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Fall is here! Time to kick-off the Sledding Season!

The summer flew by quietly, but not without some new faces. Gideon Cross, Delaney Tighearna, and Henrik Nilsson are but a few who have joined the Kaono population. Most infamous this summer, though, would have to be Leah East. Nevertheless, life moves on as usual in the town of Kaono, and most citizens have finally rebuilt their battered homes.

True to tradition, Kaono has come alive with the annual Sledding Season Kick-Off party at the local tavern. All the mushers are out, sizing up their competition and preparing for the next Xanctsu Quest. "It's always an exciting time," says Jack, owner of the tavern. "This year's race is sure to be a toss up, considering the sole winner, Viktor Sokolov, had since packed his bags for bigger and better things."

Project TWIG is also gearing up for the winter season, taking advantage of the few snowless weeks left to trek out and monitor each of the wolf packs, and perhaps get a little closer to the escaped wolves too.

Summer Hopes

Bad blizzards brought in dangerous snows, and when an unusually warm spring rolled around, accompanied by heavy rains, a brew of muddy water seeped through our people's town and our wildlife's habitats.

It was nothing short of heartbreak and destruction; a sour taste of what global warming was doing to our environment. Many citizens left for fear of it happening again, the island was faced with nearly $300 000 in property and ecological damage.

Many forested areas suffered devastating erosion that resulted in a loss of timber. Trees were rooted out near the river where there were high-energy flows. There was nearly no new growths this spring.

"We've never had such an extended inundation of trees and roots," says Dani Kaitainen, Project TWIG's conservationalist. "And the fact that the flood occurred during the growing season was a big factor. Trees and roots can sustain inundation and lack of oxygen much better during their dormant period. The longer trees are exposed to flooding, the greater the potential for injury."

No growth means trouble for animals that depend on it. Already the death toll of animals caught in the flood was high - but now, as the island tries to regenerate itself, sickness and hunger is not making the end of the deluge any easier.

This was troublesom for Project TWIG and their wolf population. Rumor Taylor, the team's artiodactyl biologist, commented: "The wolf packs are not only now forced to compete even more for food, but they're still being faced with a lingering flu and high stress levels. This spring, the birth rate was not as successful as we had hoped. Our biggest concern right now is to stabalize the wolves who have survived, as well as the pups."

All of this was like pressing a major reset button. But the island of Xanctsu is hoping for a warm summer that will help dry up the lands. We're hopeful!

For more information regarding the wolves, please visit this page.

WEO Joins Project TWIG

Recently, the WEO (World Environment Organization) joined Project TWIG's cause. Together, they have been working to develop public awareness and related issues with programs that educate, awake and motivate local as well as national residents, which may very well be the key for preserving wolves and their habitats.