Ten lucky Colorado Academy students got to go where the wild things are, by spending their May Interim with the Cottonwood Institute during our Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking Course! Students spent the week at Mission:Wolf, a wolf sanctuary in Colorado’s Wet Mountain Valley, for a week of wolves and tracking.

Led by instructors Brittany Salley-Rains and Richard Vercoe, the students learned about the near extinction of wolves in the United States and the importance of protecting these beautiful animals. Nothing was more inspiring than the hugs and kisses from the wolves themselves!

The group decided to help by building an entire staircase for the wolves’ enclosure from scratch. They constructed new benches for the sanctuary and even helped butcher a horse to feed the pack. On top of these accomplishments, the students learned animal tracking and outdoor survival skills.

Co-instructor Brittany Salley-Rains said the students had a fabulous time on their trip. “We had a journal prompt for each day, and after completing the project we reflected on the experience of serving our community. All the students were proud of themselves. It was really rewarding to see how their hard work could help support a great organization like Mission:Wolf.”