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1930's    1948-52"    1966    1985    1986    1987    1988    1989    1990    1991    1992

1993    1994    1995    1996    1997    1998    1999    2000    2001    2002    2003

1930s

Sigurd Olson, teaching in Ely, conducts the first noted studies of wolves.

1948-52

Milt Stenlund conducts a second wolf research project in the Ely area.

1966

Renowned scientist L. David Mech begins wolf research in the Ely area, which continues today.

1985

The Committee for an International Wolf Center forms, led by Dave Mech, when the Science Museum of Minnesota agrees to donate its Wolves and Humans exhibit, valued at $1 million, for a permanent display.

1986

The Center's first staff member is hired (Executive Director).

1987

The first benefit for the Center is held at the World Theatre in Minneapolis, featuring Dave Mech and his experience on Ellesmere Island.

Red wolves are released in the wild at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.

1988

In December the Minnesota Legislature finalizes the site selection after a legislative committee task force is formed to hear bids from northern cities. Ely is selected unanimously for the flagship educational facility.

The Center presents a "Wolf Day" at the legislature to lobby for bonding money.

The Center's first staff member in Minneapolis is hired.

(1988-89) There are approximately 1500-1750 wolves are in Minnesota, 50-57 in Wisconsin and 57-60 in Michigan.

1989

The Minnesota Legislature grants $126,000 for planning and program development.

The Center opens a temporary exhibit in the U.S. Forest Service's Voyageur Visitor Center in Ely. The Cooperative Educational Program is coordinated through Vermilion Community College, offering wolf howling trips, research demonstrations and Wolf Weekends throughout the year. Gray wolves Raissa, Bausha, Jedadiah and Ballazar become the first wolf ambassadors. These wolves were socialized for the exhibit and were maintained at the curator's home during the off-season. On Labor Day, Raissa leaves the Center to join a lone male wolf on exhibit at the Brown County Reforestation Camp in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

1990

The Minnesota Legislature grants $1.2 million for the construction of the International Wolf Center. The Center raises an additional $700,000 including $175,000 from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), $100,000 from Wally Dayton, an additional $150,000 from the state for staff and the remainder from an extensive private campaign. A contribution of $25,000 is made for the purchase of land from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson vetoes the $1.2 bonding bill until the land exchange and transfer are complete.

Wolf ambassadors Jedadiah, Bausha and Ballazar remain at the Center for daily programs from May 1 to October 31.

The Center begins its educational speakers bureau and membership program during the legislative session to demonstrate support.

The Committee for an International Wolf Center in partnership with the University of Minnesota-Duluth hosts an international wolf symposium in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The inaugural issue of International Wolf magazine is published.

1991

In July wolf ambassador Ballazar is flown to Idaho for the filming of the ABC documentary Wolf: Return of a Legend, by Jim Dutcher, and is then sent to Mission Wolf in Colorado. Jedadiah and Bausha complete the summer season at the Center and are then moved to Idaho to retirement at a private facility.

In November Governor Carlson releases bond funds to the Center.

The Center's office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, moves from a private residence to commercial office space.

The Center's first exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair is opened.

1992

The Center breaks ground for its Ely flagship educational facility. Because of the construction, no wolves are housed at the Center.

1993

From June 24 to June 27 the Center opens its $3-million, 17,000-square-foot facility, featuring the Wolves and Humans exhibit, to rave reviews. Gray wolves Kiana, Lucas, MacKenzie and Lakota become the Center's resident wolf pack. Over 2,000 people participate in events including auctions, fur-clad mountain man Denny Olson "the Critterman," Little Red Riding Hood, a lively bounty hunter and numerous programs. The dedication ceremony, complete with ribbon-cutting, and attended by Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson, Senator Doug Johnson, Representative Dave Battaglia and Science Museum President Jim Peterson, concludes with an "international" howl led by Luigi Boitani, from Italy. A series of lectures features wolf biologists Luigi Boitani, Dimitri Bibikov, from Russia; Roman Gula, from Poland; and Mike Jimenez, from Montana's Ninemile Valley.

Bronze sculpture "When Legends Run Free" by Rik Sargent is donated by Valerie Gates, Denver, Colorado, and installed at the Center. Similar sculptures also donated by Gates are at the Museum of Natural History in Denver and, with Center support, at Luigi Boitani's wolf project in Tuscany, Italy.

Governor Carlson proclaims the third week of June as "International Wolf Center Week."

A $125,000 grant for construction and promotion of the Center is received from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB), and $50,000 in matching funds are raised.

Center attendance in its first year is 36,581 people.

Total number of staff positions is 25 with approximately 5 overnight program offerings.

1994

Anders Bjarvall arrives from Sweden to become the Center's first of several international guest speakers.

The Center is featured on NBC and CBS national television news.

In September Charles Kuralt, longtime Ely supporter, visits the Center.

The Wolf Watchers membership program is started.

The Center's first Education Director is hired.

1995

In partnership with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the Center hosts its second symposium, Wolves and Humans 2000: A Global Perspective for Managing Conflict, attracting 550 scientists and wolf enthusiasts from around the world.

The position of Communications Director is developed and hired.

Djuro Huber, from Croatia, is the international guest speaker at the Center.

A grant from the Legislative Commission on Minnesota's Resources funds creation of the Center's Information Resources department and the Web site, www.wolf.org.

In January wolves are reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho.

An independent survey, The Ecocenter as Tourist Attraction: Ely and the International Wolf Center, by David Schaller, reports an annual $3-million economic impact for the city of Ely and surrounding communities.

1996

The Center's annual budget tops $1 million.

Alistair Bath, from Canada, is the Center's international guest speaker with visiting guests Djuro Huber, from Croatia, and Juan Carlos Blanco, from Spain.

The Web site www.wolf.org receives 15,820 hits per week.

The Information Resources department develops Canis lupus: Meet the Gray Wolf, Wolves around the World Update and a Wolf Organization Directory.

The Assistant Director for the Ely facility is hired.

Windows on Wolves, a $750,000 grant from the Minnesota Legislature, funds the addition of a 3,000-square-foot, 125-seat wolf-viewing auditorium, a classroom and wolf enclosure improvements.

1997

The Center's programs are featured on BBC radio and in Travel Holiday magazine.

Francisco Petrucci-Fonseca, from Portugal, is the Center's international speaker.

The Web site www.wolf.org receives 44,823 hits per week.

A Study of Tourism and Its Effect on the Economy of Ely, Minnesota is released by John B. Weller. According to his calculations "growth in tourism accounts for 15.5% growth in Ely or approximately 58% of the total growth."

1998

The Web site tallies 3.5 million hits.

An additional $350,000 is approved by the Minnesota Legislature to fund a children's exhibit and other amenities with bond funding.

On December 26 Kiana, the beta female of the resident pack, dies unexpectedly of natural causes.

The Web site www.wolf.org receives 68,000 hits per week.

In March Mexican wolves are reintroduced in the Southwest.

1999

The Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources approves a $100,000 grant for a teacher curriculum, workshops and a traveling exhibit. The Center raises an additional $15,500 in matching funds.

The year-round staff grows to 20 positions.

Stephen Kellert from Yale University releases The Public and the Wolf in Minnesota, an International Wolf Center-sponsored study on public attitudes toward wolves.

The Development Director position is developed and hired.

2000

The Center and the University of Minnesota-Duluth host the third international symposium, Beyond 2000: Realities of Global Wolf Restoration, in Duluth, Minnesota.

Two arctic wolf pups, Shadow and Malik, join the Center's resident wolf pack.

2001

Smithsonian Magazine and the US Travel Organizations of America award the Center with their first annual $25,000 conservation award recognizing outstanding work to stimulate eco-tourism while fostering the preservation of the environment and its resources.

A reorganized and redesigned Web site premiers.

The new Little Wolf exhibit at the Center leads children through the first year in the life of a wolf pup.

A special issue of International Wolf magazine, The Global Challenge of Living with Wolves, is distributed to members and groups throughout the United States and 43 other countries.

2002

The Center receives the first-place award in the National Association of Interpretation's media contest for the acclaimed curriculum Gray Wolves, Gray Matter: Exploring the Social, Biological, Cultural and Economic Issues of Wolf Survival.

A retirement enclosure is built for resident wolves Lakota, MacKenzie and Lucas. A new den and pond are constructed in the main enclosure. A garage/workshop is added.

The Center launches educational efforts as a partner with other organizations in Colorado and New Mexico through the newly formed Wolf Forum for the Southern Rockies.

The Center hosts the Midwest Wolf Stewards meeting in Two Harbors, Minnesota, including participants from government agencies and environmental and educational organizations in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The Outreach Educator position is developed and hired for reaching broader urban audiences in Minnesota.

On February 14 world-renowned pianist and board member Helene Grimaud gives a benefit concert for the Center

Since its opening in June 1993, 458,197 people have visited the Center with 46,143 in 2002.

The Wolf: Time, Spirit, Conflict, and Economics traveling exhibit is completed.

International Wolf Center Web site, www.wolf.org, experiences 32,682,503 hits and 1,885,954 unique visitors in 2002.

2003

In March the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces a reclassification rule for wolf management changing the status in most states from endangered to threatened and dividing the nation into three Distinct Population Segments.

In April the position of National Director of Information and Education is created.

On June 13, at 10:00 a.m., the Center celebrates the 10th anniversary of the opening of its Ely facility with presentations and refreshments.

Total number of staff positions is 25 with approximately 20 overnight program offerings.

There are approximately 2600 wolves in Minnesota, 330 in Wisconsin and 300 in Michigan.