(As a field biologist-turned-photographer, I strive to combine storytelling with scientific foundations as a way draw people in and to tell stories about our rapidly changing world.” -Ronan Donovan | Photograph by Ronan Donovan, National Geographic)
After a decades-long absence, wolf populations are increasing in the High Desert ecosystem.
On October 27, National Geographic Explorer and photographer Ronan Donovan will moderate a panel discussion exploring the complex relationships between wolves and humans in Oregon.
Panelists include rancher Cameron Krebs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Emily Weidner, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Wolf Biologist Aaron Bott and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Natural Resources Manager Austin Smith Jr.
This isn’t an evening you’ll want to miss!
Meet the Moderator
National Geographic Explorer Ronan Donovan
A field biologist turned conservation photographer and filmmaker, Ronan Donovan has explored the human relationship to nature and wildlife on all seven continents.
He transitioned to visual storytelling as a way to amplify the wildlife researchers and conservationists that Donovan collaborated with. In addition to his National Geographic work on wolves, Donovan has documented human-chimpanzee conflicts in Uganda, and the legacy work of primatologist Dian Fossey focused on mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
Donovan strives to reconnect viewers to the natural world through the lives of our fellow social mammals to highlight our shared past and interwoven future. He is also the mind behind the Museum’s newest exhibition, Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan, opening on Saturday, October 21.
Discover the Panel of Local Experts
Get to know the featured panelists before you go! Pictured from left to right:
Aaron Bott — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Aaron is the regional wolf biologist for Central Oregon, employed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to monitor the state’s wolf population. He is also a wildlife biology doctoral candidate at Utah State University, studying wolves in the American West.
Emily Weidner — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist
In 2017, Emily started work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while concurrently finishing her MS in wildlife biology at University of Montana. She is currently the Service’s Bend Field Office lead for eagles, sage-grouse, bats and wolves.
Cameron Krebs — Rancher
Cameron is a recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize (TRGP) for his innovation in creating the Mineral Bin. He is a fifth-generation livestock producer from Eastern Oregon where he raises sheep, beef, wheat and hay with his family.
Austin Smith Jr. — Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Natural Resources Manager
Austin grew up on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and is an avid hunter and fisherman, exercising his rights as a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs like his ancestors before him. He was hired on full-time by the Branch of Natural Resources in Warm Springs as the tribal wildlife biologist in 2015. Currently, Austin oversees the Branch of Natural Resources for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Face to Face with Oregon’s Wolves: Expert Perspectives
Friday, October 27, 7-8:30pm
Tickets $15 each, Members receive 20% discount
OSU-Cascades Edward J. Ray Hall
1500 SW Chandler Ave, Bend
Find Tickets Here