Tenacious and Wide-ranging, Like Wolverines
Last week a wolverine was spotted near the Great Salt Lake of northern Utah — a very rare occurrence, as wolverines are generally found in high mountain areas.
Our logo includes a wolverine’s paw print.
The wolverine is a symbol of perseverance in the natural world, traversing immense distances over rough terrain in order to survive and thrive. It’s no coincidence that Wildlands Network adopted the wolverine as the emblem of our approach to conservation: wide-ranging, tenacious, taking sometimes unexpected paths to discover opportunities and solve problems. Just last year, we also moved into Utah, relocating our headquarters to Salt Lake City.
At Wildlands Network, we focus on protecting and connecting habitat for wildlife. This wolverine sighting is a sign that that, even in one of the fastest-growing urban centers in the United States, located in Utah, the state with the most rapidly increasing population, there is great potential to restore and protect space for wildlife.
The wolverine was seen in Utah’s Antelope Island State Park. Photo courtesy James Shook.
There are opportunities to invest in transportation infrastructure, including building wildlife crossings, which greatly reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. There are ways to expand government initiatives at the state and federal level that identify, restore and maintain wildlife corridors and migration pathways, including through the U.S.’s bipartisan Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act. And there are new partnerships that can be forged to bring more private landowners, tribal communities and nations, NGOs and local governments together to share knowledge and learn from each other.
Let this lone wolverine inspire us all to also be tenacious, and to forge a new approach to wildlife conservation. Grounded in a shared respect for nature, a better understanding of the needs of wildlife, and a commitment to working together to find solutions will allow us all to thrive in harmony with the natural world.
