Exciting projects are happening at Wolf Haven International. The award-winning wolf sanctuary will be offering improved viewing and educational spaces with the construction of the Treehouse Learning Center. Ground breaks in October. The $220,000 investment from Washington State through the Local Community Projects allows this expansion to begin. Students and visitors will have immersive, hands-on wildlife learning experiences in a natural setting. The space is designed to serve thousands of students annually. The team is especially pleased to increase access to environmental education for rural, tribal and Title 1 schools.
The New Treehouse at Wolf Haven
The project is happening in partnership with Nelson Treehouse. The Washington-based design company creates masterful structures around the world with ingenuity and artistry. Ultimately, the treehouse at Wolf Haven will stand alone in its uniqueness in the South Puget Sound Region, sitting 17 feet above the ground, overlooking 36 acres of Mima mound prairie. Even when the sanctuary is closed to visitors, the Treehouse will allow year-round access for educational programs.
The new construction will literally overlook part of the sanctuary. There will be viewing scopes and binoculars. The eastward view offers the Mima Mound Prairie, a striking geological mystery of uniform dome-shaped earthen hills where there are wildflowers, prairie-dependent species of butterflies and birds like the Western Meadowlark and the American Kestrel.
Visitors will have STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) curriculum from Colorado State University on topics like genetics, pollination and pollinators, flower parts, wolf disbursement, and other science-based subjects. Currently, the educational space is a small multi-use room that is also used as the staff break room. This will be a huge improvement.
Finding Balance with a Wolf Sanctuary and Human Visitors
It is a challenge to balance the optimum care for sanctuary animals with the public’s desire to get up close regularly, especially with wolves. Wolves will go to great lengths to avoid contact with humans. “Wolves are wary of humans and not aggressive toward people,” explains Evan Skytte, development director. When people are constantly walking by their enclosures, wolves exhibit stressful behaviors. “Behaviors like panting and running to escape are examples. Calmness looks like laying down and being relaxed,” he adds. The team saw shifts in wolf behavior when the sanctuary closed over COVID, and when it is closed for two months during the springtime whelping season. “It is a wolf sanctuary,” emphasizes Evan. That means that, in fact, the wolves come first. The learning center helps balance both needs.
Many Community Partners are behind the Treehouse
The Wolf Haven Treehouse will be located on its property, but it takes many hands and partners to support such a project to fruition. Wolf Haven is grateful to the following list of community partners in support of the treehouse project:
- Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
- Squaxin Island Tribe
- Thurston Board of County Commissioners
- City of Tenino
- Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
- Tenino School District
- Olympia School District
- Colvin Ranch
Evolution, Awards and Participation of Wolf Haven
Wolf Haven was founded by Steven and Linda Kuntz who acquired a wolf pup. It was the beginning of an education for them and ultimately many more. The sanctuary has been a home for displaced and captive-born animals where they will receive exceptional care, food, medical treatment, and companionship with other canids. Wolf Haven has provided lifetime sanctuary for wolves, wolfdogs, coyotes and foxes.
Additionally, Wolf Haven participates in two federally funded programs to ensure the continued health and survival of the American Red Wolf and the Mexican Wolf. Three packs of Mexican wolves have been released into the wild in Arizona and Mexico. Five litters were born from the Red Wolves, and two wolves were released in North Carolina.
Wolf Haven was appointed to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) to be part of the wolf conservation and management policy. The organization has partnered with others to restore prairie areas with removal of invasive species and planting native flora. Wolf Haven becomes part of the Wolf Advisory Group (WAG) to advise on wolf conservation and management policy. It has received accreditation from the American Sanctuary Association, one of only two to earn this distinction.
Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS)
Of great note, is that Wolf Haven is the first and only wolf sanctuary in the world to earn accreditation from the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. That was in 2015, and it continues to meet these high standards. Work continues to upgrade and enlarge animal enclosures. The Treehouse will increase outreach and promote environmental education.
Tours are limited, and tickets can be reserved online. Thursdays are set aside for school groups. You can see photos of wolves that you can sponsor. You can become a member and shop for apparel and sweet stuffed toys. All donations make a difference. There is an abundance of information at the Wolf Haven website.
Wolf Haven International
3111 Offut Lake Road SE, Tenino
360.264.4695
