf numbers reached a historic low on the island in 2015, when the population estimates were a mere 89 wolves. Many groups petitioned that Alexander Archipelago wolves be listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2014, but the listing was denied. More stringent trapping quotas were introduced, and by 2018 the wolf population on Prince of Wales had rebounded to an estimated 170 wolves.

The State of Alaska manages Alexander Archipelago wolf trapping on Prince of Wales. In the fall of 2019, the State estimated that the 2018 wolf population was about 170 wolves, so they opened a two-month season with no limit on the number of wolves a trapper could kill, no limit on the number of trappers who could trap that season, and no limit on the number of wolves that could be killed throughout the season.

The results of this hands-off approach were astounding.

In March, after the trapping season closed, the Division of Wildlife Conservation released a report announcing that 165 of the 170-202 wolves estimated on the island were killed during the season.

Alaska Wildlife Alliance filed two emergency petitions to close wolf trapping on the island until the species recovered, both were denied. So, we filed a lawsuit against the State of Alaska for mismanaging wolf trapping on Prince of Wales. This lawsuit goes to trial in Spring 2022. Meanwhile, national nonprofits filed another petition to list these wolves under Endangered Species Act. A decision on the 2020 Endangered Species Act listing petition has not yet been made.

Through photography and videography we aim to tell this complex story, and we need your support.

Creek Crossing on Prince of Wales Island, by Ben Olson

‘Devastation’ Logging on Prince of Wales Island by Ben Olson

Your donations will directly support this project:

Donate $0-50 and you will receive a hand-written thank you note and email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos from project.
Donate $51-100 and you will receive a hand-written thank you, email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos from project, and five 5x7 greeting cards.
Donate $101-250 and you will receive a hand-written thank you, email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos, from project, five 5x7 greeting cards, and matted 8x12 print from project.
Donate $251-500 and you will receive a hand-written thank you, email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos, from project, five 5x7 greeting cards, and matted 12x18 print from project.
Donate $501-1,000 and you will receive a hand-written thank you, email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos, from project, five 5x7 greeting cards, and 16x24 print from project.
Donate $1,000-2,500 and you will receive a hand-written thank you, email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos, from project, five 5x7 greeting cards, and 20x30 print from project.
Donate $2,501-5,000 and you will receive a hand-written thank you, email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos, from project, five 5x7 greeting cards, and 24x36 print from project.
Donate $5000+ and you will receive a hand-written thank you, and email updates with exclusive unreleased images/videos, from project, five 5x7 greeting cards, and 30x45 limited edition print from project (only 25 will ever be printed).