Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

09/04/2026

Urgent Press Release: September 4, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump today signed an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior to consider removing Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves, as well as provide recommendations for legislative efforts to do the same. It goes further and encourages the federal agencies to meddle with states’ protected species laws to remove protections, and directs the agencies to weaken evidentiary standards related to livestock depredation.

Ranchers are entitled to 100% compensation for their wolf-predation losses under state and federal programs, and state wildlife departments also provide funding for conflict mitigation programs like livestock carcass removal and range riding, which help discourage habituation behaviors.
Longstanding mismanagement of the U.S. population of Mexican wolves, which were reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998, has led to a decline in the population’s genetic diversity accompanied by birth defects and fewer pups being born and surviving. Just seven Mexican wolves were successfully bred in captivity decades ago to rescue the subspecies from extinction, but since that time most of the genes from those seven last wolves have been lost.

“The Mexican gray wolf is not recovered simply because the population has grown. With just 317 wolves in the wild and a population still facing serious genetic challenges, weakening federal protections now would put decades of recovery work at risk. Decisions about the future of lobos must be based on the best available science and what these wolves need for long-term recovery, not political pressure.” -Claire Musser

Read full note: https://gcwolfrecovery.org/press-release-trump-executive-order-strip-protections-mexican-gray-wolves-sep-2026/

Western Watersheds Project
Wolf Conservation Center
Wildlife for All
WildEarth Guardians
@ Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter
Center for Biological Diversity

09/04/2026

🐺 Good food, good people and a shared purpose.
Join us for a special fundraiser with and help support Mexican gray wolf recovery!
On fundraiser day, every meal is an opportunity to give back. Come enjoy something from Someburros, mention GCWRP or show the fundraiser flyer, and help turn a meal into support for wolf recovery.
We’re grateful for the businesses and communities that choose to come together for wildlife. This is what co-thriving looks like, people, local businesses, and conservation working together.
Check the graphics for all the details and join us for the fundraiser!

*Details in comments.

09/03/2026

“When conflict keeps happening in the same places, repeatedly removing wolves is not a solution; it is a sign that we need to change what we are doing on the ground. We know that proactive, adaptive conflict prevention can protect livestock while allowing wolves to remain on the landscape. Mexican gray wolf recovery cannot succeed if wolves continue to pay the price for preventable conflict. We need to invest in working with livestock producers before conflicts occur, rather than waiting until the only options being considered are moving or k;ll;ng wolves.”
-Claire Musser, Executive Director, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

Read more: https://gcwolfrecovery.org/press-release-mexican-gray-wolves-moved-killed-problem-grazing-aug-2026/

09/02/2026

Join us on the square and City Hall!
On Saturday we will be at the Flagstaff Music Festival aims to celebrate our local music scene by showcasing Flagstaff bands while raising funds and awareness for the Haven Walker Music Scholarship Fund.

On Sunday we will be at City Hall, at the Flagstaff Farmers Market, come see us!

GCWRP Events: https://gcwolfrecovery.org/events/

09/02/2026

“People often ask how I ended up working for wolves.
I’ve always been fascinated by our different relationships with animals, but my master’s in anthrozoology gave me the knowledge and confidence to turn that fascination into a career. It also shaped how I understand wolf recovery: not simply as a question of wolf numbers, but of how humans learn to share landscapes with them." -Claire Musser, Executive Director, Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

If you’re interested in human–animal relationships or considering a career in this growing field, join the free online Anthrozoology as International Practice Student Conference, September 4–5.

Learn more and register: https://anthrozoologyconference.com
https://www.facebook.com/AnthrozoologyInternationalPractice

09/02/2026

Our executive director Claire Musser will be at Theatrikos in Flagstaff Today Wednesday, September 2, for the Flagstaff premiere of In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey.

Films about wolves help shape how people understand them, and they don’t have to provide all the right answers to open up important conversations. I’m looking forward to watching, reflecting, and talking about the stories we tell about wolves, the American West, and what those stories mean for wolf recovery today.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Theatrikos Theatre Company in downtown Flagstaff.

🎟️ Details and tickets:
https://sedonafilmfestival.com/event/flagstaff-premiere-in-the-company-of-wolves/

09/01/2026

August brought difficult news for Mexican gray wolves. We joined our conservation partners in responding to the deaths and removal of wolves in areas experiencing repeated livestock conflict. These cases raise an important question: if removing wolves only provides temporary relief, why do we continue returning to the same response?

Wolf recovery cannot simply be measured by how many wolves are on the landscape. It also depends on what people do when wolves return.

That means investing in conflict prevention before livestock are lost and wolves are blamed. It means understanding the landscape, livestock behavior, and wolf behavior, and recognizing that co-thriving goes beyond coexistence. It is not simply a checklist of tools, but a way of paying attention, learning from the landscape, and adapting our actions accordingly.

There are reasons for optimism, too.

The Lobo Youth Summit is now accepting submissions. Young adults will have the opportunity to explore wolf science, conservation, and leadership, and turn their ideas into action through $500 project microgrants.

The challenges facing wolf recovery are complex. We need people willing to ask better questions, imagine new approaches, and help shape what comes next.

Your idea could become part of that future.

🐺 Lobo Youth Summit submissions are now open. https://gcwolfrecovery.org/lobo-youth-summit/

08/31/2026

🐺 Back to School Means It’s Time to Name a Lobo!

As students head back to the classroom, we need your help! We’re continuing to build the Lobo Family Tree, documenting the generations of Mexican gray wolves who make up this remarkable recovery story, and many wolves still need names.

Teachers, families, classrooms, and young wolf advocates: now is the perfect time to get involved. Learn about a real Mexican gray wolf, choose a meaningful name, and become part of their story.

Every wolf matters. Every name helps us tell their story.

🐾 Submit your wolf name today!
https://gcwolfrecovery.org/learning-from-lobos/
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0Iv0It5fHk0vxQ2dAPA0lNsX30aFpri4GYPacIHOlYhYPvQ/viewform

08/30/2026

Conservation advocates state that these removals merely check boxes rather than identifying long-term solutions that benefit all parties involved.
"Any time we have a lethal removal as well as cows getting eaten out there in the landscape, there's something that is failing in this program," said Claire Musser, executive director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project for Fox 10 interview.

Officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announce...

08/30/2026

New research from Voyageurs Wolf Project says wolves may help blueberries spread and sprout more successfully in northern Minnesota.

In a research summary published Tuesday, the authors said blueberry seeds eaten and passed by wolves germinated faster and more often than seeds taken straight from wild blueberries.

The study is the first to examine how wolves affect the growth of seeds they consume. By growing seeds from wolf s**t and wild blueberries, researchers said wolf-digested seeds germinated 22-27% faster than seeds that had not passed through a wolf.

Read full note: https://kstp.com/kstp-news/local-news/wolves-help-blueberries-grow-in-northern-minnesota-study-finds/