BOISE, Idaho - They call themselves 'wolf walkers.' Native Americans and volunteers left Portland, Oregon, on foot earlier this month, headed for Idaho to show support for wolves. Mato Woksape, a Lakota, organized the walk. He says they are praying for wolves and restoration of healthy ecosystems along the way, while also collecting tribal-creation stories about wolves. A Paiute story Woksape recently learned describes the wolf as putting the stars in a bag, with the intention of placing them in the sky in the shape of a tepee.

"The Coyote, the Trickster, took the bag of stars from the wolf while he was sleeping and scattered the stars in the sky and they're all messed up," says Woksape. "They're not the way the wolf wanted them to be."

Woksape says they've declared this week "Respect the Sacred Week," asking everyone to consider indigenous animals and plants in wild landscapes, and how those species and ecological health have fared with the introduction of domestic animals.

Woksape has confronted wolf-management agencies in several states about killing wolves, and plans to do the same when he arrives in Idaho, possibly later this week.

"When we get to confront fish and game, we're going to remind them they can't manage the sacred," Woksape says.

Walkers can join at any time, according to Woksape, while there is urgency in protecting wolves, they are taking their time on the walk so they can stay connected with nature.


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Wildlife conservationists are working with landowners and concerned Texans to recover at-risk species.

Currently, more than 1,100 animals from salamanders to mountain lions to birds need protection. Grahame Jones, executive director of the Texas Conservation Alliance, said the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is at the forefront of the work, and added that the agency created a comprehensive program to save the near threatened Guadalupe bass "through stockings in different rivers and creeks, restoration projects in watersheds and rivers, and then the management of invasive plants and how that might affect the rivers. And then also bringing in the public to help them."

The department is updating its Wildlife Action Plan that helps manage and conserve various species to keep them off the threatened and endangered lists. A survey is on the department's website.

The Parks and Wildlife Department is also working to save the threatened Texas horned lizard, or horny toad. John DeFillipo, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, said the agency is partnering with landowners to help repopulate the reptile.

"So, they will release these small horny toads on their property and also the work, which is unique on the horny toads, they coordinated with zoos across the state, and they raised them and released about 1,000 hatchlings," he said. "And then these hatchlings, since they're so young, they're able to produce in the wild."

Jones added that it's easier to keep population numbers up than it is try to recover a species.

"Once they get on a threatened list or endangered species list, the rules change and it's more expensive and there's all sorts of caveats and issues that come up," he said."So the goal is to keep these species off those lists."

Wyoming's practice of feeding elk over winters is a century old but the spread of disease has increased concerns. Now, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is rolling out a new solution.

The group launched a voluntary program in 2019, incentivizing ranchers who live near elk feedgrounds to ship their cattle elsewhere during winters, allowing elk to roam on their native winter range instead.

It keeps cattle and elk from commingling, which can lead to the spread of dangerous diseases such as brucellosis and Chronic Wasting Disease.

Teddy Collins, Wyoming conservation associate for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said the program is beneficial to the elk and cattle ranchers.

"It is very timely to have these agreements as a tool in the toolbox for state wildlife officials to try and move away from this process that has been around for a hundred years, but has negative repercussions," Collins emphasized.

Collins noted Chronic Wasting Disease was detected in four of the state's 21 feedgrounds this winter. A rancher in Lincoln County signed on in the fall, adding to the two agreements Teton County ranchers have signed since 2019.

The agreements are tailored to each rancher. Generally, cattle leave the property for more temperate areas of Wyoming or Utah from around Dec. 1 to April 1. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition shares associated costs with producers.

"These are voluntary agreements and they are incentive-based," Collins explained. "Each agreement is unique to the needs and the topography and the business of the individual producer."

Producers are, he added, "quite satisfied" with the program so far.


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Minnesota bird enthusiasts should keep their binoculars handy. April is a good month to spot various species migrating back to the region. Experts have tips on making it easier for them to settle in.

A good place to start for "birding" during spring migration is the Mississippi River corridor, a key flyway for birds traveling between their winter and summer homes. In the greater Duluth area, folks might also notice a lot of raptors, such as hawks and eagles, this time of year.

Monica Bryand, executive director of the Urban Bird Collective in the Twin Cities, considers this a worthwhile and fun activity.

"I've only been a birder for over 20 years, and I didn't realize what was out there until somebody took me birding," she said, "and, of course, now I'm just absolutely hooked."

As birds fan out across the state, Bryand says residents can do their part to keep obstacles and threats out of the way. That includes limiting backyard time for outdoor cats. And since birds tend to migrate at night, dimming or turning off outdoor lights is helpful, so long as personal safety isn't compromised. Applying window treatments such as films with UV patterns reduces bird strikes.

The latest State of the Birds report from national science and conservation groups is out, showing continued population declines, especially for grassland birds.

Bob Dunlap, a zoologist and data specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said that aligns with his research.

"We're down to 1% or less of the original prairie in Minnesota," he said, "and over time, that's definitely going to take a toll on these birds that do need grasslands to survive."

Researchers, along with the nonprofit Friends of the Mississippi River, have noted that habitat restoration has allowed species such as the Henslow's sparrow to see a turnaround. Meanwhile, Dunlap encouraged birders to use the "e-Bird" app when they're out. He called a reliable tool for citizen scientists to enter sightings.

"And so, the more data we have," he said, "the better to keep track of some of these trends."