Wolves and Wildlands -- Preserving Nature's Balance

I heard the wild wolves from a distance, standing on the deck of my friend Harry Henriques' home near Buyck, Minnesota just north and west of the Echo Trail. It was the night before Harry was to leave his northern Minnesota home for his native New England -- for the last time. Though there had been many evenings spent listening, no wolf voices had been heard until this last night. The loons were racketing, and the wolves told their stories. The lake and the surrounding woods sang their songs, too. We were apart from, yet deeply connected to, the natural world -- and in that moment there was complete harmony that said "All is well." The wolves still tell their stories, and so do I. Their stories speak to us about something deeper than we can say; something ancient, something about the unity and importance and balance of all life.

Photograph by Daniele dePonthiere, Alpha Wolf Member and new friend, from Belgium