Wolves, Winchester, ID
Aug 31, 2001, 12:18 pm
#1
Original Member
Original Poster
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Escondido CA USA
Programs: AS, UA, HY, Hil, Merr
Posts: 3,207
Wolves, Winchester, ID
We flew LAX to SEA on AS (points)and spent a few days helping some friends. The trip was quite good. In coach with the plane 1/3 at least, empty. Thurs, 7am flight.
Next we flew Horizon to Lewiston (same ff ticket), rented a car and casually drove the 40+ miles to Winchester. There are a few Historical sites to see on the way and a museum for the Nez Pearce indians (they own a good deal of all the land around, but naturally only a 100th of what they were given by the original treaty, before ore was found).
Accommodations in Winchester are sparce. A two unit motel/diner/bar (food was good and prices suprisingly reasonable-double pattie melt and fries $5.75, eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, toast a dollar less) and a 4 unit "minnie motel" that was VERY modest, but clean. The water is horrible, bring your own!
WERC is an organization that tries to educate people in the ways of the wolf and supports wolf reintroduction. The facility in Winchester is unusual. It is a "retirement home" for a wolf pack that are the decendants of a pack had raised by the Dutchers at another site in Idaho. A few movies have aired on their work on PBS, ABC, etc. The pack is maintained in a 20 acre enclosure on the hillside in part of the reservation land. You can go there and sit at a couple of viewing sites for $3 or go on a tour (early mornings and evenings, by appointment) for $10. I do not recommend the latter for children under 12, even though they are free, as sightings are a sit paciently and quietly event.
5 children under 4 accompanied us on our evening tour (7 adults). Crying and running around help insure no sightings. We returned the following morning for a private tour (we are members and sponsors) and were able to see the wolves in the meadow from afar and later close up for 4 of the 7 wolves.
The cost of this operation is maintained by donors, tours, and misc. sales from the gift shop. These woves are used as ambassadors for the wolf and cannot be reintroduced back into nature as they have had too much human contact history. They are kept in as natural setting as possible and fed "road kill" (mostly elk) and donated meat (cows that die).
I pass this information along for those interested in a "quickie" vacation that is a bit different.
For more information go to wolfcenter.org
------------------
Only God does not have to travel
[This message has been edited by ranles (edited 08-31-2001).]
Next we flew Horizon to Lewiston (same ff ticket), rented a car and casually drove the 40+ miles to Winchester. There are a few Historical sites to see on the way and a museum for the Nez Pearce indians (they own a good deal of all the land around, but naturally only a 100th of what they were given by the original treaty, before ore was found).
Accommodations in Winchester are sparce. A two unit motel/diner/bar (food was good and prices suprisingly reasonable-double pattie melt and fries $5.75, eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, toast a dollar less) and a 4 unit "minnie motel" that was VERY modest, but clean. The water is horrible, bring your own!
WERC is an organization that tries to educate people in the ways of the wolf and supports wolf reintroduction. The facility in Winchester is unusual. It is a "retirement home" for a wolf pack that are the decendants of a pack had raised by the Dutchers at another site in Idaho. A few movies have aired on their work on PBS, ABC, etc. The pack is maintained in a 20 acre enclosure on the hillside in part of the reservation land. You can go there and sit at a couple of viewing sites for $3 or go on a tour (early mornings and evenings, by appointment) for $10. I do not recommend the latter for children under 12, even though they are free, as sightings are a sit paciently and quietly event.
5 children under 4 accompanied us on our evening tour (7 adults). Crying and running around help insure no sightings. We returned the following morning for a private tour (we are members and sponsors) and were able to see the wolves in the meadow from afar and later close up for 4 of the 7 wolves.
The cost of this operation is maintained by donors, tours, and misc. sales from the gift shop. These woves are used as ambassadors for the wolf and cannot be reintroduced back into nature as they have had too much human contact history. They are kept in as natural setting as possible and fed "road kill" (mostly elk) and donated meat (cows that die).
I pass this information along for those interested in a "quickie" vacation that is a bit different.
For more information go to wolfcenter.org
------------------
Only God does not have to travel
[This message has been edited by ranles (edited 08-31-2001).]
