At approximately 02:00 AM on December 25, 2023, a retired DNR Conservation Warden  and pro-wolf hunt advocate shot a wolf at his door. Ron Nordin, Jr., a Wildlife Technician for Red Cliff Tribe, got the news from the DNR after the holiday break that Wolf 813, a collard wolf he had been monitoring for over ten years, was killed. Ron and his wife Misty tell the story of the wolf they knew as Wolf 813, Matriarch of the Echo Valley Pack, and how her life and death impacted them as members of the Red Cliff Ojibwe Tribe.

“Wolf 813 was more than just a wolf” Ron and Misty Nordin, Jr.

Wolf 813: More than just a wolf, a Short Film, a Wolves of Douglas County Wisconsin Film. Cast: Ron and Misty Nordin, Jr., Genevieve Adamski. Director and Producer Rachel Tilseth, Editor Justin Koehler, Camera Rachel Tilseth. Webcam footage of Wolf 813 provided by Red Cliff (Ojibwe) Treaty Natural Resources Department.

Watch the short film on YouTube.

Two and a half months after the killing, the incident remains under investigation by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

In Memory of Wolf 813 Matriarch of the Echo Valley Ma’iingan Family, R.I.P. 12/25/2023.

“To the Anishinaabe people, Ma’iinganag are teachers and relatives. GLIFWC laments the loss of this important family matriarch.” from the Press Release by the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission on January 29, 2024

“In the making of this short film, what I learned the most from Ron and Misty was that they respected her as a Matriarch and her wildness. I believe the Ojibwe are important allies to the wolf and thier views and beliefs are largely ignored by the conservative fringe.” ~Rachel Tilseth

“She wasn’t just a wolf. She wasn’t just a predator. She was family. We can’t quite describe that relationship and what it really means to us as Annishanabe. We can’t put that into words for anybody else to understand, but it’s there. And it is strong…” ~Misty Nordin, Enrolled Member Red Cliff Ojibwe Tribe

“Since we collared her…she is providing us with all this data. She’s doing all the work…we are just documenting it…she’s feeding her family…within all of that she has become our co-worker.” ~Ron Nordin, Jr. Wildlife Technician, Red Cliff tribe

“I think the whole reason a lot of us get into this field is because we care…we do care deeply about these species, especially wolves…people are drawn to wolves. Everyone has really strong opinions on wolves whether they be positive or negative.” ~Genevieve Adamski, Wildlife Specialist, Red Cliff Tribe