By Nikki Collet, Grand Canyon School

When I first got the notice that the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project was seeking out student volunteers who were willing to assist and contribute to some of their campaigns, I was excited and eager. Ever since I was a child, I have always strived to do something or perform some feat that would leave a lasting impact on my community and the people around me. Naturally, I contacted Claire Musser, who is the organizer of this event, and expressed my interest.

With encouragement and support from my science teacher and mentor, Forrest Radarian, I signed up to help out with this project and produce a campaign. I knew that this was something I could do that would be beneficial to my environment and the creatures that live within it, while also making my mark. These wolves play a crucial part in my life and have their proper place as the main topic of this campaign — they are an important building block in the community I am part of.

Losing these wolves would not only be a hit to us as a scientific community, with extinction threatening to take its toll, but also on an ecological scale. Having such an important spot on the local trophic level as an apex predator brings many responsibilities. Apex predators are mainly responsible for regulating the populations of lower levels on the food chain. They are the ones that make sure animals do not overbreed and end up grazing the environment into a barren area. This is why having these wolves here is so important to the community and to me personally.

Being a part of this project was one of the best experiences I have had in terms of large-scale work that can actually benefit my community. As an artist, my campaign was art-based. With help from Claire, I used my artistic skills to turn a short story into a comic panel. This panel illustrated the struggles wolves like Asha, Hope, Mystery, and Echo encountered while attempting to cross the I-40 boundary. I truly hope that my efforts will play a part, even if minimal, in reducing the deaths of Mexican gray wolves and bringing them away from the threat of extinction.