Happy New Year to Everyone Except for Wolf Hunters

Happy New Year. Let’s talk.

People keep asking me how I stay hopeful. HR 845 is barreling toward the Senate. Politicians are trying to gut the Endangered Species Act like it’s a trophy buck. State agencies are still run by the same folks who let 218 wolves get slaughtered in 60 hours back in 2021.

So how do I keep going? Honestly? Spite helps. A lot.

But mostly? It’s justice. A deep, stubborn love for the wild. And a love for people—for YOU, for everyone who sends an email, makes a call, shares a post, or chips in what they can. You’re why I do this.

Wildlife Are My Superheroes

And honestly, they’re smarter than certain people in charge. Let me prove it:

🦅 Crows recognize human faces and hold grudges for YEARS. They also bring gifts to people who are kind to them. Meanwhile, some people look at a crowd of 200 and call it “the biggest crowd anyone’s ever seen, millions of people, they’re still talking about it.”

🐘 Elephants mourn their dead, comfort each other, and travel miles to visit the bones of loved ones. Some people visit their golf courses more than they visit reality. “Best memory of anyone, probably ever. I remember everything. What were we talking about? Doesn’t matter. Ratings.”

🐙 Octopuses have been caught sneaking out of their tanks at night to steal fish from neighboring tanks, then sneaking back before anyone notices. That’s more strategic planning than someone who looks directly at a solar eclipse and calls it “very cool, very safe, the sun loves me.”

🐺 Wolves communicate across 10 miles with complex vocalizations that coordinate entire pack movements. Some people communicate by saying “these wolves—and I know more about wolves than anybody, the experts call me all the time about wolves, they say sir, SIR, you understand wolves better than anyone—these wolves are very bad, very dangerous, everyone’s saying it.”

🦦 Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don’t drift apart. Some people can’t hold a glass of water with one hand. “Strong grip though. Strongest grip. Many people are saying it’s the strongest grip they’ve ever seen.”

🦆 Migrating birds navigate thousands of miles using the Earth’s magnetic field, stars, and landmarks with pinpoint accuracy. Some people can’t navigate their way through a sentence. “The birds—and we have the best birds, beautiful birds—they’re coming in, from all over, and we’re gonna—look, I went to the best schools, okay? The Endangered Species—you know, they want to protect the species, and I said, I said to them, I said—windmills. Windmills are killing the birds. It’s a disgrace.”

Imagine If We Gave Up

Imagine if we let these people—Republicans AND Democrats—win.

Their “science.” Their “compassion.” Their vision for wildlife.

We have the facts. We have the heart. We have each other.

And we’re supposed to let THEM win? Absolutely not.

Here’s What I Haven’t Told You

I spent all of last year fighting ANCA vasculitis—a serious autoimmune disease. I’m currently on chemo and steroids, hoping to hit remission soon. It’s been brutal. Some days I can barely walk to my desk.

And yet every single week, I’m still putting in 60-70 hours for wolves. Still filing lawsuits. Still making phone calls. Still raising hell.

You HAVE to keep your sense of humor though. It’s non-negotiable. My doctor asked me recently if I was experiencing any brain fog from the chemo. I said, “I don’t know, but I just spent 20 minutes arguing with a senator’s voicemail, so probably not.”

(The voicemail won, by the way.)

Why am I telling you all this? Not for sympathy—lord knows I hate that. I’m telling you because if you’ve been feeling hopeless, if you’ve thought about throwing in the towel—look at me. I’m doing chemo AND fighting the federal government. At the same time. My immune system is attacking me and I’m STILL more functional than the Wisconsin DNR.

You Can Do Something Too

You can make one more phone call. You can share one more post. You can chip in $100—or whatever you can.

We’re just $1,800 from our Emergency Wildlife Defense Fund goal. Eighteen hundred bucks to start 2026 ready to fight whatever they throw at us.

DONATE NOW

If I can do this from my couch with an IV in my arm, you can do something too.

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Let’s go make some trouble together.

For the wolves, for justice, and for all of you,

Melissa
Executive Director, Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance

P.S. What do you call a wolf who works in government? Endangered. Ba dum tss. I’ll be here all year, folks.