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Germany : Over so soon

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

Yet another two successful weeks of wolf monitoring in Lower Saxony have come to an end. Group 2 left the NaturCampus base on Friday morning headed in different directions after a late night with lots of laughter and bread-on-a-stick around the fireplace.

Once more the teams were hit again and again by rain showers on our last survey day on Thursday but determination to find and collect wolf scat prevailed. Two of us established a new record of walking 22.2 km in ongoing rain!

Within 4 survey days group 2 covered 394 km of forest trails and collected 30 more (possible) wolf scat samples for further analysis two of which fresh enough for DNA analysis. Sightings on the survey walks included hare, red deer, roe deer, wild boar with 10 piglets, various butterflies and birds of preyโ€ฆ and a naked man walking the nudist trail in the Schneverdingen area. The survey team has been warned during Lotteโ€™s briefing but it was still a surprise to run into someone wearing nothing but socks, boots and a hat while oneself was fully geared against rain and cold. ๏Š

Thanks to two groups a total number of 75 wolf scats and 13 genetic samples are now secured, labelled and packed to be handed over together with the database entries to the LJN authorities. They are an enormous addition to the Lower Saxony wolf monitoring efforts and will be included in their official yearly report, as well as territory statistics, maps, etc. to be published on their website. We have covered a total number of 26 cells (10 x 10 km) of the survey grid by walking 650 km in 12 survey days.

For Lotte & I itโ€™s been a great pleasure meeting and working with all of you for a week respectively. Weโ€™d like to thank you again for your time, efforts, input and being great companions in every aspect. A special thanks goes to the drivers and NaturCampus staff that made us feel comfortable and at home. I hope youโ€™ve enjoyed your time as much as Lotte an I did. Weโ€™re hoping to see some of you again some time and wish you all safe travels back home!

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Germany : Sunshine & rain

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

Group 2 – a team of ten people from 5 different countries – started off on Sunday with a practical training survey walk nearby NaturCampus following up on a wolf scat finding two days before. We were surprised by a once in a year biking event taking place on the military grounds we were exploring. The terrain is usually closed for the public. Bikers didn’t interfere with our training walk but a heavy downpour did just when we were practicing data recording with the tablets. Despite rain gear and backup umbrellas we all ended up being soaking wet. I like to frame it as an ultimate field test. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Sunshine and rain took turns during the following three survey days in various wolf territories. That didn’t hold us back from long walks and intensive surveys. Unfortunately we didn’t find anything wolf-like in the Suesing forest on Monday which made us wonder what neighbouring area the pack has moved to.

On Tuesday we were more successful in terms of findings. 22 wolf scat samples were brought back to base one of which had a total length of 82 cm! I think this is a first. Speculating about causes for the exceptional big amount of shit, we came up with quite a few creative ideas during the very entertaining daily de-brief – ranging from constipation for a week to making a statement to impress possible intruders.

And finally we secured another fresh DNA sample in the Goehrde forest on Wednesday. During the de-brief we all got a first-hand experience with the undeniable deterrent smell of fresh wolf scat. I must say that scat & its attributes (we now refer to as “beautiful, nice, perfect,…”) have become one main topic of conversation – even during dinner. Just like a bunch of very serious citizen scientists we surely are. Still, we had a good laugh realising that and not at all problems with moving on to more sophisticated dinner table talk.

Everyone is out in the field for one last survey day today. Time is flying….

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Germany : First week completed

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

We said our good-byes this morning to group one. What a fantastic week filled with long walks, many findings and lots of fun. To be more specific the teams walked a total of 301 kilometres of forest trails in 4 survey days – an average of 73 km each day respectively. Including our training walk on Sunday, when we collected the first two wolf scats, 305 km were covered in total. 44 (possible) wolf scats were recorded and collected, 9 of which also as DNA samples. Thats’ a great success already, well done everyone!

Beate, a local wolf ambassador and scat expert who is involved with the expedition for many years, joined us on Friday afternoon to support Lotte with scat identification, labeling and data logging into the official LJN database. During dinner she reported about 15 personal wolf sightings and shared some of her knowledge.

Since all scat samples of the week were spread out in the conference & dining room we were welcomed by a very distinct wolf smell when we returned from dinner. Nonetheless we went through the daily de-brief group by group, enjoyed a final presentation of other Biosphere Expeditions projects and finally sat around the fire place to celebrate a wonderful week and enjoy a cool drink.

It was late night when the last of us got to bed – very tired but happy. I’d like to thank you all for being a great team and putting time, work and money into this project. Thanks for being the trailblazers for using new technology, for your input, suggestions and enthusiasm. None of our projects would happen without you! A special thanks goes to those who volunteered to bring their own car and be a driver for the whole week. Your extra contribution is very much appreciated. I hope you’ve enjoyed the week as much as I did and I hope to see some of you again some time, somewhere.

It’s your turn now, group 2. Have safe travels to Bremen and I’ll meet you on Saturday morning at 9:00 at the airport!

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Germany : Surveys

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

We have completed three full survey days – writing this four teams are headed out in different directions for their last surveys of group 1. Wolf scat samples are piling up in the scat fridge downstairs, two of which appear to be good for DNA analysis. We’ve been blessed with perfect weather conditions, only some of us got wet on Monday during an afternoon downpour – but that’s what makes an expedition.

Even though almost every day teams “forgot” to pack different pieces of equipment – a printed map of the area, a tablet (!?), and who knows what else… they all managed and brought back from the field perfect recordings. We definitely have to work on that with group 2! Here are some field work pictures:

Intensive surveys make for interesting findings: One team found a handbag in the shrubs and dropped it at a police station nearby for further investigation. Two days later we were informed by the police, that the owner confirmed that it was stolen in 1990! She didn’t want it back … Let’s see what you will find, group 2. ๐Ÿ™‚

With six intensive days behind us, we’re all pretty tired in the evening but have planned a bonfire for our last evening tonight before leaving NaturCampus on Friday morning. You will hear from me again tomorrow, when Lotte and I have wrapped up this week’s results.

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Germany : Training days

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

After two training days the first group is all set to go on proper survey walks from tomorrow on. We met up at Bremen airport on Saturday morning and from there went straight to visit the Wolfcenter Doerverden for a guided tour and close encounters with our study species.

We arrived at our lovely NaturCampus base in the afternoon. As usual everyone’s head was filled with more information about safety, procedures and equipment, wolf distribution & history in Germany, how to identify, measure, collect and record wolf scat and tracks.

This afternoon we finally went out on our first practicing survey walk. Unexpectedly we found two wolf scats one of which is fresh enough for DNA analysis. What a success!

Writing this it’s still early in the evening but the noises of people chatting outside have stopped. I guess everyone’s gone to bed early. Well done, group one – you’ll be well rested for four more days of intensive surveys and scat sampling. ๐Ÿ™‚

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Germany : Setting up

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

Lotte, Peter & I have arrived at NaturCampus Bockum and are setting up our wonderful expedition base for the next two weeks. We have just retrieved a wolf scat sample from the fridge downstairs collected by a former team member a week ago. Labeled properly it’s in the freezer now for later DNA analysis – thank god, the smell was unbearable!

!! Here’s an important update for all team members: There won’t be an overnighter activity this year for a very simple reason: the former far away study site is actually not far from our actual base at NaturCampus so that we can easily survey all areas within our regular time schedule. Please do not bring a sleeping bag, sleeping mat or tent with you – you won’t need it. !!

Other than that we have unpacked boxes, went throught timetables, lists and pieces of equipment. We’ll have it all sorted by tomorrow night – at least that’s the plan. ๐Ÿ˜‰

We are looking forward to meet team 1 at Bremen airport at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Have safe travels & see you soon!

Malika

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Germany : Starting

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

This is the start entry for the Germany diary. I am your expedition leader Malika and I will be making my way to the expedition base soon, a few days ahead of you.

After the 2024 sabbatical of the scientist, were back this year in search of wolves and their sign. I hope you have studied your dossier and your preparations are going well. On our side, all’s well and I will be taking most of the research gear up north (I live in the south of Germany) with me next week.

I will write again when I have arrived at our beautiful Manor House base. Until then…

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Germany : 2023 round-up

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

For the fifth edition of the Biosphere Expeditions wolf project in Germany, we moved to a new expedition base, the beautiful NaturCampus in Bockum, in northern Lower Saxony. In 2023 we welcomed a total of 19 expeditioners from seven different countries for two weeks. The final numbers of all groups bear evidence to a truly impressive effort: all teams covered 791 km in eight wolf territories, sampling a total of 218 wolf scats. This corresponds to 35 10 km x 10km grids. 156 samples were frozen for dietary analyses and 16 samples will be sent to the lab for DNA analysis. We also recorded one wolf sighting during group 1 and two wolf tracks of adults and pups. For the first time during an expedition, howls of wolf pups and adults could be heard in the distance; this awe-inspring event was of course duly recorded.

During the Covid pandemic, wolf monitoring went through a deep data dip, so the new and sizeable set of data collected by the 2020, 2022 and 2023 wolf expeditions are crucial for an up-to-date picture of current wolf presence in the study area and data have just been entered into the German wolf monitoring database by our expedition scientists.

Biosphere Expeditionsโ€™ contribution from 2017 to today now exceeds 1000 data entries, underlining the importance of citizen science for wolf monitoring and conservation.

What makes this expedition truly unique is the variety of wolf stakeholders we interacted with: inspiring wolf ambassadors, the committed Wolfsbรผro team, the staff of our beautiful Bockum NaturCampus expedition base, Kenner’s Landlust setting, the showcase Wolfcenter Dรถrverden, and our amazing scientists. We also learnt about how humans and wolves can coexist in a densely populated and highly developed place like Germany. This apex predator has come back to stay and it is a credit to Germany that the country is making it work, the inevitable trials and tribulations aside. We are proud to say that our expedition plays a significant role in making this so, and we thank everyone for making this year a great success. We hope to see many of you again in the future.

Citizen scientists feedback:

It was a unique experience for me. I appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity to be part of the scientific team to research the wolf and play a role in wolf conservation. Walking in the forest, looking for scats and the possibility of seeing a wolf, made me feel close to nature and sense a connection to the wolf. I learned a lot. Thank you so much for it all!
Carine C., Australia

This is my 10th Biosphere Expedition, and it was simply one of the best. Excellent lodging, good food, great team and very knowledgeable scientists with the right attitude.
Anne S., Germany

Where to begin? It was the best of smells, no, it was the worst of smells. Never again will any of us look at the ground in the same way. Dog? Fox? Wolf? Hmmm โ€“ that smell. Wolf! Yes, score another.
Jim B., USA

It had a very nice time and wonderful experience. The location was great. The expeditions was a present my husband gave me – a unique one. I am sure when back at home, I will scan the paths. I hope to come again.
Silke K., Germany

The wolf expedition is always a lot of fun, and I know that my work during the expedition is valuable for the scientists and for wolf conservation more broadly. We celebrated my 20th anniversary of Biosphere Expeditions (2003 Ukraine โ€“ 2023 Germany), including five Germany wolf expeditons. Nice team, good experiences, lot of fun!
Sylvia D., Germany

Picture selection:

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Germany : It’s a wrap

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

Our second team of expeditioners completed their wolf surveys on Thursday with a thunderstorm. As days went by, everyone managed to perfect their navigational skills. No easy task when the printed map, GPS and reality do not always match. The teams enjoyed walking across different wolf habitats, ranging from pine forests, through heath areas, over sand dunes and deciduous forests. It is a special feeling to walk in a large carnivoreโ€™s footprints while documenting evidence on their presence and ecology on what we call wolf highways.

This teamโ€™s effort, patience and dedication paid off resulting in a wealth of valuable data, confirming the importance of citizen science to add to monitoring efforts – or in many cases being the only source of monitoring data:

Over two groups and weeks, we walked nearly 800 km in 8 wolf territories, resulting in a total of 217 documented scats of which 155 were frozen for dietary and 15 suitable for DNA analysis. Especially with the fresh samples, it is quite thrilling to realise that less than 24 hours ago, this top predator was in the same spot as you were. Even if we do not easily get to see the wolves, we wonder whether they might be looking at us from within their forest hideaways.

This Friday we said farewell to our second and last group of the year. I am sure we will all miss the acrobatic flights of the swift colony around our base, the evenings sharing field experiences and laughs. You were a wonderful team, we wish you safe travels and thank you for your dedication. A special thank you also to Susanne and Jannis of Naturcampus for hosting us and the canteen team of SOS Bockum for the vegetarian food to keep us going. We thank everyone for making this expedition a great success and we hope to see you again in the future.

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Germany : Tropics

Update from our Germany wolf volunteer project

With our second team of expeditioners arrived the tropical weather. Temperatures exceeded 30 C, humidity levels increased and the night brought a thunderstorm. That clearly did not phase our newly arrived expeditioners, who were keen to get into action. After our usual pick-up in Bremen and guided tour in the Wolfcenter, we went into full training modus in our beautiful Bockum research base.

Sunday afternoon our try-out survey to test the newly acquired skills did not disappoint with no fewer than five recorded wolf scats. Wading in the stream Lopau on our return brought some well-deserved refreshment. Ending the day around the campfire with a nice drink allowed us to get to know each other better and exchange previous nature adventures.

Monday we headed out to two nearby wolf territories, Breitenhees and Susing, and split up into six teams. As tends to happen, some teams only managed to cover 4 km due to a high amount of wolf evidence that had to be documented and sampled in their assigned areas, while other teams did as much as 15 km, covering a much larger area, but with no indication of any recent wolf presence, which is equally relevant data. In any case, it is hard not to enjoy the beautiful forests, the other wildlife sightings (red deer, wild board, cranes, red kite and marten) and this in great company. Tomorrow half of the team heads up north to survey Amt Neuhaus and Gรถhrde, while the other half continues their investigations here.

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