People & Wolves: a Wisconsin Story
The film tells the story of Wisconsin's gray wolves, the controversies surrounding them, and how people are learning to coexist as these native predators are again fulfilling their ecological role after returning to the state about 45 years ago.
Interview with Director/Producer Rachel Tilseth
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Why use the title “People & Wolves”? I believe people have been connected with this iconic canine since the beginning of time; either with the wild wolf or through domesticating him/her to become our best friend. There has always been a connection between us two species. I want the viewer to see how people have worked to recover wolves in Wisconsin. That is my primary goal as producer and director of this film project. I have always been a let’s get it done kinda person, focused on solving the problem, and showing the public through this film that people and wolves can find a way to coexist.
My interest has always been in wolf recovery bringing the species back to the Wisconsin landscape. I’ve spent over two decades learning about wolf recovery in Wisconsin. When I began tracking in the year 2000, there was a total of 66 wolf packs compared to 234 packs today. I’ve witnessed wolf recovery firsthand as a participant in the program as a citizen scientist volunteer. I learned that they are very elusive and go out of their way to avoid any contact with us humans. I was fortunate enough to learn about a wolf pack that I helped monitor. Through observation learned how family-oriented they are just like us, or like our best friend the dog. I’ve learned a great deal from working with biologists like Adrian Wydeven and Peter David about wolves' ecological value and from Marvin DeFoe, an Ojibwe tribal elder, about the cultural value of wolves.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film will explain what led to the most controversial hunt in the guise of a lawsuit. A conservative advocacy group of hunters felt that not holding the mandated wolf hunt violated their rights. Unfortunately for wolves, they won their case. Previously NRB had voted to have the hunt in the fall of 2021. The film will show how fast things progressed after the January 2021 federal delisting. During the court-ordered February 2021 hunt, more than 200 wolves were harvested as hunters quickly went over the quota, shutting down the hunt after just three days. This hastily put-together hunt angered Wisconsinites, and it caused a black eye on the state's environmental record.
In the film, Adrian will inform the viewer about how the hunt affected the health of the wolf population. The film will also interview scientific advisors from Timber Wolf Alliance and Wisconsinsin's Green Fire, an organization of conservation professionals and committed citizens. The film will interview experts in the field of wolf ecology and conservation. The film will interview Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & Messenger of Peace, who will talk about how wolves are an iconic species of the American landscape, and they play an extremely vital role in the ecosystem where they live
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We just finished our first shoot at a Wolf Ecology & Conservation Workshop. The attendees were enthusiastic learners and were happy to participate the documentary film project.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have found that many are interested in supporting the film and have expressed such. However, in any venture, particularly at the startup phase, funding is very often dependent on “proof of concept.” To that end, this grant will provide us with the funding needed to develop a meaningful fundraising campaign highlighting the work that has been done to date and the work that is to come.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has always been favorable in regard to making a film about this topic.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are looking to spread the word about this very important topic and the film project to get public awareness and for fundraising.
People & Wolves film will screen for public awareness and education across the wolf recovery areas both locally in Wisconsin and nationally. To give back to conservation efforts currently underway to manage the wolf.
In addition to these goals, we are planning to take this film to various film festivals with hopes of reaching even more people. These screenings can bring a greater interest, with recognition and more awareness to the stars of our film, the people and wolves. We are also working towards holding film release events at different wolf education advocacy groups across the country. A percentage of proceeds from the event go directly to each facility that hosts a film screening.
Would you like to add anything else?
Marvin DeFoe, another main protagonist, is a contributing author of the Ma'iingan Relationship Plan and a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Marvin is passionate about the maintenance and revitalization of the Ojibwe language, and he will tell the viewers the significance of the wolf to the Ojibwe culture. Marvin will talk about the tribe's relationship with the wolf and will tell the story of how they became a brother to the wolf. Ma'iingan (wolf) is our (Ojibwe) brother and what happens to him happens to us. Marvin lives on the Red Cliff reservation on the northernmost tip of Wisconsin's Bayfield Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior. Marvin passionately believes the state (Wisconsin) did not consult with the tribes! Hunters even took the tribe's portion of the quota. Ojibwe do not hunt the Ma’iingan. They protect him! The film will interview tribal members and Peter David, a biologist, now retired, on the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. The film will explain how a year after the controversial February 2021 wolf hunt, a California judge ordered gray wolves in much of the lower 48 states on the ESA list on February 18, 2022.
"Ma'iingan (wolf) is a relative, and you don't "manage a relative; you build a relationship with a relative." Quote from the Ma'iingan Relationship Plan
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
At the moment we are in production and fundraising for this project.
Interview: September 2022
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
People & Wolves a Wisconsin Story
Length:
1 hour
Writer/Director
Rachel Tilseth Producer & Director of the film project is a retired art educator, freelance writer, and filmmaker. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education, 1992, from UW-Stout, graduating with cum laude honors. In 2000 became involved in Wisconsin’s Wolf Recovery Program. She became a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Volunteer Winter Wolf/Carnivore Tracker in the year 2000 and, as a result, learned about the lives of wild gray wolves.
Producer
Manish Bhatt and Rachel Tilseth
Key cast:
Adrian Wydeven, Marvin DeFoe, Peter David and Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & Messenger of Peace
Looking for:
distributors, film festival directors, buyers
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/wolvesofdouglascowisc/
Hashtags used:
wolf documentary, #politics, grey wolves, Wisconsin, Endangered Species Act, Political Intrigue, Wolf hunting,
More info: