Bitterrooters will never have a better chance to learn something about one of the most elusive and, because of that, one of the most misunderstood creatures to prowl the American wilderness, than they will by attending Doug Chadwick’s presentation of his new book, “The Wolverine Way.” Published by Patagonia Books, “The Wolverine Way” reveals the fascinating natural history of the wolverine, and the habitat threats that face them. Wolverines, according to Chadwick, are the land equivalent of polar bears in regards to the impacts of global warming.
Author of over ten books and hundreds of wildlife articles, Chadwick engagingly invites his reader into the natural history of the ferocious wolverine in this adventure filled page-turner. The wolverine comes marked with a reputation based on myth and fancy – it’s known as a glutton, symbol of slaughter and a wilderness villain. But Chadwick shows us an animal that is more complex than the myths that surround it.
A lot of his knowledge comes from working as a volunteer with the Glacier Wolverine Project. The project, a five-year study of the wolverines in Montana’s Glacier National Park, has revealed key missing information about the wolverine’s habitat, social structure and reproduction habits. But Chadwick’s wildlife learning and wildlife experience go way back.
He worked each summer from the ages of 6 through 20 as an assistant to his father, Russell Chadwick, a consulting geologist, becoming familiar with scientific fieldwork and backcountry exploration. He graduated valedictorian from St. George’s High School, Spokane, Washington, with science awards. He earned a B.S. in zoology, University of Washington, Seattle and an M.S in wildlife biology, University of Montana, Missoula.
He conducted research on mountain goat ecology and behavior in the Swan Mountains of Montana, 1971 through 1974, followed by similar research as a seasonal biologist for Glacier National Park, Montana, 1975-77.
Chadwick then turned to writing for a broader audience and lived for the next 11 years in a remote cabin without utilities on the edge of Glacier Park, rearing the two children there before moving to town to enter them in school. The cabin remains a second home.
He has traveled the globe reporting on wildlife and conservation, from the Congo headwaters to Siberia to the Great Barrier Reef. He has consulted on films and videos as a wildlife expert and advised the National Museum of Natural History on rotunda display.
Chadwick is also active in local conservation. He is a founding board member for Vital Ground, a non-profit foundation that, together with partners, has safeguarded more than 600,000 acres of habitat for grizzly bears and other wildlife through conservation easements and direct purchase.
Of course, Chadwick is also interested in the plight of the wolverine. With a shrinking wilderness and global warming, the future of the wolverine is uncertain. He believes the plight of wolverines adds to the call for wildlife corridors that connect existing habitat that is proposed by Patagonia’s Freedom to Roam (www.patagonia.com/enviro) coalition.
“The Wolverine Way” will be available at all major booksellers, and at www.patagonia.com beginning May 1, 2010. The author is also embarking on a several-city book tour to talk more about wolverines, sign books and read excerpts from “The Wolverine Way.” A reading and book signing is scheduled in Hamilton on Saturday, March 3, at Hamilton City Hall at 7 p.m. The doors open at 6 p.m.